Donald Trump’s obsession with re-election illustrates the problems caused by metrics becoming targets. Continue reading
Bolton’s book and Goodhart’s law
academia
The 9 types of academic authors
Nowadays it’s pretty standard for an academic paper to have a long list of authors – but who are those authors anyway? Continue reading
Black Lives Matter – an interview with Dr. Calvin Tiengwe
The Black Lives Matter protests have shone a light on the systemic racism present at all levels in developed countries, including in academia. TIR spoke to Dr. Calvin Tiengwe of Imperial College London to get his perspective on the protests, the problem, and possible solutions. Continue reading
Graves’ inversion
A thought experiment: what if career security in academia was inverted, and the positions of junior and senior faculty were reversed? Continue reading
It couldn’t ever happen to me
Academics always need a Plan B, because career longevity is never guaranteed. Continue reading
Vital statistics (a guide to preparing CVs for academia)
TIR offers a few pointers for young scientists on how to brush up their curriculum vitae… Continue reading
Forks in the road (a short guide to career options in science)
There are many different careers to be had in science, of which academia only encompasses a fraction. Here’s an overview of the whole spectrum. Continue reading
Kids and Kardashians
Starting a family is something that’s often presented as a risk in career terms. In fact, it may actually turn you into a better risk-taker. Continue reading
Total Internal Reflection 