Changing Academic Life

In this final episode of the 2024-2025 season, I reflect on key themes emerging from the past 20 episodes of 'Changing Academic Life.' These are around creating supportive and inclusive cultures in academia, the role of leadership, career transitions, wellbeing and self-care, and the importance of community. It reminds us to engage in reflection, value our own and others' wellbeing, and contribute to positive changes in academic environments.  Cultivating a good academic life for all is a collective effort.

00:00 CAL127 Season reflections

02:44 Supportive cultures

06:35 Career transitions, choices

11:39 Wellbeing & self care

13:56 Community

16:00 Closing

18:29 End

If you are curious about how to set up your own peer support group, inspired by what Johanna Stadlbauer shared about what Uni Graz are doing, then this episode might get you started. I walk through some of the ‘things to think about’ when setting up peer groups such as the group’s purpose, the focus, and who that would involve, also the group size, meeting frequency and commitment, and choosing between structured or informal formats and related roles. I then walk through two examples of more structured formats: action learning sets which take more of a coaching approach, and peer mentoring models that take more of a consulting or advising approach. I also give some examples of more informal peer groups.  Regardless of approach, good listening, confidentiality and a commitment to genuine participation are key. I also refer to some resources and links for further reading and more detailed overview of steps, as well as some related podcasts. Whether you're looking for mutual support, expert guidance, or simply a sense of belonging, there's a group format that can work for you. Give it a try!

00:00 CAL126 Exploring Peer Group Support Models

00:29 Introduction

01:36 Purpose

03:03 Focus

05:03 How Many

06:17 How Often

07:45 Format

08:24 Roles

09:44 Critical Ingredients

11:38 Walking Through Some Examples

12:35 Example: Peer Coaching Groups - Action Learning Set

20:39 Example: Peer Mentoring Groups

25:04 Example: Informal Peer Support Groups

28:23 Recap

30:07 Do What Works for You - Suggestions

33:07 Closing Call and Pointers

36:36 End

Related Links

Action Learning Sets guidance by Caroline Doherty via the UK NHS Action Learning Sets page

Action Learning Sets at Uni of St Andrews as example in an academic context

Graz Call for participation in their Collegial Development Programme

Kollegiale Beratung in sechs Phasen (Collegial Advising in 6 Phases) 

Descriptive Consultancy with protocol description

Balint Group Method

The No Club book and No Club Guidance

Related Podcasts

Michael Bungay Stanier on the power of curiosity and taming your advice monster

Asking good questions, empowering good people (Solo 'Related Work' episode)

Oscar Trimboli (Part 1) on being better listeners 

Oscar Trimboli (Part 2) on how to listen deeply 

Johanna Stadlbauer on boundaries, agency and community building

Johanna Stadlbauer is an anthropologist working in researcher development at the University of Graz, recently made Head of Research Careers Campus Graz. Her mission is a more fun and kind academia. Johanna shares the experiences and challenges of her journey from a PhD to quitting a postdoc in anthropology, to doing NGO work part-time, and then coming back to academia for a researcher development role. Her work now is focused on creating a supportive and kind academic environment, with the aim to improve researcher well-being and foster a sense of community. She discusses establishing structures for postdoctoral researchers' support and community, and highlights initiatives like the writing retreat, Fiasco Fest, and peer mentoring, which aim to improve researcher well-being and foster a sense of community. Johanna is a role model for how to navigate a career path and your work role on your own terms. She is really clear on her own boundaries, and what she needs to feed herself and look after her work-life balance. She also reminds us the value of peer support, of telling people their contributions matter, and of taking the time to savour the good. She reminds us of the significance of agency, community support, and the need for transparency and understanding in academia.

00:00 CAL125 Johanna Stadlbauer

03:03 Introduction and Guest Background

03:56 Journey from Anthropology to Research Development

06:18 Postdoc Experience and Challenges

07:42 Deciding to Quit the PostDoc

12:05 Transition to NGO Work

15:57 Finding Balance and Setting Boundaries

19:47 Messaging in Academia

23:35 Permanent Contract and Current Role

29:27 Towards a Fun and Kind Academia and Experiences of Power Abuse

31:26 Finding Solutions and Positive Structures

33:31 Balancing Critique and Support in Academia

35:58 Empowering Postdocs and Addressing Structural Issues

40:12 The Importance of Community, Peer Support and Mentoring

49:39 Promoting Good Working Environments for Researcher Wellbeing

52:03 Personal Reflections and Final Thoughts

56:53 End 

Related Links

Johanna's web page (English version)

Head of Research Careers Campus Graz 

Researcher Development in Graz Blog 

LinkedIn pages for Johanna, the PostDoc Office, and Research Careers Campus Graz

The Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA) 

Max Planck PhD Net 

Balint Group Method 

Tina Persson shares her journey from chemistry and nearly 20 years in academia, to recruiting and then career coaching. Tina discusses the challenges she faced in academia, including struggles with energy-draining tasks and political landscapes, and how she pivoted to a career in recruitment and coaching. She emphasizes the importance of understanding natural talents, emotional intelligence, and honest communication in career development. The conversation covers valuable tips for professors on recruiting and supporting early-career researchers, the impact of AI on career skills, and the cultural differences in career transitions. Tina also highlights the significance of lifelong learning and being open to unseen opportunities, offering practical advice for academics, those seeking an academic position, and those considering a career pivot.

 Overview:

00:29 Episode Introduction

03:02 Introducing Tina and her Academic Journey

10:18 Transition to Industry

12:24 Becoming a PhD Recruiter

15:25 Coaching and Career Development

25:24 Recruitment Tips for Professors

36:00 Startup Mentality in Academia

38:43 Evaluating Candidates Beyond Technical Skills

40:35 Innovative Interview Techniques

43:09 Filtering Candidates Efficiently

50:57 Cultural Differences in Recruitment

52:50 The Role of AI in Recruitment

54:25 Human-Centric Skills in Academia

01:00:13 Building a Supportive Academic Culture

01:03:23 The Importance of Career Pivoting

01:05:52 Conclusion and Contact Information

Related links

Related to Tina:

About Tina and her LinkedIn profile and Passage2Pro

PhD Career Stories Podcast and upcoming book

People: Sarah Blackford , Fritz Eckstein 

Holland’s Theory of Career Choice

This is a replay of an episode about our strengths as our superpowers and it is a useful precursor to the next podcast discussion where my guest will talk about them as natural talents. This replay episode was triggered by two interactions that made me think more about the importance of knowing our own unique superpowers (as Aaron Quigley discussed), ie our strengths, and also our kryptonite (thanks Lewis Chuang), and how this can help us work out what is our good academic life. And to recognise that we can all have different superpowers. Before getting to the replay I also report on some lovely feedback from the episodes with Graham McAllister.

00:29 Introduction

01:39 Update from episodes with Graham McAllister

05:21 Replay - Strengths as Superpowers

06:49 Kyrptonite and Superpowers

08:19 What are your superpowers?

14:29 Other notes about strengths as superpowers

17:21 Summary and pointer to ways to explore strengths

19:25 Additional Pointers

22:05 Outro

Related Links:

The twitter thread started by Lewis Chuang

Aaron Quigley podcast conversation

Mike Twidale podcast conversation

VIA Character Strengths Survey

Strengthscope Strengths assessment tools

Related Work:

Michelle McQuaid, 2014, Ten Reasons to Focus on Your Strengths No matter what your job description says, Psychology Today.

Jeremy Sutton, 2021, Cultivating Strengths at Work: 10+ Examples and Ideas, PositivePsychology.com.

Ryan M. Niemiec, 2020, Coronavirus Coping: 6 Ways Your Strengths Will Help You Turn to your best qualities for prevention, safety, and health. Psychology Today.

 ”Writing is thinking, I love thinking, I love working on problems, I love thinking through the problems…. So the whole writing thing is a thinking thing.” says Graham McAllister in this final part of our conversation. His foray into writing a book on Games Usability after he sold his company was also a foray into exploring the process of writing, asking himself questions like "How do you write a book? What's my voice? How do I write? What fits in with my life?” 

Graham unpacks his experiences about the art and craft of writing that worked for him in answer to these questions. He starts with reflections on publishing challenges in academia and his commitment to making knowledge freely accessible. He also talks about the process of discovering his writing voice, the iterative writing process, setting up a writing routine and setting achievable goals. Graham also reflects on the broader implications of his work within academia and industry, the pursuit of clear communication for your audience, and his future aspirations in writing and consulting. The conversation highlights themes of personal growth, the importance of thoughtful work-life integration, and the impact of past mentors and opportunities.

Overview

00:00 Introduction

02:50 Introduction to the Book Writing Journey

03:28 The Philosophy of Free Knowledge

04:51 The Writing Process and Idea Generation

07:12 Structuring and Refining the Book

10:08 Finding Your Voice and Writing Routine

11:51 Future Writing Projects and Reflections

20:09 Balancing Work and Personal Fulfillment

26:04 Final Reflections and Gratitude

Related Links:

Graham’s Home page and LinkedIn Profile and his books

CAL120 Part 1 episode with Graham on his previous career pivots

CAL121 Part 2 episode with Graham on team vision alignment

In this second part of my conversation with Graham McAllister, we explore Graham's next pivot to studying organizational psychology at the London School of Economics. After selling his startup, Graham decided to do an MSc to help him answer what he now saw as the core problem in game development teams and that was lack of a unified vision. He shares his insights into shared mental models, vision alignment, shared values, diversity in hiring, and building resilient teams. He also discusses how these principles can be applied to other creative and research collaborations. Keep an eye out for the final episode in this series with Graham where he shares practical tips on the art and practice of writing.

Overview:

00:00 Intro

00:29 Episode Introduction

02:30 The Turning Point: Leaving the Company and Writing a Book

04:54 Discovering Organizational Psychology

05:44 The Journey to London School of Economics

07:16 The All-Consuming Feeling of Vision

11:07 The Importance of Education and Luck

16:26 Reflections on Lifelong Learning

19:22 Applying Mental Models Beyond Games

20:42 Understanding Alignment and Values in Organizations

23:39 Rethinking Hiring Practices and Leadership

26:46 Setting a Vision and Mission

29:01 Building a Mental Model

32:19 Operationalizing Shared Values

36:26 Detecting and Addressing Cultural Beliefs

38:15 Preview of Part 3 on Writing

40:38 End 

Related Links:

Graham’s Home page and LinkedIn Profile

CAL120 Part 1 episode with Graham on his previous career pivots

Kotter’s Change Model https://www.kotterinc.com/methodology/8-steps/

Edgar Schein’s three layer of organizational culture - see various

discussions:

•  https://psychsafety.com/psychological-safety-edgar-scheins-three-layers-of-organisational-culture/
• https://mitsloan.mit.edu/ideas-made-to-matter/5-enduring-management-ideas-mit-sloans-edgar-schein
• https://www.managementstudyguide.com/sigma/edgar-schein-model.htm
• Original 1983 paper

Graham McAllister reflects on his various career pivots, starting with a PhD in computer graphics in Belfast, transitioning through roles in academia and industry and then forming and later selling his games usability start-up. In the process Graham provides a masterclass on how to navigate and negotiate career pivots, how to articulate clear problems and solutions. The conversation highlights the value of bridging practical and theoretical domains, the role of luck and other people, and the need for continuous learning, reflection and adaptation in your career journey while being very clear about the strengths and passions that underpin this.  

Overview:

00:00 Episode Introduction

03:01 Welcoming Graham

03:43 Early Career and PhD Journey

04:49 Transition to Industry

06:01 Straddling Academia and Industry

07:54 Return to Academia and Music Technology

13:34 Influence of Gary Marsden

17:41 Joining University of Sussex

21:18 Starting a Spin-Out Company

21:52 Balancing Academia and Startup

25:24 Challenges and Reflections

31:37 Academic vs. Industry Conferences

32:32 Critical Thinking in Video Game Development

33:28 Startup Challenges and Team Building

34:32 Marketing Through Education

40:56 Leadership Reflections and Authenticity

48:35 Selling the Company and Moving Forward

56:20 End

Related Links:

Graham’s Home page

and LinkedIn page

People he mentions: Ricardo Climent and Gary Marsden

This is Part 2 of my discussion with Matthew Barr and Oana Andrei who work together in the Education and Practice Section in the School of Computing Science at the University of Glasgow. Oana and Matt each share their personal experiences with mental health challenges. Oana shares her journey from postdoctoral research to becoming a lecturer, highlighting how she dealt with burnout by taking up Taekwondo. Matthew discusses his long-term management of depression and the importance of normalizing such conversations in academic settings. We also talk about their learning, teaching and scholarship career paths, the significance of reflective practice and how it has been integrated into their teaching methods. They also discuss their commitment to inclusion and diversity in education, alongside their passion for teaching and the innovative graduate apprenticeship degree program they have implemented that widens access by enabling work-based learning and student support. The episode offers valuable insights into the importance of personal wellbeing, the role of supportive workplace environments, and what a teaching-focussed path can involve.

Overview

00:29 Episode Introduction

02:00 Picking up on the question about mental health

02:46 Oana Shares Her Experiences With Burnout

08:05 Matt Shares His Experiences With Depression

12:45 Choosing Teaching Focussed Career Paths

16:36 Oana Moving From Research To Teaching Track

19:06 Promotion Criteria in a Learning, Teaching and Scholarship Track

24:14 Apprenticeship Degree Program

31:50 Doing a Master in Education

34:39 A Framework for Reflection

38:52 Wrapping Up

39:18 Revisiting Belonging

44:09 Thanks For The Podcast

46:27 End

Related Links

Oana Andrei, Lecturer (Ass Prof) Uni of Glasgow  webpage and LinkedIn profile 

Matthew Barr (Senior Lecturer) Uni of Glasgow webpage and LinkedIn profile

The reflective writing resources Matt mentioned:

• Manchester’s Academic Phrasebank: http://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk/
• The guidance here on Portsmouth’s website: https://myport.port.ac.uk/study-skills/written-assignments/reflective-writing-introduction

Their paper on how the apprenticeship degree program might widen access to HE:

• M. Barr, O. Andrei and M. Kallia, "Widening Access to Higher Education through Degree-level Apprenticeships in Software Engineering," 2023 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE), College Station, TX, USA, 2023, pp. 1-8, doi: 10.1109/FIE58773.2023.10343199.

This is part 1 of my discussion with Matthew Barr and Oana Andrei who work together in the Education and Practice Section in the School of computing science at the University of Glasgow. It was the experiences of Matt as head of Section that led Oana to suggest he would be good to talk to. Together they share their experiences of what makes for good academic leadership and change, including the psychological safety and sense of belonging of members, the impact of everyday micro-interactions, and fostering a supportive environment. Matt discusses his approach in leadership, such as seeking feedback for self-improvement and actively supporting staff promotions. Oana also shares her perspective on the importance of belonging and mentorship in academic settings and the experience of good leadership. Their insights provide a meaningful look at how we can transform academic work culture for the better. 

 Overview:

00:29 Episode Introduction

01:52 Welcome

02:28 Oana's Journey and Career

03:46 Matt's Journey and Career

06:13 Leadership and Management Insights

10:00 Creating a Supportive Work Environment

13:29 Supporting Promotion for a Learning, Teaching and Scholarship Track

21:23 Micro Actions That Can Make All The Difference

25:16 Being a Role Model in How We Handle Bad Days

28:45 Learning From Experience What Not To Do

36:44 Taking Care For Belonging

41:20 Linking to Part 2

43:14 End 

Related Links

Oana Andrei, Lecturer (Ass Prof) Uni of Glasgow  webpage and LinkedIn profile 

Matthew Barr (Senior Lecturer) Uni of Glasgow webpage and LinkedIn profile

Role modelling paper mentioned by Matt:

• Virginia Grande, Päivi Kinnunen, Anne-Kathrin Peters, Matthew Barr, Åsa Cajander, Mats Daniels, Amari N. Lewis, Mihaela Sabin, Matilde Sánchez-Peña, and Neena Thota. 2022. Role Modeling as a Computing Educator in Higher Education: A Focus on Care, Emotions and Professional Competencies. In Proceedings of the 2022 Working Group Reports on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education (ITiCSE-WGR '22). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 37–63. https://doi.org/10.1145/3571785.3574122