Conversations with Academics

This is the third episode of the academic work-life balance podcast, where I interview academics  about their work-life management. Do they work and have an 'outside' life? If so, how do they keep their research program working smoothly? My intentions are for academics to realize that they aren't alone in thinking that academia can be very stressful and overwhelming sometimes, but sometimes I get off track.

This is the second episode of the academic work-life balance podcast, where I interview academics  about their work-life management. Do they work and have an 'outside' life? If so, how do they keep their research program working smoothly? My intentions are for academics to realize that they aren't alone in thinking that academia can be very stressful and overwhelming sometimes.

This is the first episode of the academic work-life balance podcast, where I interview academics from around the world, and ask them about their work-life balance. Do they balance work and outside life? If so, how do they keep their research program working smoothly? My intentions are for graduate students to realize that they aren't alone in thinking that academia can be very stressful sometimes.

Kathryn McConnell - Doctoral Candidate at Yale School of the Environment - Katie and I talk about her research on the impacts of wildfire on human lives, how Covid has changed our own lives, and a bit about the PhD process.

David Murray - Entrepreneur and writer -David and I talk about his journey from through higher education, an archaeology excavation in Europe, his study of Classics, some entrepreneurial endeavors, and his latest switch to writing. David and I ramble for quite a while, but I hope some of it is useful or interesting.

Dr. Matthew Silk - University of Exeter - Matt and I talk about how Covid has affected us, his journey from the PhD through a couple of postdocs (along with what is next for him), his recent paper "Perils and pitfalls of mixed-effects regression models in biology" and statistics more generally, at the end Matt gives some advice about being brave and "going for it" when contacting potential advisors.

Dr. Jesse Barber - Boise State University Jesse tells me about his academic journey, and we end by discussing publishing houses, journals, and the ethics surrounding decisions to submit to a journal. 

Dr. Kathryn Turner - Idaho State University Kathryn tells me about her experience in the job search and what sort of things to look out for. She stresses the importance of hobbies, or taking time away from work, and she ends with the power of sleep and talking to humans - we are social creatures after all.

Dr. Kristin Byrd - USGS (Western Geographic Science Center, Moffett Field, CA) Kristin tells me about her career trajectory, her current work, and life in a government position. She talks a bit about some skills that hiring committees might be after, and how her daily life probably isn't very different from that which would be found in a University position.

Dr. Nick Dowdy - NSF Post Doctoral Fellow (Milwaukee Public Museum) & Assistant Research Professor (Wake Forest University) Nick tells me about not having a great work-life balance, being a self-proclaimed 'workaholic.' We discuss how work can sometimes actually be a hobby, and figuring out what is right for you. We discuss checking emails as a way to procrastinate or lose time. We discuss the difference between working all the time and productivity in a 'publish or perish' world. Nick uses a phrase 'productive procrastinator' to describe working on new / side projects, and explains how having a significant other can help with the balance, at least a little bit.