Happy 2020, everyone!
Following an ancient blogosphere tradition, the first(ish) week of January is the Blog Delurking Week!
Stop by to say ‘hi’ in the comments. Tell us a bit about who you are, what brings you to the blog, what grates your cheese, what you’d like to read about on xykademiqz, and what you expect/hope for in 2020!
Whether you’ve never commented before or you’re a seasoned blog-commenting pro, I’d love to hear from you!
Delurk! Rejoice!
xykademiqz 
What really grinds my gears are faculty who go on sabbatical but come to the office every day. I think you’ve posted about this before. I’ll go lurking around for that post, haha 🙂
Not a lurker, but Happy New Year!
And their e-mail is on “I’m on sabbatical” auto-reply…
I’m a lurker, delurking. I’ve been reading your blog for a few years now. I like to read about others’ experiences in academia, so I mostly lurk on academic related blogs. I’m a professor at a regional public university. Happy New Year!
Hi! I also teach science and have 3 kids, and enjoy hearing about your experience with both. Your kids are maybe ~8 years older than mine (my oldest is almost 11) so it’s a little bit of a window to the future.
I’m a science professor at a PUI. I enjoy reading your thoughts on working at an R1 institution, perspectives from a more senior professor, and raising older kids.
I’m a chemist and a service provider within an academic setting. I come here for your rants and for the links to other interesting reading.
Hi! I’m in the physical sciences at a top-20 SLAC, now with two kids under the age of four, and (somehow) tenure! Starting the associate professor journey, currently on sabbatical (and in the office every day, because it’s not like I can go anywhere else with young kids!). 😉
What undine said!
Please allow me to introduce myself. I’m a man of wealth and taste.
I’ve been reading (and occasionally commenting on) this blog for years. I’ll be retiring from my position as an engineering professor in about 18 months.
Tenured engineering professor at an R1 institute and mother to 3 kids. Love hearing about what it’s like for others. Love your writing, humor, and honesty.
Hi! On sabbatical in New Zealand, almost but not quite antipodal to my home university (the antipodal point would be in Western Australia). Attempting to escape associate professor purgatory this year after an honourable discharge from an admin role.
@PD: Lot of people, especially those with kids, use sabbatical primarily as teaching and service release. I am sure this helps recharge their research program. If that grinds you gears, you need to replace them with ones that are less attuned to affairs that don’t concern you in any discernible way.
untenured physicist at an R1 trying to overcome the ups of ego and downs of imposter syndrome that plague me daily. enjoy the rants & insights into management by another PI. been reading since my grad school days
I’m sorry to have grated you cheese 🙂
Not always lurking, but usually avoiding eye contact. Reader since I started this gig ten years ago. Not sure how I feel about being mid-career, middle age, soft-in-the-middle, but appreciate your honesty and identify with plenty of shared experiences.
PD, I think you should add an ‘I’m on sabbatical’ reply to your email and see if anyone calls you on it. Could this be the email solution we’ve all been looking for?!?
I think it’s called “Inbox Infinity”
Reading since I started my own lab 6 plus years ago now. I continue to stumble, fall and crawl back up while simultaneously thinking about throwing in the towel every single day. I find that the further I get (in terms of responsibilities, more leadership demands), the tougher this job becomes, but as a life long learner who is very much into personal growth and development this is also kind of nice.
Your book has helped me, this blog has made me laugh and commiserate and is in my daily blogroll to help me preserve sanity and put things into much needed perspective. On top of that you have given valuable writing advice on non-science writing. So keep it up for the sake of pure enjoyment and actually making a difference!
long time reader — I’m a junior prof at a non-coastal, public, high-ranked R1 in the physical sciences. I’m a woman, a theorist, and have a small child.
I love your blog and have since Academic Jungle days. Thanks for all the advice, perspective, and humanity.
I started reading sometime during my PhD when I was confused about how weird academia seemed. It still seems weird now that I’m a postdoc, but thanks to science blogosphere I’m realising it’s just what it is and very few people actually think it makes sense and is fair.
I particularly like the glimpses to the PI/trainee dynamic from your perspective, e.g. when you were talking about losing particularly productive lab members and gaining some less than stellar ones, and how that also impacted your own work. Would love to see more posts from you, but I understand if other things take priority or are more fun to you these days
I was a tenured prof, until last year, that I moved to another non-academic position in a different field.
I like reading everything you write. I totally get your rants, I was having a lot of them before I moved.
Grass is greener on this side for the time being 🙂 What I love the most of my job is that I don’t have to do 1 trillion things in parallel, so I can focus on doing a good job, it doesn’t involve self promotion or looking for funding and I clock hours. Looove clocking hours!!! Turns out, you work less hours if you clock 🙂 Plus I am back to the city where most of the family is, so I have plenty to do with those extra personal hours. Being alone in the univ city made me work way longer hours.
New PI, started reading your blog last spring/summer/sometime after I started…
Just keep posting 🙂
Delurking to say it’s great to see a discussion of both the professional and personal side of academic life.
There is a definite shortage of good information for grad students, postdocs, and faculty, especially in STEM. People are thrown into the deep end in academia. It’s great to have people talking about how to swim and how we’re all hit by storms sometimes.
I’ve read your blogs for over 10 years now when I was a grad student, then postdoc at a NL and now staff scientist at NL. I enjoy your honesty and wit.
Late to the party – I think I’ve commented once, a couple yrs back, and resulting discussion resembled propane explosion in a macaroni factory – so Im back to reading (lurking, if you prefer).
I’m an architect, a PM, actually, from totally different industry/lifestyle/political persuasion and background. Stopping by here once in awhile to see how the other 3% live (and whether your complains resemble mine…)
Hello, all