Shows
Changing Academic LifeCelebrating 10 Years & Season End (CAL147, S8E12)Celebrating 10 Years & Season Reflections on Meaning, Identity, Care, and LeadershipThis is a special episode because it’s not only marks the end of the current season, it also celebrates 10 years of the Changing Academic Life podcast, The first podcast episode went out on 3 July 2016 and it has now reached 156 episodes by late June 2026. In this episode I start off reflecting on the podcast as a service contribution towards trying to create a better academia and the reminder that small actions can have big impacts. A big thank you to my guests and listeners, and for your fe...
2026-07-0127 min
Changing Academic LifeCultivating Deep Listening: Showing Up, Staying Curious, and Resisting Advice (CAL146, S8E11)Deep listening is a foundational yet undervalued skill across all our supervision, leadership, and collaboration relationships. My motivation for this episode came from some recent workshops experiences, conversations with colleagues, and posts from others that have all highlighted the importance of listening in different ways. This is a multi-voice episode, weaving together insights from past conversations with Christian van Nieuwerburgh, Oscar Trimboli, and Michael Bungay Stanier. Together we explore how we can cultivate better listening.Good listening starts with how we show up—our wellbeing, intention, and undivided attention—and practical preparation such as reducing notifications, hydrating, and...
2026-06-1748 min
Changing Academic LifeMike Levin on navigating academia as a disruptive interdisciplinary researcher (CAL145, S8,E10)Mike Levin is a Professor of Biology at Tufts University in the US and leads the Levin Lab and pursues research across cancer, birth defects, regenerative medicine, AI, synthetic morphology, and philosophy, unified by a central aim: understanding how minds become embodied and scale across biological and synthetic systems. Mike explains his early inspirations and his practice of looking for what is “not in the textbook,” challenging dominant paradigms and treating scientific frameworks as metaphors that both reveal and hide phenomena. He describes navigating academia by separating creative exploration from pragmatic communication, strategically and slowly rolling out disruptive ideas as d...
2026-06-0352 min
Changing Academic LifeRaffael Himmelsbach on Courage, Discomfort, and Leadership in Ambiguous Academic Roles (CAL144, S8E9)Dr Raffael Himmelsbach and I discuss his unorthodox path from a political science PhD at the University of Lausanne into science policy and research-adjacent leadership roles across multiple countries, including work with the Center for Digital Life Norway and co-directing a Vienna Ludwig Boltzmann Research Group on wound healing. He describes moving away from a publication-driven track toward designing programs, coordinating networks, and working with people, and reflects on the discomfort and courage required in ambiguous roles where goals and success criteria can be unclear. Drawing on large-scale, multi-institution collaborations, he discusses stakeholder management, the risks of equating success...
2026-05-201h 04
Changing Academic LifeOn Identity, Meaning, and Joyful Effort (CAL143, S8E8)Connecting to Christian van Nieuwerburgh’s idea of “joyful effort” and discussions at the University of Graz Research Culture Campus Fest about supportive, inclusive research cultures and prioritizing meaningful work over productivity, this episode revisits an episode from January 2025 on research identity, meaningful work, and funding. I explore the tensions between our autonomy to pursue intrinsically motivating, value-driven research and systemic constraints such as funding calls, promotion criteria, shifting national priorities, and restrictive deliverables that can conflict with participatory principles. Using examples from Katta Spiel on focusing on what you want to do not what is strategic, Mark Reed’s impact...
2026-05-0634 min
Changing Academic LifeChristian van Nieuwerburgh on Bringing Back the Joy (CAL142, S8E7)Christian van Nieuwerburgh is Professor of Coaching and Positive Psychology at the Centre for Positive Health Sciences at the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland University of Medicine and Health Sciences, and a practitioner providing coach training and consultancy for the education sector, among other roles. His ‘coach on a motorcycle’ identity is about aligning all parts of his work and life as a “pracademic”.Universities, he argues, should be joyful, safe, inclusive places where students and staff flourish despite constraints like performance metrics and burnout. He talks about wellbeing as foundational for us to be able to do good...
2026-04-221h 00
Changing Academic LifeBethany Wilinski (Part 2) on Designing Your Intentional Sabbatical (CAL141, S8E6)Designing Your Intentional Sabbatical: Purpose, boundaries and career sustainability.This is Part 2 of my conversation with Bethany Wilinski, an associate professor of teacher education at Michigan State University. Building from Part 1, where Bethany described her own sabbatical experience, here the the focus is on how to more intentionally design your sabbatical (also relevant for any leave) by starting with purpose, priorities, and desired feelings rather than a to-do list. Bethany outlines practical boundary management strategies to protect your time amid ongoing responsibilities while on sabbatical. These include clarifying expectations in advance, shifting cognitive load to students, and...
2026-04-0842 min
Changing Academic LifeBethany Wilinski (Part 1) on sabbatical, burnout and choosing rest (CAL140, S8E5)Bethany Wilinski is an associate professor of teacher education at Michigan State University and a sabbatical coach. In Part 1 of our conversation, she describes her own sabbatical experience. She talks about how earning tenure in 2022 after the pandemic, young children, and family losses left her burned out and questioning her work’s impact. Initially she planned an “expected” research sabbatical in Tanzania and applied for a competitive yearlong Fulbright, but soon felt unease about starting a major new project and disrupting family life. After seeing a colleague’s Florence sabbatical report, she reframed sabbatical as restoration and family reconnection, chose Bo...
2026-03-2553 min
Changing Academic LifeAcademic Rebels: From Bureaucracy to Trust, Teams, and New Leadership (CAL139, S8E4)What if a corporatisation approach could actually make academic life better? Looking across the episodes so far this year I see three themes: shifting from “I” to “we” by treating research as a team sport; developing a new kind of leadership focused on enabling others through self-awareness, humility, authenticity, kindness, and clear roles; and adopting new ways of working that reduce bureaucratic hierarchies. These point to new ways of working. Drawing on Masud Husain’s 2025 editorial on corporatization and “bullshit jobs”, and Jayne Price’s discussion of holacracy and Corporate Rebels, I remind us, as if we need reminding, of how our curre...
2026-03-1140 min
Changing Academic LifeJen Heemstra on Accidental Leadership (CAL 138, S8E3)Prof. Jen Heemstra from Washington University in St. Louis in the US shares her journey from a research-focused bimolecular engineer to accidental leader and now author of the insightful book 'Lab Work to Leadership.' Jen speaks about the challenges faced by academics moving into leadership, recognisning that we are often untrained and unprepared for these roles. She shares insights from her book focusing on self-leadership, leading others, and coaching future leaders. Jen talks about the importance of building trust, creating a positive lab culture, giving and seeking feedback, and the significance of modeling behavior for emerging leaders. Jen...
2026-02-1159 min
Changing Academic LifeJayne Price on making work work better (CAL137, S8E2)Jayne Price is all about making work work better. She is the Transformation Director and Head of Continuous Improvement at the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC). Jayne discusses her journey to her current role in UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), and the strategies she employs to foster human-centered, purpose-led change in the organization. She emphasizes the importance of leadership that is grounded in trust, accountability, and psychological safety, and the role of experimental and agile approaches in driving systemic transformation. Jayne also shares practical examples, including the implementation of Holacracy and continuous improvement initiatives. The conversation highlights the...
2026-01-281h 13
Changing Academic LifeSarah McLusky on diverse careers, purposeful events and effective communication (CAL136, S8E1)Dr. Sarah McLusky, is an advocate and role model for research-adjacent careers. As an advocate Sarah hosts the 'Research Adjacent' podcast, which showcases career opportunities beyond traditional academic and industry roles. She talks about why started the podcast and also talks about her four main categories of research adjacent roles, emphasising the importance of recognising the many contributors to successful research. As a role model, Sarah shares her own experiences moving into a research adjacent role post-PhD, now working as a freelancer who supports research organisations through events and communications. Some of her key insights are around how to...
2026-01-1452 min
Changing Academic LifeLP Replay - Reflect, Celebrate, Dream (CAL135, S7E8)For this last episode of the year I revisit the Long Play (LP) template, inspired by vinyl records, as a way to intentionally reflect on and celebrate this past year and to be more intentional about how we move into our new year. The Ps of the template are personal, people, play, and projects and we use the Ls to reflect across there: what did you land, love, labor on, and learn this past year review, and what do you want to look forward to, let go, let grow, and let be for the next year. You can download a te...
2025-12-1721 min
Changing Academic LifeInfertility, Career Choices, and Compassion (CAL 134, S7E7)In this very personal solo episode, I share my journey through infertility and the impact it had on my academic and personal life. Inspired by Susan Dray's story, I decided to share our challenges of trying to start a family while managing a career in academia. I discusses the physical and emotional toll of infertility treatments, the loneliness of not sharing my struggles with colleagues, and the moral dilemmas we faced. Mine is just one story, and we can be sure that many of the people we work with are dealing with their own challenges or carrying their own...
2025-12-0338 min
Changing Academic LifeSusan Dray (Part 2) on listening, mentoring, and adversity (CAL133, S7E6)In Part 2 of our conversation, Susan Dray continues to share deep insights about the importance of self-awareness and authenticity, empathy and listening with heart, and dealing with professional discomfort and personal adversity. She discusses her mentoring style, centred around being empathetic and supportive. And she talks about the importance of service and community, as well as the current challenges faced by early career researchers. Susan also shares deeply personal challenges and losses, and the accompanying emotional journey of accepting and learning from setbacks, the value of honouring people's experiences, and the importance of collaborative support. She reminds u...
2025-11-1238 min
Changing Academic LifeSusan Dray (Part 1) on navigating interstices: academia, industry and global consulting (CAL132, S7E5)The wonderful Dr Susan Dray shares her journey from obtaining a PhD in experimental and physiological psychology at UCLA to becoming a pivotal figure in the field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). Susan recounts her transition from academia to industry, including roles at Honeywell and American Express, and her eventual shift to independent consulting. She discusses the evolution of HCI and human factors, the significance of ethnographic studies, and the importance of listening with one's heart in diverse cultural contexts. Susan also reflects on the birth of SIGCHI, organizational challenges, and her expansive international work. Her insights provide a rich...
2025-10-2953 min
Changing Academic LifeOn the art, heart and science of 1-1 meetings (CAL131, S7E4)Building on the last episode’s topic of meetings, the focus here is on our one-on-one meetings. In his book, 'Glad We Met: The Art and Science of One-to-One Meetings,' Steven Rogelberg discusses how these meetings can be practical, personal, and developmental. We can also think of these as the four Ps of care—process, progress, product, and person. Drawing on insights from Rogelberg’s book, along with some timely recent posts, I draw attention to the role of empathy, authentic communication, and regular, intentional meetings in supporting PhD students, postdocs, and research assistants. Practical tips include setting regula...
2025-10-1624 min
Changing Academic LifeSteven Rogelberg on Transforming Academic Meetings (CAL130, S7E3)Dr. Steven Rogelberg, an organisational psychologist from the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, draws on his extensive research on workplace meetings to share how we might make acadmic meetings better. We discuss the inefficiencies of academic meetings, with Steven suggesting academics suffer from particularly ineffective meeting practices. He offers practical advice on improving meeting productivity, particularly for Faculty meetings, such as using targeted agendas and smaller group discussions, and stresses the value of bringing scientific rigour to meeting management. He also critiques the hybrid meeting format, advocating instead for fully virtual or in-person meetings. If you are looking for...
2025-10-0130 min
Changing Academic LifeDeborah Boehm-Davis on career paths, leadership, and change (CAL129, S7E2)Professor Emeritus Deborah Boehm Davis, George Mason University in the US, is one of the pioneers of the CHI conference. Deborah discusses her varied career building from her psychology background and spanning roles in human factors at Bell Labs, NASA, and General Electric. She then talks about her extensive tenure at George Mason University in both faculty and administrative/leadership roles, eventually becoming the dean of a college. Deborah shares reflections on career transitions, the importance of making a difference, effective leadership, the significance of collaborative work, and the challenges and strategies for navigating academic leadership, as well as...
2025-09-171h 00
Changing Academic LifeSeason 7 Kickoff: Fresh Starts and Being Intentional (CAL128 S7E1)In the first episode of season seven, the 10th year the Changing Academic Life podcast, I invite us to reflect on the theme of being intentional about what we want for ourselves at the beginning of this new academic year for many of us in the northern hemisphere, or for any temporal landmark that is relevant for you. As example and inspiration, Anna Cox from UCL shortly shares her strategies for setting clear priorities, maintaining work-life balance, and managing her remaining 'available time to promise', recognising every yes entails a no to something else. This is a...
2025-09-0320 min
Changing Academic LifeSeason Reflections: Cultivating a Good Academic Life (CAL127, S6, E21)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 reflections02:44 Supportive cultures06:35 Career transitions, choices11:39 Wellbeing & self care13:5...
2025-07-1618 min
Changing Academic LifeCreating Peer Support Groups (CAL126, S6, E20)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 pe...
2025-06-1836 min
Changing Academic LifeJohanna Stadlbauer on boundaries, agency, and community building (CAL125, S6 E19)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...
2025-06-0456 min
Changing Academic LifeTina Persson on career pivots, recruitment and coaching for career security (CAL124, S6 E18)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...
2025-05-211h 07
Changing Academic LifeStrengths as Superpowers - Replay (CAL123, S6 E17)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 al...
2025-05-0722 min
Changing Academic LifeGraham McAllister (Part 3) on the art and craft of writing (CAL122, S6E16) ”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 answ...
2025-04-1631 min
Changing Academic LifeGraham McAllister (Part 2) on aligning team vision (CAL121, S6E15)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 f...
2025-04-0240 min
Changing Academic LifeGraham McAllister (Part 1) on career pivots (CAL120, S6E14)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.
2025-03-1956 min
Changing Academic LifeOana and Matt (Part 2) on mental health, teaching path and reflective practice (CAL119 S6E13)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...
2025-02-2646 min
Changing Academic LifeOana and Matt (Part 1) on leadership, belonging, and micro-actions making a difference (CAL118 S6E12)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 se...
2025-02-1243 min
Changing Academic LifeSharing my story with Nutan Limaye (CAL117, S6E11)In this episode the tables are turned and I'm being interviewed by Nutan Limaye who hosts the ‘Life of a Researcher’ podcast. Nutan is an Assoc. Professor at the IT University Copenhagen. We met when she was a participant in one of our residential academic leadership development courses in 2024. We talk about my unconventional career path starting in social work, moving into nursing and midwifery, then finding myself in computer science and human-computer interaction, and now doing more leadership and academic development work. As with many career stories, serendipity figures a lot, along with a strong people-centred red thread...
2025-01-291h 15
Changing Academic LifeVikki Wright on career transitions, ADHD, and learning to manage yourself (CAL116, S6E10)Vikki Wright is the director of PhD Life Coach and offers professional coaching and training for PhD students and academics. She also hosts the PhD Life Coach podcast. Up until 2022 though Vikki was a full professor of Higher Education at the University of Birmingham in the UK, with a research background Sport and Exercise Sciences, then shifting to more of a teaching focus.Vikki shares her interesting journey from full professor to becoming a life coach. The conversation covers her career transitions, dealing with ADHD, the importance of self-awareness, along with self-compassion, curiosity and having realistic ambitions...
2025-01-151h 12
Changing Academic LifeYour LP Reflections - Looking back, Looking forward (CAL115 S6E9)As we leave 2024 and embark on the new year, I want to share the reflective template I used for myself, playing with the LP (long play) record concept. I introduce the table structure of the personal, people, play, and projects (Ps) categories, paired with reflective components like land, love, labor, and learn (Ls) for the past year review, and look forward, let go, let grow, and let be (Ls) for the next year. I share some illustrative examples from my own reflections of 2024, including milestones, achievements, and lessons learned. And I share some of the feedback from you that...
2025-01-0141 min
Changing Academic LifeEvan Peck on considered choices and career moves: from liberals arts to a research uni (CAL114, S6E8)Evan Peck returns to discuss his career evolution since our last conversation in 2017. The focus is on his initial choice to join a liberal arts college post-PhD, emphasizing the balance between teaching and research, how his research evolved, and on his career goals then. Evan then talks through his move to the University of Colorado Boulder, detailing his motivations and the strategic thinking behind the transition. He reflects on the impact of his work in responsible computing and data visualization and the importance he places on aligning career choices with personal values and goals. Evan also discussed the nuances...
2024-12-111h 03
Changing Academic LifeÖzge Subașı on values, choices and care (CAL113, S6E7)Özge Subaşı is the Director of Futurewell: CoCreation and Wellbeing Group in the Media and Visual Arts Department at Koç University in Turkey. In this episode, Özge shares a journey from industrial design to interaction design, with a focus on diversity, inclusion, and justice. The work with visually impaired children and older people significantly influenced Özge's transition into human-centered design. Özge's story reflects a life of multiple relocations—whether moving schools as a child, transitioning disciplines, or navigating new countries and cultures. Özge describes “always coming from somewhere and not being in the system.”The episode emphasizes the importance...
2024-11-271h 04
Changing Academic LifeCreating Positive Cultures: Stories from the archiveContinuing our culture theme, I revisit past podcast conversations that explore how to foster positive research environments and cultures. We hear from people such as Elizabeth Adams, Tanita Casci, Jolanta Burke, Janet Reed, Alex Taylor, Kia Hook, and Lindsay Oades, who share their experiences and insights on creating a sense of belonging and collegiality within academic settings. Their stories emphasize recognizing individual strengths, promoting transparency, celebrating achievements, and the importance of supportive management practices for bringing out the best in people. Hopefully you will take away practical ideas and inspiration, and recognise the importance of both micro-actions and collective...
2024-11-1435 min
Changing Academic LifeFostering psychological safety in research environments [solo]Continuing the theme of great research environments, I explore how to contribute to creating great research cultures with a focus on the concept of psychological safety. I contrast the prize winning example we heard about in the last episode with examples of experiences with poor research environments. This leads to a discussion of the value of psychological safety as defined by Amy Edmondson, and others for enabling creativity, collaboration, and innovation. Psychological safety is about creating conditions where people feel safe speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns and mistakes and that foster a learning culture. I discuss practical strategies...
2024-10-3033 min
Changing Academic LifeCreating better research cultures togetherWhat are the ingredients for creating a supportive, inclusive research culture? Nina Molin Høyland-Kroghsbo from the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences , Microbial Ecology and Biotechnology at the University of Copenhagen discusses the Research Environment Prize established three years ago by the Danish Young Academy to promote and celebrate good research environments, as experienced by early career researchers in those environments. We are joined here by the 2024 prize winners, PhD students Line Maj Sternberg and Nicklas Stott Venzel who nominated their Research Unit in Psychology of Sport, Excellence and Health at the University of Southern Denmark. They s...
2024-10-1653 min
Changing Academic LifeOn reframing networking: connections and impactIn this solo episode (S6 E3) I invite us to rethink the concept of networking within academia, inspired by what the late Liam Bannon shared with us in our recent conversation and the evident relational impact he had on people. I encourage us, myself included, to view networking as being about the other person, not about us, and see it as an opportunity for forming meaningful impactful social connections. I offer some practical ideas for making networking about giving and helping others, based on the value of generosity, curiosity, and everyday interactions. In the end our real i...
2024-10-0222 min
Changing Academic LifeLiam Bannon (Part 2) on values & what mattersUpdate 22 Sept 2024: It is with deep sadness that I share Liam passed away this morning. May we honour his memory and his generosity in sharing his reflections by always reminding ourselves about what and who is really important.Liam Bannon is a Professor Emeritus and founder and director of the Interaction Design Centre at the University of Limerick in Ireland. In April 2024 I released a conversation with Liam Bannon recorded in 2017 about his career, ending with a hint about some health issues. This is a follow up conversation with Liam from Sept 2024 where he shares his...
2024-09-1846 min
Changing Academic LifeS6E1 Welcome to the new seasonIntroducing the new season of Changing Academic Life.Reflecting on my recent transitions. And thanks to the HCI group for support.
2024-09-0411 min
Changing Academic LifeCAL106 On STOP - the purposeful pause (solo)In this short solo episode a share a simple yet powerful technique, S.T.O.P., for taking a purposeful pause throughout your every day. Stop, Take a breath, Observe, Proceed.00:29 Motivating STOP01:50 What is STOP04:37 Using STOP11:19 Towards making STOP a habit13:58 End
2024-05-2213 min
Changing Academic LifeRemembering Volkmar Pipek - on being curious, being youVolkmar Pipek was a highly influential researcher from Uni of Siegen who sadly passed away in Jan 2024 after a long illness. This short episode draws from a written interview he gave to Mateusz Dolata on the occasion of his 2023 EUSSET-ISSI Lifetime Achievement Award. I read an extract where he shares his advice about becoming and being a researcher: Be curious. Be who you are. Be curious who you are. Wise advice for all of us.Read the full interview with Volkmar PipekInterview conducted by Mateusz Dolata, University of Zurich Text accompanying the...
2024-04-2416 min
Changing Academic LifeLiam Bannon (Part 1) on a career outside the boxLiam Bannon is a Professor Emeritus and founder and director of the Interaction Design Centre at the University of Limerick in Ireland.Liam has been a hugely influential thinker writer and researcher since the 1980s, along with various collaborators, in shaping work around technology and design. Recorded in-person in 2017, he reflects on his interdisciplinary journey and contributions, covering areas such as AI, HCI, CSCW, human-centered design, and collaboration. Liam’s experiences exemplify the challenges and rewards of crafting a unique academic career largely outside the box, grounded in interdisciplinary collaboration and a commitment to improving human-t...
2024-04-101h 07
Changing Academic LifeJean Paul (Part 2) on leading virtual transdisciplinary teams and stakeholder engagementJean Paul is a senior scientist at the Medical University of Innsbruck. In part 2 of our conversation, Jean discusses her experience leading an impact-led transcdisciplinary research project focused on supporting families with mental health issues. She highlights the challenges of stakeholder engagement, distributed team management, and transdisciplinary research. Jean emphasizes the importance of community engagement, virtual team collaboration, and fostering diversity in academia. She also reflects on the skills she brings to this role and the importance of investing in the team set up from the very beginning.Overview[00:29] Introducing Part 2[02:23] Recap from...
2024-03-2741 min
Changing Academic LifeJean Paul (Part 1) on Sandpit funding & impact-focussed researchJean Paul is a Senior Scientist at the Medical University of Innsbruck in Austria. Jean discusses her involvement in a unique research funding process called a sandpit or an ideas factory. Having then taken on the leadership of the project, she provides insights into the challenges and benefits of transdisciplinary research, stakeholder engagement, and arguing for their impact-focused approach. Jean also shares her academic background in social science, health and genomics research work in Australia.Overview: [00:29] Introduction[03:03] Jean's PhD, Post-Doc Journey & Backup Plan[11:23] From Australia to Austria: Applying for research funding san...
2024-03-1357 min
Changing Academic LifeFunding & Research Culture (podcast extract)This episode is an edited extract from a ‘Beyond Phrenology’ podcast episode where Dr Madhur Mangalam chatted with me about the impacts of research funding challenges on academic culture and individual well-being. The conversation addresses the need for a shift towards more supportive and diverse cultures, the complexities of academic career paths, and the importance of leadership, mentorship and job crafting. We also discuss the implications of international academic norms on individual career choices.Overview:[00:00:43] Research Funding Challenges and the Unsustainability of Current Models[00:04:57] Promoting Emotional Intelligence and Leadership in Academia[00:15:14] Navi...
2024-02-2830 min
Changing Academic LifeCelebrating 100!Taking this time to celebrate CAL100 – the 100th episode for the Changing Academic Life podcast series (actually 109th episode if we count the nine related work episodes) and thanks to all the people who have been part of making it happen.To update and correct the information about Dr Paddy Barrett who inspired this podcast: His original podcast was called 'The Doctor Paradox'. He is a preventive cardiologist not an anaesthetist as I stated. And he is now working in Ireland not the US!
2024-02-0819 min
Changing Academic LifeOn research identity, meaningful work and funding (solo)Triggered by a comment from Katta Spiel in an earlier podcast, in this solo episode I explore the tensions between the autonomy and freedom we have to shape our research identities and do meaningful work, and the systemic constraints from funding and promotion opportunities. The tensions particularly arise when research interests don’t align well with institutional expectations or funding trends. I explore various ways to navigate these tensions, such as, adjusting research focus to align with strategic priorities, reframing research proposals while keeping the core agenda unchanged, or continuing passion projects outside of formal funded frameworks. I also re...
2024-01-2426 min
Changing Academic LifeKatta Spiel (Part 2) on neurodivergence & different ways of being and knowingDr Katta Spiel is an Assistant Professor at TU Wien, a recent ERC Starting Grant recipient, and a good colleague of mine. In part two of our conversation, Katta discusses being neurodivergent, and experiences with ADHD, and being an activist for change with an example of how gender is dealt with in research, and about 'epistemic plurality and the importance of making space for different ways of being and knowing. They conclude by advocating for respectful curiosity about individual experiences and allowing others space to perform their best work. They also argue for a lab culture where personal needs can...
2024-01-1038 min
Changing Academic LifeReflecting on 2023In this short episode I reflect on the podcast season so far and on my own year of transitions. And I offer some prompt questions to help us reflect on what we have achieved and learnt this past year and encourage us to take some time to savour and celebrate it.Overview:00:05 Introduction01:32 Podcast highlights05:50 Transitioning to a new phase7:35 Reflection prompts10:17 Gratitude & looking forward13:26 End
2023-12-2213 min
Changing Academic LifeKatta Spiel (Part 1) on career uncertainties, gender identity and health issuesDr Katta Spiel is an Assistant Professor at TU Wien, a recent ERC Starting Grant recipient, and a good colleague of mine. In the first part of this two-part conversation Katta shares their experiences on a range of topics like career uncertainty, rejection of proposals, coming out as queer, having a formal gender change, dealing with chronic health issues, and being successful in receiving a prestigious research council grant. Dr. Spiel's struggles and successes reflect their unyielding effort to change academic life for the better. An emphasis is also placed on the importance of authenticity and uncompromised a...
2023-12-1343 min
Changing Academic LifeRevisiting Irina part 2There were some technical hiccups in Part 2 of my conversation with Irina Shklovski, making the original audio I released very choppy (a lesson in not relying on smart tools!). I’ve uploaded new audio version that is much easier to listen to and doesn't chop off words. So this is an encouragement to you to listen to this now as it is such an important raw honest conversation and Irina shares so many useful ideas about coming back from burnout and learning to be enough, do enough. I include a clip from that conversation as a teaser. Ove...
2023-11-2905 min
Changing Academic LifeOn Self CompassionIn this short episode I pick on the notion of self-compassion from the discussion with Mark Reed last week, and go back to Kristin Neff’s work and other related self-compassion researcher to unpack the three components of self-compassion and some practices for cultivating self-compassion and also point to some of the research evidence base for the benefits of self-compassion. I also share my own experience in needing to apply self-compassion this week. Overview:00:29 Introduction01:27 Replaying Mark Reed on self-compassion02:26 An overview of self-compassion06:37 Examples of self-compassion practices08...
2023-11-2220 min
Changing Academic LifeMark Reed on mental health, love and impactProfessor Mark Reed is an academic, author, podcaster, consultant, trainer, policy advisor among his many roles. His research area is on ecosystem markets and environmental governance, and he studies how researchers can generate and share their knowledge so they can change the world. Reflecting both of these strands, he is both an academic, co-directing a research Centre at Scotland’s Rural College, and he is the founder of Fast Track Impact, a training and coaching company, and he hosts The Fast Track Impact podcast. He also has a host of other roles you can read about on his web page.
2023-11-1552 min
Changing Academic LifeOn choosing the parkIn this very short 7mins episode, I talk about choosing to go to the park instead of doing a longer episode as I had planned - making good enough choices and honouring other areas of my life.I also point to related older podcasts that talked about issues around burnout, obsessive vs harmonious passion, self care, planning:Jolanta Burke on burnout, harmonious passion, positive workplaces & helping others (from 2017)Anna Cox on family, work & strategies for making the changes we want (from 2017)Amy Ko on being reflectively self-aware, deliberately structured, & amazingly productive...
2023-11-0807 min
Changing Academic LifeIrina Shklovski (Part 2) on coming back from burnout, being enough, doing enoughProfessor Irina Shklovski, University of Copenhagen, continues her powerful story about her academic burn-out experiences, returning to work and learning the dance of how to be enough and do enough. She discusses the push-and-pull between professional expectations and personal health, the value of reflection and self-awareness, how to establish work boundaries, and the crucial role of support from colleagues. We also touch on university funding, neoliberal culture in academia, and the importance of nurturing a balanced lifestyle which includes non-work related activities. The conversation ends with a call for change in academia, highlighting the need to redefine standards for suc...
2023-11-0159 min
Changing Academic LifeIrina Shklovski (Part 1) on burning outProfessor Irina Shklovski, University of Copenhagen, has a powerful story to tell about her burn-out experiences. In Part 1 she talks about how she got there, having an amazingly supportive department and colleagues, and how her body tells her when to stop. Implicated in this are issues such as being across two departments, defining her scholarship, starting a new uni during COVID, the downside of getting grants and what it’s like getting to the point of not being able to function and having to ask for help. Apologies for missing music - trying to get that sorted!O...
2023-10-2545 min
Changing Academic LifeMobility, pensions and you, yes you! (solo)In this short solo episode, I reflect back on recent conversations around academic mobility, discuss some benefits, and also point to an EU initiative to improve support for mobility across sectors, countries and disciplines. I also discuss some of the costs and issues around mobility, and in particular pensions, something we don’t often think about. In sharing my experiences with a complicated pension situation because of my international and sector mobility, I encourage everyone to think about this now.Overview:[00:29] Episode introduction, revisiting mobility form past episodes[02:16] EU initiative towards better mobility su...
2023-10-2019 min
Changing Academic LifeSusanne Bødker on career, culture and choicesProfessor Susanne Bødker is a professor of Human Computer Interaction at Aarhus University in Denmark. She reflects on 40 years at Aarhus University (AU) touching on issues including mobility, changes over time, hiring practices, creating collegial culture, being active in university politics, transitioning to retirement, being a single parent, among many others. You’ll hear a strongly held set of values around participation and human connections. Susanne is one of the most respected and impactful HCI researchers yet you’ll also hear her humility. Thank you Susanne for a career well served and that will hopefully continue in some ways a...
2023-10-111h 07
Changing Academic LifeReforming research assessment top-down bottom-up middle-out (solo)Following the conversation with Dr Karen Stroobants on the EU CoARA agreement, I discuss some other top-down initiatives at international and national levels for reforming research assessment. I also share some of my own bottom-up experiences trying to put these principles to work eg in writing references and being part of evaluation panels. It is also my hope that these actions can also have some middle-out influence.Overview [41:33 mins] - full transcript available:[00:00:29] Episode introduction[00:02:10] The 10 Commitments of CoARA[00:05:02] Other international initiatives[00:10:34] Netherlands as example of national initiatives
2023-09-2741 min
Changing Academic LifeBeing a Work in Progress (solo)In this short episode I reflect on my recurring life lesson about putting unrealistic pressures on myself, in this case to put out a full podcast this week. Especially when the platforms I am using are a work in progress. And accepting that I am also a work in progress. What are your recurring life lessons?Transcript [08:03 mins][00:00:29] Geri: Do you ever have any of those life lessons where it seems like the universe needs to serve them up to you again and again and again? Because you're so slow to learn them. And so...
2023-09-2108 min
Changing Academic LifeKaren Stroobants on changing research culture and reforming research assessmentWe need to reform research evaluation because "It's not just which people are we excluding, which profiles are we excluding, which ideas are we excluding, but also whose problems are we not solving" says Dr Karen Stroobants.Karen is a researcher, policy adviser and consultant on research policy and strategy, with a focus on research culture. Her research background and PhD is in chemistry. She now manages a portfolio of activities, combining roles as (part-time) lead policy advisor on research landscape & economy for the Royal Society of Chemistry in the UK and as freelance consultant, focusing most rec...
2023-09-131h 04
Changing Academic LifeNew Season Welcome (solo)This is a short episode to kick off the new Season of the Changing Academic Life podcast series.Looking forward to bringing some great conversations coming on a range of topics fro reforming research assessment, burnout and neurodiversity.A new website will be coming very soon!You can access all the latest episodes via this link that will connect you to your favourite podcast player. And don’t forget to subscribe if you haven’t already to be sure you don’t miss any episodes!
2023-09-0608 min
Changing Academic LifeEnd of Season Reflections and TransitionsThis is the end of the current season of episodes. I take the opportunity to shortly reflect on the themes we’ve heard - around listening, leadership, wellbeing, peer review, and research excellence and evaluation. I also invite you to share your feedback and suggestions, and I share some of the various transitions happening over the break, all leading up to the next season starting Sept/Oct 2023.If you missed any episodes from this season, you can find them all on your favourite podcast app where you subscribe to this or go to the Changing Academic Life po...
2023-07-0718 min
Changing Academic LifeSarah Davies (Part 2) on luck, disrupting excellence, and cultures of careSarah Davies is a Professor of Technosciences, Materiality, & Digital Cultures at the Department of Science and Technology Studies at University of Vienna. Overall her work explores how science and society are co-produced, with the digital and digitisation being key aspects. Of particular interest for our discussions is her current research on the conditions of academic work and knowledge production. In Part 2, Sarah Davies shares from both her research and lived experiences on topics like equity and valuing diverse work, care work in academia and who does that work, creating collegial research cultures, and about luck - the t...
2023-06-2138 min
Changing Academic LifeSarah Davies (Part 1) on mobility, precarity and notions of excellenceSarah Davies is a Professor of Technosciences, Materiality, & Digital Cultures at the Department of Science and Technology Studies at University of Vienna. Overall her work explores how science and society are co-produced, with the digital and digitisation being key aspects. Of particular interest is her current research on the conditions of academic work and knowledge production. In Part 1 here, we discuss her experiences with academic mobility, touching on issues of cultural differences, precarity, and reflecting on who is able to be mobile or not and with what consequences. This leads to discussions about how we interpret CVs, a...
2023-06-0751 min
Changing Academic LifeElizabeth Churchill on creating culture, leading teams, loving challengesDr Elizabeth Churchill is a Senior Director at Google. We recorded this interview while we were both at a conference, where she was awarded a SIGCHI Lifetime Service Award. In this conversation she shares insights and experiences around building good team cultures, managing diversity, onboarding for global teams, and some management frameworks that she has found useful. She also shares her journey from a psychology background to working in big tech and from research to now delivering technical infrastructures, what she was looking for in moving between companies, and the red threads of her love of people, of being c...
2023-05-241h 06
Changing Academic LifeMarta Cecchinato (part 2) on promoting wellbeing through leadership, EDI & self-careThis is part 2 of my conversation with Dr Marta Cecchinato (Part 1 is here). Marta is an Assistant Professor (Senior Lecturer) in the Computer and Information Sciences Department at Northumbria University. Her research focuses on understanding the complexities of multiple technologies in everyday life and how digital experiences can be shaped to support wellbeing at work and in our personal lives. In part 2, we go on to discuss a range of issues from how her wellbeing stance has influenced her leadership of a new group and the Athena Swan EDI initiative in her department, how managers can better s...
2023-04-2547 min
Changing Academic LifeMarta Cecchinato (part 1) on digital wellbeing and microboundary strategiesDr Marta Cecchinato is an Assistant Professor (Senior Lecturer) in the Computer and Information Sciences Department at Northumbria University. Her research focuses on understanding the complexities of dealing with multiple technologies in everyday life and how digital experiences can be shaped to support wellbeing at work and in our personal lives. In part 1 of our conversation, she talks about her digital wellbeing research, the concept of microboundaries, and strategies for taking more control of these microboundaries. You can also download her Digital Wellbeing Strategies Handbook to find more practical strategies.“It's not about having that eq...
2023-04-1438 min
Changing Academic LifeJames Wilsdon - Replay on metrics & responsible research evaluationThis is a replay of a 2018 conversation with Professor James Wilsdon when he was a Professor of Research Policy in the Department of Politics at the University of Sheffield in the UK. He is now at UCL as a Professor of Research Policy in the Dept for Science, Technology, Engineering and Public Policy (STEaPP). James has been involved in many policy and think tank initiatives. Of particular interest here, he chaired an independent review of the role of metrics in the management of the UK’s research system, publishing a final report in 2015 called The Metric Tide. Connecting to ou...
2023-03-3034 min
Changing Academic LifeHeike Winschiers-Theophilus on global south research, reviewer bias, abstract vs lived diversity, & pluriversalityThis conversation continues the reflections on our peer reviewing practices, this time bringing in the experiences of someone from the Global South. Here I am speaking with Prof Heike Winschiers-Theophilus. Heike is a Professor in the Faculty of Computing & Informatics, at Namibia University of Science & Technology. Heike shares the many challenges she and her colleagues have faced in the form of reviewer assumptions and biases, often informed from a Global North mindset as the default ‘mainstream’ gold standard. She also talks about the challenges in getting their research to be equally valued in making contributions to knowledge creation, and not j...
2023-03-091h 09
Changing Academic LifeEdward Lee on the toxic culture of peer reviewIn the last episode from my own reviewing hall of shame, I mentioned the coincidence of attending a webinar where Edward Lee talked about the ‘toxic culture of rejection’, based on a blog post he write in 2022. In this episode we hear from Edward directly and discuss the culture of rejection, in CS especially, the problems with peer reviewing, the nature of conferences, and how we might approach reviewing differently and start to change the culture around publications, acceptance rates and evaluations without losing quality standards. His bio: Edward A. Lee has been working on embedded software syst...
2023-02-231h 07
Changing Academic LifeA confession from my review hall of shameThis short reflection follows on from the last episode, a replay of my 2017 conversation with Gloria Mark in honour of her just having published her book called “Attention span: a groundbreaking way to restore balance, happiness and productivity”. I make a confession here that comes from my reviewing hall of shame, about when I was a reviewer of one of the key papers leading to this book, a paper authored by Victor González and Gloria Mark. And how I (very wrongly!) argued for rejection. Luckily good colleagues saved me from myself and the paper was accepted but I use t...
2023-02-0719 min
Changing Academic LifeGloria Mark - ReplayGloria Mark is a Chancellor’s Professor in the Department of Informatics at the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences at University of California Irvine. This is a replay of our conversation in 2017 in honour of her having just published her book called ‘Attention Span: A Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness and Productivity’ which is being touted as the ‘must-read book for January’ and receiving a lot of enthusiastic media and podcast attention. In this conversation from 2017, you’ll hear Gloria talk about her experiences as chair of a major conference, how she moved from a Fine...
2023-01-2653 min
Changing Academic LifeLeadership development with Austen RainerAusten Rainer and I love co-facilitating academic leadership development courses for Informatics Europe and sharing experiences with so many people who share a commitment to doing academia differently. In this conversation we reflect on how these courses came about and experiences running them so far. We also try to unpack the similarities and differences between the online and residential versions of the course as well as the broad topic areas we cover. Join us in being part of changing academic cultures through good leadership practices.[A leader is] “anyone who holds themselves accountable for developing the potential in...
2023-01-1650 min
Changing Academic LifeEnd of 2022 ReflectionsIn this short podcast [19:16 mins], I reflect on some of the themes from across the podcast discussions since Sept 2022 - themes around listening, leadership and stepping up to make a difference. I also conclude with a call to take some time now to reflect on and savour your 2022 and to think of your theme for 2023.Full transcript: [Also downloadable as pdf]00:05 Welcome to changing academic life. I'm Geraldine Fitzpatrick. And this is a podcast series where academics and others share their stories, provide ideas and provoke discussions about what we can do it individually and...
2022-12-3019 min
Changing Academic LifeAisling O’Kane on radical participatory decision making (Part 2)Dr. Aisling O’Kane is an Associate Professor of Human-Computer Interaction in Health at the University of Bristol in the UK. In Part 1 of our conversation, she talked about her very diverse background ad reflected on issues like the importance of mobility, the challenges being part of an academic couple with family, and the impact of COVID. In Part 2 here, she goes on to talk about how she came to take on an acting Head of Department role as a relatively junior faculty member, motivated by wanting to try to make a better workplace for herself and others. She al...
2022-12-1643 min
Changing Academic LifeAisling O’Kane on mobility, interdisciplinary threads & family (Part 1)Dr. Aisling O’Kane is an Associate Professor of Human-Computer Interaction in Health at the University of Bristol in the UK. In Part 1 of our conversation, she talks about her very diverse background from engineering to human factors and working in industry, from margarine, beer and nuclear risk assessment, then to doing a PhD, and now being in a faculty position. Along the way she reflects on the importance of mobility, the challenges being part of an academic couple with family, and the impact of COVID. In Part 2, we will go on to talk about how she came to ta...
2022-12-0833 min
Changing Academic LifeStuart Reeves on effecting change – from the picket line to the Senate (Part 2)Dr. Stuart Reeves is an Associate Professor in the Mixed Reality Lab and Horizon Research Institute at Nottingham University in the UK. This conversation is in two parts. In Part 1 of our conversation, he reflected on the complexities of universities and the structural/managerial issues that contribute to this. In Part 2 here, Stuart goes on to describe his journey from protesting about pensions on the picket line to becoming an academic member of the university Senate and his experiences of trying to effect change in university governance. As you will understand, he necessarily has to be circumspect about the...
2022-12-0138 min
Changing Academic LifeStuart Reeves on 'what are universities for' and management complexities (Part 1)Dr. Stuart Reeves is an Associate Professor in the Mixed Reality Lab in the School of Computer Science and Horizon Research Institute both at Nottingham University in the UK. This conversation is in two parts. In Part 1 here, he reflects on the conflict in defining one’s own research brand vs the importance of the collective and collegiality in academia, and the structural issues that contribute to this. He raises the question of ‘what are universities for’ and highlights the complexities of university management and the structures around this. In Part 2 we will go on to discuss his response to the...
2022-11-2539 min
Changing Academic LifeDarragh McCashin on imposter phenomenon and multi-level strategies (Part 2)Welcome to Part 2 of my discussion with Dr Darragh McCashin. In Part 1 Darragh discussed his PhD in Digital mental health and his path to being an Assistant Professor in the School of Psychology at Dublin City University during COVID. In part 2, we start off replaying what he was saying about the mental health challenges faced by PhD and early career researchers in particular and then we get into a focus on the imposter, something that we can probably all relate to. Based on his work and that of his colleagues in the EU ReMO COST Action, ReMo standing for...
2022-11-1147 min
Changing Academic LifeDarragh McCashin on interdisciplinarity, a new lecturership during COVID, and his imposter (Part 1)Dr Darragh McCashin started as an Assistant Professor in the School of Psychology at Dublin City University during COVID. In Part 1 of this conversation, he reflects on his experiences doing an interdisciplinary PhD in digital mental health, on the importance of interdisciplinary thinking, and on starting a lecturer position at a new university during COVID times. Darragh is also part of the Core Group for the EU COST Network on Researcher Mental Health Observatory, called ReMO. In sharing what he loves and what he finds challenging in his lecturing role, we start to touch on the theme of the...
2022-11-0232 min
Changing Academic LifeJulie Kientz on leadership, impact, & being comfortable with being uncomfortable (Part 2)Dr. Julie Kientz is a professor and Chair of the department of Human Centered Design & Engineering at the University of Washington in the US. In part 1 of our conversation, Julie reflected on how she made her own way from a small town geeky outcast, to get through college, and then on to a PhD and a faculty position and parenthood.We continue here in Part 2 with Julie talking about some early roles that demonstrated leadership skills, her tenure process and finding a more focused path post-tenure. She also talks about how she came to take on the...
2022-10-1244 min
Changing Academic LifeJulie Kientz on making her way from small town geeky outcast to uni professor (Part 1)Dr. Julie Kientz is a professor and Chair of the department of Human Centered Design & Engineering at the University of Washington in the US. In part 1 of our conversation, Julie shares her fascinating journey from first wanting to be a vet to then getting into a small town college to do computer science and then eventually doing a PhD at Georgia Tech and later getting a tenure track position. Her telling of the story is rich with reflective insights and nuggets of wisdom, whether it is about the about the value of good mentors, advice to PhD students, doing...
2022-09-2241 min
Changing Academic LifeOscar Trimboli (Part 2) on how to listen deeply (CAL62)Oscar Trimboli is an author, host of the Apple award-winning podcast Deep Listening and a sought-after keynote speaker. Along with the Deep Listening Ambassador Community, he is on a quest to create 100 million deep listeners in the workplace. Oscar has experienced first-hand the transformational impact leaders can have when they listen beyond words. He believes that when leadership teams focus their attention and listening, they will build organizations that create powerful legacies for the people they serve. Oscar is a marketing and technology industry veteran working for Microsoft, PeopleSoft, Polycom, and Vodafone. He consults with organizations including American Express...
2022-09-1550 min
Changing Academic LifeOscar Trimboli (Part 1) on being better listeners (CAL61)Oscar Trimboli is an author, host of the Apple award-winning podcast Deep Listening and a sought-after keynote speaker. Along with the Deep Listening Ambassador Community, he is on a quest to create 100 million deep listeners in the workplace. Oscar has experienced first-hand the transformational impact leaders can have when they listen beyond words. He believes that when leadership teams focus their attention and listening, they will build organisations that create powerful legacies for the people they serve – today and more importantly, for future generations. Oscar is a marketing and technology industry veteran working for Microsoft, PeopleSoft, Polycom, and Vodafone. He...
2022-09-0831 min
Changing Academic LifeReconnecting in 2022A short preamble to kick start a new season for 2022 of Changing Academic Life podcasts. [6:56 mins]Links:Austen Rainer, Queens Uni BelfastOnline Academic Leadership Development Course (Starting end Sept 2022)Residential Leadership Development Course (last held June 2022)Informatics EuropeTranscript: (00:04) Welcome to changing academic life I'm Geraldine Fitzpatrick. And this is a podcast series where academics and others share their stories, provide ideas and provoke discussions about what we can do individually and collectively to change academic life for the better. (00:30) So welcome to...
2022-09-0106 min
Changing Academic LifeRW9 Progress and praiseThis short related-work podcast replays part of a previous podcast conversation with Katherine Isbister about working 8-5, reflecting on productivity and praising yourself. I set this up against some discussions in a meeting this week about the struggles seeing progress, our negativity bias, and recent research on stress in academia. Following the replay, I also relate Katherine’s approach to research around self-compassion and savoring.Full transcript below. Related work linksKatherine Isbister – previous podcast: On finding your fit, being productive 8-5 an praising yourselfNegativity bias Müller-Pinzler, L., Cz...
2021-07-2323 min
Changing Academic LifeRW8 Asking good questions, empowering good peopleThis short related-work podcast follows up on the last conversation with Michael Bungay-Stanier, to present the seven coach-like questions from his book ‘The Coaching Habit’ for helping us to stay curious longer, jump to advice a little more slowly. I also reflect on my experiences trying to apply this in my academic life where I see it as one of our most powerful tools to help empower and develop good people.Related links:Previous podcast conversation: Michael Bungay-Stanier on the power of curiosity and taming your advice monsterMichael’s link: https://boxofcrayons.com an...
2021-07-0216 min
Changing Academic LifeMichael Bungay Stanier on the power of curiosity and taming your advice monsterMichael Bungay Stanier (MBS for short) is an internationally renowned author, company founder and thought leader in coaching. Michael is the founder of Box of Crayons, a learning and development company that helps organizations move from advice-driven to curiosity-led. He's the author of 6 books, the best known of which is The Coaching Habit which has sold close to a million copies and has thousands of 5-star reviews. His latest book The Advice Trap, focuses on what it takes to tame your Advice Monster. We start off the conversation reflecting on his career choices and discussing the differences between academia...
2021-06-1053 min
Changing Academic LifeTanita Casci and Elizabeth Adams on supporting, rewarding and celebrating a positive collegial research cultureDr. Tanita Casci is Head of Research Policy, and Dr. Elizabeth Adams is Workstream Lead – Research Culture, at the University of Glasgow. The trigger for this conversation was an LSE blog article they wrote about rewarding contributions to research culture. In this conversation they talk about their journey in trying to promote a supportive collegial research culture that is aligned around core institutional values that reflect what matters to the people in the research units. They discuss various initiatives that are part of this, such as promotion criteria that reward collegiality, formal recognition of everyone’s contributions to research, from...
2021-05-2151 min
Changing Academic LifeRW7 Job Crafting - small tweaks can make a big differenceHaving talked about superpowers and strengths, in the last related work podcast, it’s a natural follow on to talk about job crafting and exploring where we the power and autonomy to shape the work we do. Drawing on work by Amy Wrzesniewski and Jane Dutton, I talk about three ways you can job craft – cognitive, task and relational – and draw on examples including from pervious podcasts to illustrate. We all have more scope to make work more meaningful than we might think and even small tweaks can make a big difference.Related work links:Job Cr...
2021-04-2321 min
Changing Academic LifeRW6 Exploring your own superpowersTwo recent interactions made me think more about the importance of knowing our own unique superpowers (as Aaron Quigley discussed), ie our strengths, and also our kryponite (thanks Lewis Chuang), and how this can help us work out what is our good academic life. And to recognise that it’s ok that we can all have different superpowers. Related Links:The twitter thread started by Lewis Chuang:Aaron Quigley podcast conversation Mike Twidale podcast conversation Acknowledgement: Photo of power pose by Miguel Bruna on UnsplashRelated Work:...
2021-04-1215 min
Changing Academic LifeRW5 Finding the management sweet spotI hadn’t thought before about the fact that under managing could be just as harmful if not more than micromanaging. Finding the sweet spot is my challenge moving forward. These reflections are triggered by an experience this last semester, where I realised in trying not to micro manage I hadn’t set up the team for success. The challenging part of this was learning to step back from pointing the finger at the ‘others’ and to ask how I was complicit in creating this situation as a manager and what I could learn from this to do differently next tim...
2021-02-2510 min
Changing Academic LifeRW4 Rejection, tenure and so-called excellenceIn this short related-work podcast, I share the stories of two people we’ll call Alex and Blake who are facing the challenge of meeting tenure criteria. From this I reflect on the personal, professional and societal impacts entailed in this push for so-called excellence. I then discuss two different papers that point in different ways to the need for institutional and cultural level response and present ideas for practical actions – for how we can address academic rejection and what it means to focus on soundness and capacity instead of excellence. As Moore et al state, excellence is not excel...
2021-02-1121 min
Changing Academic LifeRW1 My year of being boldIn this bitesize ‘Related Work’, the first of the new year of 2021, I suggest using a theme for the new year and also connecting with your superordinate goals, your why, and to explore learning goals.Related work:Höchli, B., Brügger, A., & Messner, C. (2018). How Focusing on Superordinate Goals Motivates Broad, Long-Term Goal Pursuit: A Theoretical Perspective. Frontiers in psychology, 9, 1879. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01879Christian Swann, Simon Rosenbaum, Alex Lawrence, Stewart A. Vella, Desmond McEwan & Panteleimon Ekkekakis (2020) Updating goal-setting theory in physical activity promotion: a critical conceptual review, Health Psychology Review, DOI: 10.1080/17437199.2019.1706616T...
2021-01-2210 min
Changing Academic LifeReflections on 2020Here are some brief reflections from me on this VUCA year of 2020! I also announce a new series starting 2021 of bite-size podcasts that I’m calling ‘Related Work’, discussing a single topic or concept from both an evidence-based and experiential perspective. You can find the full transcript of my reflections below or you can download it here as a pdf.Image: ‘Hanging out together: Physically distanced and socially connected’ (Geraldine Fitzpatrick 2020)Related links:Leadership-related events for Informatics Europe including: Webinar on Creating the New Academic Normal for Informatics Researcher...
2020-12-2912 min
S02: peter purgathofer spricht mit...S02E10 - geraldine fitzpatrickein gespräch mit geraldine fitzpatrick, wissenschaftlerin in wien. http://igw.tuwien.ac.at/hci/index.php/people/geraldine-fitzpatrick. aufgenommen am 26. jänner 2015 im cafe tirolerhof, veröffentlicht am 13. februar 2015
2015-02-131h 13
S02: peter purgathofer spricht mit...S02E10 - geraldine fitzpatrickein gespräch mit geraldine fitzpatrick, wissenschaftlerin in wien. http://igw.tuwien.ac.at/hci/index.php/people/geraldine-fitzpatrick. aufgenommen am 26. jänner 2015 im cafe tirolerhof, veröffentlicht am 13. februar 2015
2015-02-1300 min