Shows
ProfesserrorLife After Tenure: What do we do after the game of tenure is over?Bryan and Steve discuss their experiences in finding professional purpose after tenure. The post-tenure life undoubtedly comes with high levels of freedom, but also lacks direction, which can have unexpected challenges for finding motivation and purpose in the profession.
2025-11-211h 03Professerrora policy? The Policy? Any policy?Bryan and Steve discuss challenges with following unclear, conflicting, or unchecked policies in academic environments. They discuss difficulties with understanding these and also discuss strategies they’ve employed to handle these challenging situations in academia.
2025-10-2456 minProfesserrorAdvisors and Advisees: Setting ExpectationsBryan and Steve discuss challenges and ramifications of instances of poorly set expectations between graduate students (i.e., advisees) and faculty (i.e., advisors). Hopefully the stories resonate and possibly even give some tips for how to handle these if they relate to your academic situation. Enjoy!
2025-09-051h 04ProfesserrorWhat if federally-funded research ended?Bryan and Steve discuss the hypothetical scenario of federal funding for research suddenly drying up. What might happen at universities? How would faculty react? Who knows if we're right or not, but hopefully it offers food for thought. Enjoy!
2025-07-181h 03ProfesserrorDecoding Faculty ExcusesBryan and Steve discuss their experiences in receiving (and sometimes making) excuses related to working with others. When is a "yes" a "yes"? When is it really a "no"?
2025-06-0658 minProfesserrorPeer Review ProblemsBryan and Steve discuss their concerns with the peer review process that research papers currently follow and offer some food-for-thought suggestions for changing the process (none of which are likely to actually happen). Despite their grouchy tone, they recognize the value that this process provides for research, so take their thoughts with a grain of salt. Hope you enjoy!
2025-05-021h 11ProfesserrorSharing Ideas: ♫You’ve got to know when to hold ‘em; know when to disclose ‘em♫Bryan and Steve discuss their thoughts on sharing research ideas or not. They talk about risks associated with both sharing and withholding ideas. Enjoy!
2025-04-181h 11Professerror"FOIA'd" with Denise SimmonsProfessor and Associate Dean Denise Simmons of the University of Florida joins us to discuss her experiences with being “FOIA’d” (Freedom of Information Act). This conversation is really eye opening about the processes and emotions that may follow a FOIA request related to a given study. Enjoy!
2025-03-211h 09ProfesserrorRebuilding new careers (and more) with Matt MorrisProfessor Matt Morris (University of Colorado Boulder) joins us to discuss his journey to academia via a first career in the military and second career in private industry. We haven't had the opportunity to talk much with teaching faculty, so his perspective is a nice change of pace from most of our prior focus areas. Enjoy!
2025-01-311h 09ProfesserrorCan the professor come out and play???Bryan and Steve discuss the value of playfulness in academic discussions. They talk about the benefits they’ve observed in having playful conversations that are not aimed at specific objectives or outputs. They talk about how these discussions have led to rich collaborations despite the seemingly wasteful effort spent on discussing topics that are not immediately productive. Enjoy!
2024-12-201h 00ProfesserrorMoving from a teaching-focused to research-focused institutionProfessor Vineeth Dharmapalan (Assistant Professor, University of Hawaii at Manoa) talks about his recent move from a mostly teaching-focused institution to one with more research focus. He also discusses some of the professional and personal reasons that guided his move, as well as some of the challenges experienced in the process. Enjoy!
2024-12-061h 23ProfesserrorCold EmailsBryan and Steve discuss their experiences in receiving and sending cold emails (emails to people you do not yet know). They discuss what works well and what strategies were not well received. Hopefully this helps you avoid some of the mistakes we've made. Enjoy!
2024-11-011h 07ProfesserrorKristen Parrish discusses writing P&T lettersProfessor Kristen Parrish (Arizona State University) joins us to talk about challenges with writing letters for other individuals' promotion and tenure (P&T) cases. She talks about challenges not only with writing these letters, but also challenges in considering how they'll be received by a different university audience. Enjoy!
2024-09-271h 04ProfesserrorResearch Projects: Finishing StrongBryan and Steve discuss challenges and lessons learned when wrapping up research projects. They discuss what is often involved at the end of projects, things to consider when closing out a project, and some strategies they've employed to finish projects on a high note. Enjoy!
2024-07-201h 01ProfesserrorSummer Summer SummertimeBryan and Steve discuss their plans for the upcoming summer and how their summer work experience differs from the rest of the academic year.
2024-05-1757 minProfesserrorAdministration... Bryan goes to the Dark Side!Bryan discusses his new position as a PhD Program Director and challenges and lessons learned in this administration role. Enjoy!
2024-04-261h 09ProfesserrorPublishing with AI and the future of research outputBryan and Steve discuss how generative AI is impacting processes for generating and reviewing research manuscripts. They also offer some food for thought for what a future might look like where academics remain relevant in a world with AI. Enjoy!
2024-03-221h 13ProfesserrorBryan and Steve struggle to teach new coursesIn this episode, Bryan and Steve discuss their experiences in teaching courses that are new to them. They talk about the moments that were especially challenging, the failures they experienced during the process, and a few lessons learned from surviving it. Enjoy!
2024-03-081h 04Professerror'Unfundable' with Fred SherrattFred Sherratt joins us to discuss her experiences in struggling to get academic funding and surviving as a qualitative researchers in a quantitative world. Enjoy!
2024-02-091h 14ProfesserrorRisky Business with John GambateseProfessor John Gambatese (Oregon State University) joins us to discuss taking risks in academia and some that he took that worked out, and some that did not.
2024-01-191h 13ProfesserrorBryan's Sabbatical ReflectionBryan discusses his sabbatical and shares what went well and what could have been better. Enjoy!
2024-01-0555 minProfesserrorWorking Abroad with guest Daniel HallProfessor Daniel Hall (TU Delft) joins Bryan and Steve to discuss his experience of growing up and studying in the US, but deciding to launch his academic career in Europe.
2023-10-061h 00ProfesserrorBryan cancels the pie chartBryan and Steve discuss successes and failures in developing graphics in academia. An audio discussion about visual communication - maybe this wasn't our brightest move??
2023-08-181h 00ProfesserrorBurcu Akinci - Imposter SydromeDr. Burcu Akinci, a full Professor and Department Head at Carnegie Mellon University, a National Academy of Construction member, and most recently a Peurifoy Construction Research Awardee, talks about how she still experiences imposter syndrome despite her many successes. Enjoy!
2023-08-0455 minProfesserrorMoving InstitutionsSteve's moving - and we're talking about it. We discuss what went well in the job application, interview, and moving processes and what didn't. Enjoy!
2023-07-2153 minProfesserrorThe Daily Routine of an AcademicBryan and Steve discuss their typical days as academics. They talk about the fun and not-so-fun parts of their professional lives. Enjoy!
2023-06-161h 16ProfesserrorFailure in leadingBryan and Steve discuss their struggles with serving in leadership positions - especially when leading individuals who do not directly report to them. Enjoy!
2023-06-021h 01ProfesserrorWorking in a National Lab with Dr. Kieren McCordKieren McCord joins us to discuss her experience in transitioning from a PhD student to a full time researcher in a national lab. Enjoy!
2023-03-311h 01ProfesserrorShedding 'Leicht' on Sabbaticals with Rob LeichtBryan, Steve, and guest Professor Rob Leicht (Penn State) discuss sabbatical do's and don't's. Hopefully you enjoy learning from Rob's experience as much as we did.
2023-03-101h 08ProfesserrorFaculty "Tropes" in AcademiaBryan and Steve discuss "tropes", or common patterns of behavior in pop culture storytelling, within academic settings. We talk about these patterns and also how faculty who fall into these patterns can be received by others. This was a fun discussion that may be followed up with a "part II" or more sometime in the future. Enjoy!
2023-01-2752 minProfesserrorSurviving the first year of teaching with Prof. Jennifer LatherProfessor Jennifer Lather (University of Nebraska) stops by to discuss her experience in creating, delivering, and learning from a new course that she taught in her first year as a professor. Enjoy!
2022-12-231h 02ProfesserrorAttracting Top PhD StudentsBryan and Steve discuss their experiences and lessons learned in trying to attract top PhD students for their respective research groups.
2022-12-0257 minProfesserrorAcademic FreedomBryan and Steve discuss academic freedom and how various social and political shifts to impact this freedom can potentially impact students' educational experiences as well as our professional fulfillment as faculty.
2022-11-1155 minProfesserrorTeaching - Back to normal??Bryan and Steve discuss their experiences and struggles with helping students succeed in their courses now that most have returned to post-COVID modes of traditional in-person learning.
2022-10-1555 minProfesserrorKasey FaustProf. Kasey Faust (University of Texas, Austin) stops by to talk about finding balance between home life and work life. She offers several practical strategies that have helped her to find fulfillment personally and also professionally. Enjoy!
2022-09-301h 02ProfesserrorSocial Look-At-Media in AcademiaBryan and Steve discuss their positive and negative experiences with social media in academia. Enjoy!
2022-09-1658 minProfesserrorUsing your startup funding wiselyBryan and Steve discuss their experiences (and their hesitancy) with spending their startup funding when they began their faculty careers.
2022-09-0351 minProfesserrorServing on a Faculty Search CommitteeSteve and Bryan discuss their experiences serving on faculty search committees. They share the types of concerns, debates, and challenges that may emerge when serving on a search committee. Hopefully this helps to offer insight if you find yourself on a committee, or perhaps it will offer insights on what may be discussed behind the scenes by search committees if you are currently applying for faculty positions.
2022-08-151h 00ProfesserrorTenured? How does it feel?Dr. Masoud Gheisari and our own Dr. Bryan Franz discuss their experiences (and challenges) with pursuing and successfully achieving tenure.
2022-07-291h 12ProfesserrorRobert LiKamWaProfessor Robert LiKamWa (Arizona State University) discusses struggles related to mentoring students and facing rejections on the way to ultimately succeeding in building a large, externally-funded, research team.
2022-07-111h 02
ProfesserrorTransitioning from Engineering to Engineering Education with Professor Logan PerryLogan Perry (University of Nebraska) joins us to discuss his experience in shifting from a traditional Civil Engineering domain to Engineering Education and some of the lessons he learned related to conducting research in this field.
2022-06-1152 minProfesserrorPoor solutions to poorly structured problemsBryan and Steve discuss their failures, and occasional successes, with challenging their undergraduate students to address poorly structured problems. While these types of problems can support the kinds of learning necessary for the students' long-term success, they can also be a major challenge (and change) from what the students are used to, which leads to some unexpected difficulties in teaching.
2022-05-271h 06ProfesserrorBecoming a Parent in AcademiaAfter a pause in podcasting, Steve discusses his (admittedly brief) experience with becoming a father during the break. He and Bryan discuss successes, failures, joys, and headaches experienced in his journey thus far.
2022-05-1350 minProfesserrorReturning to In-Person ConferencesBryan and Steve discuss their first major in-person conference since the pandemic began. They discuss various uncomfortable experiences, and how some may only be relevant in the short-term, while others may be around for much longer. Then they define a wish list for the conference of the future. Enjoy!
2022-03-1956 minProfesserrorReturning to academia to run a research group with Professor John MessnerJohn Messner (Penn State) discusses his experience in working in the construction industry for seven years, pausing his research during this time, and then the challenges associated with returning to academia, shifting his research focus, and taking over an existing research group. Enjoy!
2022-03-0555 minProfesserrorAcademia for non-academicsBryan and Steve discuss experiences and challenges in explaining their academic lives to those outside of academia. Hopefully what it lacks in practicality, it makes up for in relatability. Enjoy!
2022-02-1953 minProfesserrorWhy papers get rejectedBryan and Steve talk about some of the reasons they have observed, and experienced through their own failures, that led to rejected journal papers. Enjoy!
2022-02-051h 04ProfesserrorWhy is networking not working?Bryan and Steve discuss lessons learned related to building professional networks at conferences. Enjoy!
2021-12-0458 minProfesserrorConference PresentationsBryan and Steve discuss what to expect during and after academic conference presentations. Hopefully it helps you avoid some of our mistakes for your first conference!
2021-11-0658 minProfesserrorConference "Do's" and "Don't's"Bryan and Steve discuss academic conferences, what to expect, what to do, and what to avoid when attending. Enjoy!
2021-10-091h 06ProfesserrorImposter SyndromeBryan and Steve discuss their experiences with Imposter Syndrome in academia and strategies for dealing with it.
2021-09-1151 minProfesserrorBuilding and Submitting Your Promotion & Tenure PackageBryan and Steve chat about the process of developing and submitting their promotion and tenure packages. They discuss what worked well and where they might have done things differently with the benefit of hindsight.
2021-08-271h 01ProfesserrorBuilding and fostering industry collaborations with Dr. Sinem MollaogluSinem Mollaoglu (Michigan State University) joins Bryan and Steve to discuss her experiences and challenges in building, sustaining, and growing industry collaborations to support her research.
2021-08-131h 00ProfesserrorWork and Family Balance with Prof. Carrie Sturts DossickCarrie Sturts Dossick (University of Washington) stops by to discuss lessons she learned when balancing family and work responsibilities.
2021-07-301h 01ProfesserrorLife After Tenure with Professor Wei WuWei Wu (Fresno State University) talks about his experience in transitioning from an Associate Professor to Fresno's Construction Management Department Chair.
2021-07-1455 minProfesserrorManaging your Advisor with Dr. Jad ChalhoubDr. Jad Chalhoub talks about his experience as Steve's PhD student to highlight some of the good (and not so good) aspects of their working relationship.
2021-06-1254 minProfesserrorPodcast about a podcast?Bryan and Steve discuss successes and failures from their first academic year of recording Professerror. Also, they welcome your feedback on how to improve the podcast moving forward. We look forward to hearing from you!
2021-05-0842 minProfesserrorCommunicating for Impact in Academia with Professor Fernanda LeiteFernanda Leite (University of Texas, Austin) discusses some of the strategies she has employed to effectively communicate with students, colleagues, and others in order to maximize her impact.
2021-04-241h 07ProfesserrorChallenges Faced by Female Professors in Engineering with Professor Andrea RichaProfessor Andrea Richa (Arizona State University) joins us to discuss some of the challenges female professors face in engineering.
2021-04-1057 minProfesserrorWork Life Balance with Professor Matthew HallowellProf. Matt Hallowell (University of Colorado, Boulder) discusses lessons learned related to managing work responsibilities with the rest of life's responsibilities.
2021-03-1956 minProfesserrorNSF CAREER Success (and some failures) with Professor Jeremi LondonDr. Jeremi London (Virginia Tech) discusses her recently awarded NSF CAREER grant, but also some of the challenges she experienced leading up to this success.
2021-03-121h 10ProfesserrorMaximizing Your ImpactProfessor Mikhail Chester (Arizona State University) discusses how to maximize impact while reducing time spent doing non-value-added tasks.
2021-01-301h 11ProfesserrorApplying for Faculty Positions - On-Campus InterviewsWe discuss on-campus interviews and share some experiences of what to do (and not do) during this process.
2021-01-161h 02ProfesserrorResearch group start-up (with Katherine Madson)Katherine Madson (Iowa State University) joins us again to discuss challenges and lessons learned associated with starting up a research group during the first semester of a first faculty position.
2020-12-2953 minProfesserrorSurviving your first semester of teaching (with Katherine Madson)Professor Katherine Madson (Iowa State University) stops in to share some of her successes and failures that she experienced in teaching during her first semester as a faculty member.
2020-12-121h 02ProfesserrorApplying for Faculty Positions - Phone InterviewsWe discuss the process of phone interviews for faculty positions and share some of our own lessons learned related to this.
2020-11-2145 minProfesserrorTransitioning from industry to academia with Anne AndersonProf. Anne Anderson joins in for the discussion to cover lessons learned when she transitioned from her industry career to one in academia.
2020-11-1446 minProfesserrorApplying for Faculty Positions - Preparing your application materialsWe discuss the process of preparing your materials for applying to faculty positions. Hopefully you avoid some of the mistakes we made!
2020-10-241h 19ProfesserrorManaging Your TimeBryan and Steve cover lessons learned, as well as continued struggles, with time management in academic careers.
2020-10-1058 minProfesserrorGetting Feedback on Your Research ProposalsBryan and Steve discuss lessons learned through the feedback that their proposals have received.
2020-09-261h 08ProfesserrorCrafting your research proposalBryan and Steve discuss lessons learned related to generating research proposals to secure external funding. We hope you enjoy it.
2020-09-141h 21