Dean of @UCSCscience. Astronomer, sci-fi connoisseur, rugby league devotee, puzzled parent 🇦🇺🇨🇦. Opinions ∉ @UCSC.
Dec 16, 2020 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
We did a bunch of job interviews today for a postdoc position in my group, and we tried something different.
We gave all the candidates in advance all the questions we were going to ask. (Sent to them a week beforehand.)
The outcome was amazing! (1/3)
Detailed, thoughtful answers. Everyone putting their best foot forward. Everyone showcasing their experience and depth of knowledge. (2/3)
Nov 30, 2019 • 24 tweets • 4 min read
It’s job application time in academia, so here’s one useful tip. When writing about your past work or future plans, think about the verbs you use.
Avoid pedestrian plans, in which you will use, study, interpret, accomplish, continue, constrain, perform, characterise, ...
... monitor, run, process, confirm, extend, confirm, work on, work with others to, fill gaps, map, focus, am interested in, be involved in, further investigate, measure, place limits on, or work to answer.
These all give the subliminal impression of incremental work.
May 18, 2019 • 8 tweets • 2 min read
Buried in Ted Chiang’s new book “Exhalation” is this amazing gem.
Imagine you begin a game of snooker by breaking REALLY hard, so the balls bounce around forever.
If you know everything about the balls, the cue and the table, how many collisions in a row can you predict?
The simple answer is “infinity”. You know the initial conditions and the equations of motion, so you should be able to predict every collision and trajectory until the end of time.
But this is totally wrong.
Apr 25, 2019 • 12 tweets • 2 min read
An older professor in my department (now deceased) once gave me advice on how to teach an astronomy class.
It’s possibly the worst advice I’ve ever been given.
He told me to start the 1st lecture as follows:
“I’m going to write an equation on the board, and then I’m going to keep my back to the class for 60 seconds after that.”
Jan 30, 2019 • 13 tweets • 2 min read
A lot of people don’t talk about just how traumatic it can be to attend a research conference.
If you’re dealing with anxiety, stress or imposter syndrome, a conference is all of your worst nightmares combined.
Dealing with people can be exhausting. On an everyday work day, you deal with some people, then you go to your office and sit at your desk for a bit, and then maybe you have another meeting.
But at a conference, you’re surrounded. You have to be on all the time.
Sep 19, 2018 • 19 tweets • 4 min read
It should not be on women to navigate gender bias. It should be on men to recognise it in themselves and in others, and then to work together to fix it.
