While many research collaborations go well and can last years, some don’t work out. One side may come to realize the relationship or expectations weren’t quite what they’d thought. Maybe personalities clash, and there’s a decision to part ways. Or, enthusiasm—and progress—wanes over time. And the collaboration just fades without any real discussion of what’s happening. A kickoff call full … Read More
Writing Bottlenecks: Getting That Paper “Out the Door”
Nearly every researcher we know has that one manuscript that has been “almost ready” for so long that its file name now reads like a version history (final, final_v2, really_final, use_this_one). The data hold up, the figures look good, and everyone involved agrees the paper should go out to find a publishing home. But something is holding you back from … Read More
When Grant Application Success Rates Drop: Playing the Numbers Game While Protecting Your Wellbeing
Your study section scored your proposal in a fundable range. Twice. It still didn’t get funded, because there were so many more applications than usual and no extra funding to account for that. Or the payline moved underneath. Or worse, the program was closed before you even got reviewed. Frustratingly, many applications that would have been funded eighteen months ago … Read More
What’s the Point of a Five-Year Plan?
“What will your work look like in five years?” It’s one of those questions that shows up in job talks, mentoring meetings, and maybe even faculty reviews. Most people will put some rough targets out there; for job talks, there is likely a bit more concreteness to the targets since the vision needs to be a bit more convincing. Yet, … Read More
Stepping out of Your Comfort Zone: Making the Most of Networking at Scientific Conferences
Picture the last big conference you attended. Somewhere around the second coffee break, you found yourself scanning the room for a familiar face, someone from your research group, your program, your last institution, anyone who could give you an excuse not to walk up to a stranger. Maybe you found one and spent the break catching up with someone you … Read More
Maintaining Focus and Momentum Toward Your Goals
No doubt you’ve been here before: You start chasing a new goal with real energy. Maybe it’s a unique grant opportunity you’ve been eyeing for months, a manuscript you finally have time to draft, or a new research direction you’ve been meaning to pursue since a conference talk lit something up in you. The first few weeks go well: you’re … Read More
Surmounting the Post-Tenure Slump: The Power of Freedom Plus Vision
The tenure letter arrives, and for a few weeks, everything feels different. Oh, the relief of hitting this milestone. But then a strange thing happens to many newly tenured faculty: the momentum that carried them through the tenure review doesn’t carry over into what comes next. In fact, it’s not even clear what comes next. After years of being told … Read More
What to Do When Teaching, Clinical, or Other Duties Pull You Away From Research
The semester starts, and the research plans you sketched out over winter break slowly but surely start slipping. Fielding student questions eats the mornings you’d blocked for writing. Clinic days run long, and the analysis you meant to get to gets pushed to “next week” for the third week running. Committee assignments land in your inbox with no memory of … Read More
When Your Trainees Aren’t Meeting Deadlines (and Other Leadership Challenges)
A deadline passes. Then another. You mentioned it once, assumed it was understood, and moved on to the dozen other things competing for your attention. Yet you find yourself increasingly frustrated… There may not be a hard due date for this manuscript, but you want it out sooner rather than later. Or, your graduate student needs to submit their dissertation … Read More
Choosing and Using Preliminary Data Strategically for Grant Applications
When we’re supporting grant proposal development, we commonly field questions about which preliminary data to use and how much constitutes “enough”. While there’s no hard-and-fast rule for incorporating preliminary data, there are some helpful strategies to approach it. It boils down to understanding a few key points: what exactly are “preliminary” data, what is their purpose, and when and how … Read More