Changing Academic Life

Dr Ben Kraal recently started working as a User Experience Consultant, having chosen to leave a contract research (and teaching) position after 9 years in academia for a position in industry. He talks about his early career, doing a PhD and then working for 9 years on time-limited university contracts. He reflects on the challenge of being legible within an academic system when you are not in control of your own research agenda. And he talks about making the decision to leave academia for industry and how he is now able to be more present and engaged at home and he gets to do all the parts of his research job that he loved in his new industry role. I encourage you to also look at Ben's blog post on academic burnout and the Guardian article below that happened to also come out today. “It’s a job that doesn’t ever stop. That’s ok if you are enjoying it and I think I’d gotten to the point where I wasn’t enjoying it anymore. And my family had long stopped enjoying that fact that I had ever enjoyed it.” He talks about (times approximate) … 01:20 From degree to industry to a PhD position05:16 Going back to academia, doing a PhD at Uni of Canberra09:20 Moving cities to take a post-doc research position12:46 Working on research projects15:20 Moving into more teaching work21:15 Publishing interdisciplinary work, boundary crossing, and using an editor for papers23:15 Working on soft money, shorter contracts when soft money runs out, 26:30 Being an illegible person in the university system28:52 Making the move into industry, making the choice to stay in Brisbane31:08 Talking at a practitioner conference, taking students along, making connections, framing his expertise to be relevant to industry35:40 Telling the university, he is leaving36:53 The family’s reaction to his leaving, and getting to the point of not enjoying the work, the increasing pressure of meetings and impact on working at the weekends39:00 Now much easier being engaged, being present to the family at weekends40:25 Breaking the news to his students, colleagues, tying up final research work43:14 What he is enjoying about his new job; doing all his favourite bits from being a researcher; and the long commute48:15 Not doing email on weekends, “which is fantastic!”, because the firm doesn’t! Not doing email when he gets home; being told he looks so much happier when he comes home50:50 “The pace is faster than the university but the rhythm is more consistent.” … as an academic having multiple plates in the air, “and if you can keep them in the air someone gives you an extra plate”53:00 Will probably miss teaching - “Better at being a teaching academic than a paper producing research academic”54:40 “Because I’m illegible in the university system, I’m actually interesting in the commercial world”; Discussing the way the academic system looks for people going deeper and the challenges of being cross-disciplinary57:25 About Tom Rodden’s experience not being his experience, as Tom was able to be in charge of his own research and able to tell a coherent story, being legible into the wider system; And Marcus Foth also being able to tell a legible story; and being able to tell his own story in a way that is interesting to industry65:00 Lucky to have had long term contracts compared to others not employed for more than a year at a time “so the university can keep them in a box”67:07 EndRelated LinksBen on researching the airport of the future: an interview with Gerry Gaffney:  http://uxpod.com/researching-the-airport-of-the-future-an-interview-with-ben-kraal/Ben’s blog post “On Academic Burnout”: https://benkraal.com/2016/12/01/on-academic-burnout/Ben's review of 2016: https://benkraal.com/2017/01/01/2016-year-in-review/See also a 2 Dec 2016 Guardian article on experiences with casual/short term contracts: https://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/2016/dec/02/short-term-contracts-university-academia-family?CMP=share_btn_tw Symplicit: Customer-Led Innovation Consultancy - where he is now working: http://www.symplicit.com.auPeople he mentioned:Inger Mewburn: https://researchers.anu.edu.au/researchers/mewburn-iHelen Purchase: http://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/computing/staff/helenpurchase/Vesna Popovic: http://staff.qut.edu.au/staff/popovic/Previous interviews he mentioned:Tom Rodden interview: http://www.changingacademiclife.com/blog/2016/11/2/tom-roddenMarcus Foth interview: http://www.changingacademiclife.com/blog/2016/9/25/marcus-foth 

Tom Rodden, Professor of Interactive Computing, discusses research, insecurities, funding models, and academic family life. Emphasizes pursuing interesting projects over strategic decisions, handling academic rejections, and understanding the impact of metrics in academia. Highlights the importance of work-life balance and efficient time management in academic life.

Saul Greenberg is an Emeritus Professor and Faculty Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Calgary in Canada, where he led the GroupLab, doing research in the area of HCI/CSCW/Ubicomp. He discusses his experiences picking and supervising students, strategically building a research lab and community, taking control of our own work-life balance, publication strategies, remote working, and moving into retirement. "Work will never end and it’s up to me to balance my life. [...]  The question I would ask myself is: if I said yes, which I really want to do, what should I stop doing?” He talks about (times approximate) ...02:43 Being a supervisor, how you pick good students (or not) and still learning right to the end07:05 Students finding their own topics or working on yours, growing a lab, nurturing promising students12:50 The strategic things to think about when designing/creating a lab, creating a community and a culture, and what wasn’t so successful in setting up the lab20:50 Choosing where he wanted to live to do the outdoor activities he loved, then choosing the job23:00 Tele-commuting, partitioning work, walking the talk with remote working and lessons learnt29:00 Realising work will never end, making choices, and his strategy for deciding whether to say yes or not36:00 Sharing teaching materials as a by product of making teaching easier – “you can be both selfish and give things away”38:00 How academic life has changed, increasing pressure to publish, and making hiring decisions43:20 Making the decision to retire and move into emeritus status45:30 Final tips (lots of pearls!) – no easy solutions, being strategic, scheduling time, not being driven by the next conference deadline, don’t let your work take over, don’t get into the vortex of more intense colleagues, and it’s a great job, we’re our own worst enemies48:50 EndRelated links:Saul’s Grad Tips: http://saul.cpsc.ucalgary.ca/pmwiki.php/GradTips/GradTipsGroupLab: http://grouplab.cpsc.ucalgary.ca/

Yunan Chen is an associate professor in the Department of Informatics at the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences (ICS), and the Institute for Clinical and Translational Science (ICTS) at the University of California, Irvine.  Yunan shares her experiences moving from a medical degree in China to a PhD at the intersection of medical informatics and human computer interaction in the US. She also speaks out about her tenure experiences, being part of a long distance relationship, and the struggles negotiating academia and becoming a new mother.   “We don’t talk about our stress publicly.” “Give yourself a break after the baby.” “It’s ok to be lost [after getting tenure]” She talks about (times approximate) …01:35 Moving from medical school in China to a PhD in the US09:00 Applying for faculty positions, getting applications rejected, moving to Irvine12:41 Challenges being a new faculty member, learning paper and grant writing17:20 Having great mentors19:30 Having a baby, learning about life beyond work21:10 Having a long distance relationship with a partner who is also an academic, working hard22:10 No longer being able to count on evenings/weekends for working24:00 Having a baby puts in a boundary on time, and using time more wisely25:30 The first year with the baby, after tenure27:08 Making the mistake of thinking it was still possible to be on a Program Committee, “if others can do it, maybe I can … but it turns out to be very difficult” … “First time I realised my life is forever different” … “My time is not as flexible as before”30:20 Posting to Facebook that she “just feel very tired doing this”, one lesson, “I didn’t have to do it”; Her advice “give yourself a break” and “no-one talks about the challenges”33:00 Trying to build a work-life balance and family life little by little, and moving to a bigger house and lowering expectations lower (ok if home not perfect, a bit messy) to achieve a better and happier life38:48 Experiences of a mother support group, struggling with being a good mum and being a good researcher and quitting the support group, and stopping feeling guilty41:38 Final thoughts: talk to a lot of people, we don’t talk about our stress publicly, don’t be afraid of approaching others, don’t be too harsh on yourself, things get easier43:58 Being on academic mamas Facebook group and learning from other people’s experiences48:00 Being lost after having a baby and after getting tenure, and finding what to do next, but it’s ok to be lost51:45 EndPermalink

Marcus Foth is an i/Director of the QUT Design Lab, founder and former director of the Urban Informatics Research Lab, and Professor in Interactive & Visual Design, School of Design, Creative Industries Faculty at Queensland University of Technology. Marcus talks about being on sabbatical, creating a research niche at the intersection of disciplines and publishing in diverse venues. He also shares his experiences of setting up a new lab and of chairing conferences.  “We need to first focus on the passion and zest of our researchers - and it’s not these bean counting KPIs, it’s the beans themselves” He talks about (times approximate) …01:41 His sabbatical experience (long professional development leave) – nice to have time to think04:10 Moving from Germany to Brisbane Australia and finding a PhD focus09:15 Finding his PhD niche at the intersection of various fields12:45 Choosing a deliberate publication strategy across different disciplines, rejecting a monolithic approach (not just think of CHI)15:55 Publishing edited books and value of the process for networking, building a new field20:45 Lessons learnt choosing a publisher23:35 Conveying the narrative of your research, helping people interpret your publication venues25:35 Starting up the Urban Informatics Lab and building a culture and identity – the value of the sign on the door29:45 Lessons learnt leading a group, needing time to grow, and promoting inclusiveness34:45 Reflecting on service roles, chairing a conference and the opportunities that come with service40:05 Lab activities and when the lab grows too big42:35 Needing more conversations about the research beans, not just counting the beans46:05 EndRelated links: Urban Informatics Lab - http://www.urbaninformatics.netReferences to his books from here - http://staff.qut.edu.au/staff/foth/Smart Cities Summer School – http://summerschool2016-smartcity.tuwien.ac.atJaz Choi - http://staff.qut.edu.au/staff/choih/Designing Interactive Systems (DIS2016) conference - http://www.dis2016.org

Katherine Isbister  is a full Professor in the Department of Computational Media at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she is a core faculty member in the Center for Games and Playable Media. Katherine talks about her experiences working on the west and east coasts of the US, and in Japan, Denmark and Sweden, and working in industry and academia. She talks about the importance of fit, being an interdisciplinary researcher, and how she lives out her commitment to work life balance.“Reflect on your productivity and praise yourself”“Make sure you’re having fun with your research practice”She talks about (times approximate) …01:05 Challenges finding a PhD topic06:10 Post-doc experiences in Japan and dealing with cultural challenges09:00 Moving to work in a start up in industry, teaching a class at Stanford on the side, and teaching becoming appealing13:45 Applying for academic jobs, moving to upstate New York, writing a book16:10 Experience of the tenure process and having wonderful mentors19:00 Moving to Denmark and dealing with cultural fit and family issues23:20 Having a baby during the tenure process26:20 Love of writing papers, wordsmithing, writing tips29:10 Dealing with different cultural contexts and politics and having a critical mass of people around you31:30 Challenges of being an interdisciplinary researcher with broad ideas, the value of mentorship, and looking for closure when things don't feel right34:25 Setting strict boundaries on family time, learning to work within 8-5 and trade-offs38:05 Week end review, trouble shooting, praising yourself and planning the next week40:35 Challenges talking to people about how many hours you work43:50 Final reflections45:30 EndFinal notes:Clifford Nass https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=2trZ2IYAAAAJLaurence G. Boldt, Zen and the art of making a living, Penguin 2009. Latest book: Isbister, K., How Games Move Us: Emotions by Design. MIT Press, 2016. https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/how-games-move-us

Rafael A. Calvo is an ARC Future Fellow, Professor and Director of the Positive Computing Lab  at the University of Sydney. He is also a co-author with Dorian Peters of the book, Positive Computing, published by MIT Press. Rafael describes a fascinating academic journey that spans physics, philosophy, computer science, and cognitive and affective computing. He talks about his current work on Positive Computing and designing technology to support people’s mental health and well being. He also shares experiences in managing his own mental health and well being, that includes some great tips. “[a setback] was one of the best things that could have ever happened to me” He talks about (times approximate) …01:42 His current work and his varied career path – “sometimes they seem disconnected but there is a very strong thread in the middle”08:30 His work on Positive Computing technologies, impacts of technology on people’s mental health, challenges of email10:00 Responsibility to design so that we don’t hinder people’s health and well being, changing the mindset of designers to look beyond productivity … with examples eg the psychological benefits of effort in endorsements14:45 Engaging with psychology theories and working with psychologists and interdisciplinary partnerships19:18 Looking after his own mental health and well being and the impact of too much travel20:50 Learning to say no, how you decide what to say yes/no to, email strategies, choosing admin work he can contribute what other people can’t, exaggerated risks of saying no as a young academic26:56 Looking for opportunities where he doesn’t have technology, blocking times without interruptions, and more strategies29:40 Keeping use of devices for work and home separate35:10 End Final notes:Book: Calvo and Peters, ‘Positive Computing’, MIT Press 2014 - https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/positive-computingBook: Wulf, Schmidt and Randall (eds) ‘Designing Socially Embedded Technologies in the Real World’, Springer 2015 - http://www.springer.com/us/book/9781447167198Time Management software: RescueTime  - https://www.rescuetime.comPaper: Cox et al, Design Frictions for Mindful Interactions: the case for Microboundaries, CHI EA 16 - https://uclic.ucl.ac.uk/content/4-publications/0-design-frictions-for-mindful-interactions-the-case-for-microboundaries/cox.chi.2016.pdf Video: Brad Feld on tech and well being - http://www.positivecomputing.org/2016/04/brad-feld-on-tech-wellbeing.html 

Mary Czerwinski  is a principal researcher and research manager at Microsoft Research in Redmond, US. Mary shares some great experiences about her role as a manager and how she plays this out practically in enabling and protecting people, and establishing a culture in a group. She also talks about some of the key insights from her own research work on stress and how to manage stress, from email management strategies, to designing technology interventions as well as some very easy practical interventions that we could all try out. A theme throughout is the importance of getting to know yourself and your values, and of planning– this is the work to do good work.“How you choose to look at stress...” “Honouring your calendar”She talks about (times approximate) …01:45 Her current work and background04:20 Managing and leading a research group07:15 Establishing a group culture, dealing with issues, conflict resolution, one-on-ones11:10 Insights from research on stress, managing email, choosing how you look at stress17:00 Knowing the rhythm of your day, your priorities, and planning18:20 Personal interventions, the ‘tools in the toolkit’ e.g., deep breathing, mindfulness techniques, new work on DBT, Pop Therapy25:05 Challenges now with escalating pace, needing to say no more often, importance of prioritizing based on knowing what are your values28:50 Wish for the younger generation: prioristing the important things and still having time to accomplish what you want to in work, needing to make time for family and self30:08 EndFinal notes:Pop Therapy - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/project/pop-therapy/Mindfulness – loads of resources https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/mindfulnesshttp://www.umassmed.edu/cfm/Dialectical Behaviour Therapyhttp://behavioraltech.org/resources/whatisdbt.cfm

Jon Whittle is a full Professor in the School of Computing and Communications at Lancaster University, England, and also a Chair of Software Engineering and Head of Department. He covers lots of themes including making career shifts, changing strategies when proposals get rejected, making multi disciplinary work work, creating balance, and leading by example. He lives work-life balance, describing himself as an artist and a scientist.“You have to give yourself a break” ... “you can do very simple things” that make a difference.He talks about (times approximate) …01:15 His varied career path between Scotland, US, India and England05:40 Changing fields and how to move into a new community/field12:40 Experience in the US tenure system, difficulties getting grants, and changing strategies15:20 Working in multi-disciplinary projects, lessons learnt and how to bootstrap multi-disciplinary team work19:40 Work life balance (WLB) – living it as an artist and a scientist, researching it in the Digital Brain Switch Project26:00 Being Head of Department, leading by example, structuring time, setting expectations, handling email, giving yourself a break33:32 Three things to maintain a healthy balance – delegate, learn how to say no, be organisedEnd 36:40Final notes:‘Digital Brain Switch’ projectEPSRC Sandpits

Judy Olson is Bren Professor of Information and Computer Sciences in the Informatics Department at UC Irvine. Judy reflects back on her career, on changes she has seen particularly the increasing expectations of hiring committees, on common issues people deal with, on blooming where you are planted, on paying it forward, on dealing with imposter syndrome, on the value of good colleagues/collaborators and on her work plans after retirement later this year. “What would Olson do? Follow your passion. Hang out with good people.”She talks about (times approximate) …01:40 Her career trajectory06:20 Changes in academia, embracing interdisciplinary work08:00 Being proud of working 25 years on long distance collaboration and broader impacts10:10 The stress of getting a job now and the increasing expectations of search and promotion committees; Needing to talk to senior faculty, start a dialogue and collect data to change this17:00 Common issues she has mentored people about – when you can say no, time management19:55 The T-Shirt – ‘What would Olson do?’ … finding the things you really like to do23:20 Bloom where you are planted, figuring out where you fit, what you can do and the choices along the way25:10 Imposter syndrome, getting nervous before every talk, always rehearsing a talk27:55 Retiring, getting to like writing grant proposals, and writing about couples who work together32:10 EndMy summary of what Judy says is about being authentic, being strategic, not being afraid to make changes and finding good colleagues.Final notes:‘Learning from Notes’ was a CSCW92 paper written by Wanda Orlikowski ‘Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time’ is a time management book by Brian Tracy, published 2007. ACM-W 'Ask Judy' column - example postLiz Gerber's project - Design for America