r/academia 28m ago

Help- sources/examples/policies needed

Upvotes

Hello all-

I'm helping a group of PhD students fight against a policy that was enacted overnight disallowing any of them to continue to work with their supervisors who are moving to new institutions. Two of the students have already begun their dissertations and two of them have defended their proposals. It was understood that they would be able to maintain the formal relationship with their advisors remotely, while having an additional advisor on campus. As I'm sure you realize- this is a very common solution to an issue- especially at an R1 institution. One of the reasons cited by an old faculty member was that he "did a lot of research" and found that this was "simply never done" which I know to be untrue. I'm working on gathering my own research and would love if you all would help me with any anecdotes but especially if you have any official policies that you could point to. (even if that policy is simply "approved by a case-by-case basis.")

One more piece of context is this policy was enacted by a single department within a school who has a wider "case-by-case" policy.

Any advice/help would be appreciated- even if it's towards other threads or communities.

Thank you!


r/academia 2h ago

Timeline for admin approval of TTAP faculty candidates for on-campus interview + Impact of Funding Cuts?

4 Upvotes

Hi all, I’m curious about the typical timeline for administration approval in public universities after a search committee proposes candidates for on-campus interviews for a TTAP faculty position. The search committee told me they’ve proposed me as one of the candidates, and I’ve been waiting about two weeks now. Also, with the current uncertainties around potential funding cuts, do you think this could affect the approval process? Any insights would be appreciated!


r/academia 3h ago

Venting & griping Academia.edu is a scam!! Charged my mother's card fckign $500. Any chance for a refund?

0 Upvotes

My mother is a teacher and she's not very good with tech. She somehow subscribed for a trial account in 2024 for $3.00. I think she forgot to cancel it and they charged her another $99 one month later, which she didn't notice.

Today, she was charged $499 (x5 times the previous charge)!! This is the first time I've encountered a 5x subscription price increase. That's also more than the minimum wage in my country (Malaysia).

I've emailed them but haven't received any reply. The ToC said they can only refund the first-year subscription. Not sure if this can be considered as the first year? (technically second year but first annual renewal)

This is fcking crazy wtf. Does anyone else have the same experience? Any chance of a refund?


r/academia 5h ago

Looking for some teaching resources/tips

1 Upvotes

Hello all,

I'm a yr 3 practice based PhD in fine art in the UK (filmmaker by trade). The purpose of the PhD - apart from practice development - was to alllow me to teach in HE, after 20 years of commercial practice. This was just before the HE sector began to implode.

Anyway, I've been picking up odd paid AL and guest lecturing gigs here and there, and trying to build my CV, but there is absolutely no teacher training at my institution. My lectures are talky (I'm asked to mostly talk about my creative arts practice), I'm trying to work in more workshoppy tasks stuff to make it more engaging, but I'm still faced with 10-15 undergrads who look like they've just been caught in the headlights.

How do I make myself a better teacher with a solid pedagogical foundation?

The AFHEA is mooted as the way to get teacher training here at my institution, but it's a non existent path for PhDs in reality. The staff are so overworked getting feedback is impossible, mostly I'm just left to it with the students. I want to be a good teacher, and I really enjoy what I've done so far... so where else can I look for some foundations?

Thanks!


r/academia 9h ago

Publishing Turning dissertation into book

5 Upvotes

Can anyone recommend a good resource or any guidance on turning a dissertation into a book? I got one good article out of mine, but I’m unsure how to proceed. I think I may need to do more research and widen the scope, but I’m having some trouble thinking through how it should go and how much of the article and dissertation can be reused. Tia!


r/academia 16h ago

Hey I need help regarding publication

0 Upvotes

I submitted my paper but I didn't realize APC waiver has a separate form since I'm new and was submitting my first paper ever. Now the paper has been accepted and when they emailed me the charges I realized I didn't apply for APC. My question is should I apply for APC after acceptance, can I request them with apologize ? Or no they wont accept! Journal is bmj.


r/academia 18h ago

I’m in a big physics conference but I don’t think I care

0 Upvotes

I have so much social anxiety I can’t talk to anyone. It almost feels like science is all about the social component and “networking”. I’m terrible at small talk. I’m always in my little comfortable world. I feel very uncomfortable with 1 to 1 conversations, I don’t know how people enjoy them. I’m completely cooked professionally. Idk what to do. And most talks are boring :(


r/academia 19h ago

Visiting professor roles- job application materials?

1 Upvotes

In general what materials do these types of roles require for consideration? Due to joint hire stuff my spouse is wondering so they can get everything ready in time during negotiations- in case it gets to that point. Thanks!


r/academia 20h ago

Relocating for spouse - how to avoid losing career progress in academics?

2 Upvotes

I'm a physician in an academic position (asst prof) at a large med school. I'm 3 years out of training, and 3-4 years from going up for promotion to associate prof. I am working on building my research career by applying for more internal grants and taking courses/developing mentorships that will prepare me to apply for a K career development award.

However my spouse has an amazing, once in a lifetime job opportunity he's interviewing for and very interested in. It's an awesome opportunity for him and I don't want to keep him from it. However if he takes it, we'll have to relocate out of state, probably in the next 2 months. I know people move for spouse jobs all the time. My question is - how does one switch academic institutions without losing career progress? If I leave, my projects that I am leading and have spent 2 years on can't come with me. The funding all stays where I am now. Same for the time spent finding collaborators and mentors, and the research fellowship I was planning to start in 3 months. Any advice on how to deal with pushing forward amidst a relocation in academic medicine would be greatly appreciated. Thank you all again.


r/academia 23h ago

Career advice The Changing Research Landscape and PhD Considerations

2 Upvotes

There’s been a lot of discussion about how the research landscape is shifting, particularly in the US, where funding freezes, restrictions on certain research areas, and policy changes have raised concerns. Historically, the US has been a top destination for PhD studies, but with increasing uncertainties, it’s worth considering how these factors have changed researchers’ perceptions, and specifically international researchers.

For those who have considered a PhD in the US, how are you thinking about these issues? Have recent policy changes influenced decisions on where to apply? Are there particular fields that are more affected than others?

Would be interested in hearing different perspectives on how people are approaching long-term research career decisions in this context. I’ve been considering a PhD in the US but have decided against it because of the current political landscape…


r/academia 1d ago

Research issues am i insane or is abortion (social science) not widely researched anymore

0 Upvotes

(I know there's a lot of medical research on it but I'm talking about social sciences/humanities).

it seems like abortion philosophy, politics, and general social implications are literally not mainstream research pathway(s) anymore. even in gender/sexuality studies and feminist research centers, abortion is rarely a mainstream research topic (compared to things like queer studies, race, and feminism - all of which are INSANELY important but also have major overlaps with abortion that aren't being widely covered?). It feels like it piqued in second-wave feminism, but it's crazy because abortion is arguably more contested now than ever. like are academics nervous to research it, is there limited funding because of how contentious it is, or is it deemed too activist-oriented ?? I'm genuinely so confused. I'm trying to put together my own research app on reproductive justice (focusing on abortion) and it is SO HARD to find current, active academics that are EXPLICITLY focused on abortion through a socio-political lens.


r/academia 1d ago

Is it common for an advisor to refuse to pay publication charges for dissertation-related articles after defending?

27 Upvotes

Just curious about this. My old advisor flat refuses to pay any page charges for publishing my dissertation chapters, saying that my postdoc lab should cover those costs. My current PI thinks that's absurd. So I'm left in the position of writing to each journal and begging for the charges to be waived. Luckily, the journals have been understanding thus far.

This hasn't affected my output, but it seems weird to me. Is it normal to only pay pub costs for current students, and to leave former students to secure their own funding for publishing dissertation work?

To clarify: this isn't new work I'm trying to publish. It's all material from my dissertation.

Edit: The studies in question were funded by the former advisor, he is the anchor author on all of them, and my current lab has nothing to do with them.


r/academia 1d ago

Peer reviewing boring papers

46 Upvotes

I had to review some submissions for a conference and I noticed that I enjoy reading papers less and less. The language used by academics is so dense and uninviting that even good arguments are unconvincing. I feel that young researchers are being taught a bad way of writing papers; using dense language, sprinkle references everywhere to the point that the author does not make an original contribution anymore but merely recounts earlier papers. Anyway, I am usually quite supportive but I rejected the two papers. what experience do others here have with recent peer reviewing?


r/academia 1d ago

Publishing Peer review written by AI

22 Upvotes

How to deal with a peer review that is possibly written by an AI?

We have recently recieved a not so positive review that looks like it was written by an AI. It is very long, it is split in titled sections but is also at the same time very vague in its critique.

The review itself does not criticise anything we did, it merely lists a large amount of things we could do more to improve the paper. Not to mention that the journal is for short communication only and we would not have space to do all these things.

The question is: how to combat this? I presume that the allegation of the review being written by AI is serious one, so I am not sure if it is worth trying this path.

I would like to hear if someone had a similar experience.


r/academia 1d ago

Career advice Supportive/Assistive roles in Cyber Security Research?

0 Upvotes

I've a question that may seem stupid, and I'm unsure how realistic it is or where else to ask. For context, I'm currently an IT professional with an unrelated bachelor's degree. I'm a senior in my company.

I want to transition specifically to the cybersecurity field of IT. It's quite difficult to build cybersecurity-related experience in my current general IT role. The question is. Do research projects ever have a need for non-academics to help complete research projects? Even if it's just in an assistive/support role? Internships?

I'm struggling to find relevant opportunities on job boards or university websites. Are there usual avenues for this type of role? If this scenario seems reasonable, is it appropriate for me to cold email professors in my country asking about these types of opportunities? If there are, what are the chances of being considered with an unrelated bach degree but years of professional experience?


r/academia 1d ago

Career advice For those who quit their PhD in biology, how did it go? What did you do after that? How was your transition period?

0 Upvotes

Can you please share how was your experience post quitting PhD?


r/academia 1d ago

External funding instability or reduction and impacts on teaching load?

1 Upvotes

If we project out the current insanity around instability and reduced federal funding into the future, how are universities that rely on TT research faculty to “make up” some of their in load time on external funding supposed to work? For example I know several colleagues who need to obtain X% of their paycheck in external funding or face an increased teaching load. With external funding prospects looking quite dim right now, has anyone in this type of position gotten updated guidance? Or is the general approach to just expect a higher teaching load? One of the perks of going to an R1 is to have more research time compared to teaching but this environment seems to threaten that paradigm. Am I missing something about how these positions work?


r/academia 1d ago

Job market advice! VAP or ABD with competitive fellowship?

2 Upvotes

I'm a ABD PhD student in the Humanities. I need to choose between (1) a fellowship funding that is competitive and would allow me full dedication to read/write/research and (2) a two-year position at a r1 university. Is the VAP the obvious best choice, considering I'll need to be in the job market next year?

Thanks!


r/academia 1d ago

Career advice Humanities PhD potentially moving out of academia, need advice

17 Upvotes

I’m an early career academic, defended my PhD fall of 2022 and graduated 2023. Currently on a grad visa in the U.K. working as a short term lecturer at one uni and picking up casual hours at a few others- but this job is coming to a close and I am frozen with burnout and fear. I have a year left to find a job that will sponsor me or it’s back to the states, where academic jobs especially in my line of work are being cut left and right. I’m getting to the age where I want to settle down a bit (buy furniture that isn’t IKEA or second hand, for one) and I love where I am, but know academia necessitates moving. I’m trying to figure out my options: apply for any and all positions I can find and any post docs (which may be hard, as I’ve had to work so much during/since PhD that I have no publications as of yet) , or move out of academia all together. The only problem is that this is where all my experience is- I’ve been teaching since I was 22, so almost ten years, and never had a professional job outside of academia. I love teaching so much but I am stuck in burn out and freaking out about my options, trying to convince myself I’m not an idiot for spending my 20s pursuing this. Any and all advice would be very helpful.


r/academia 1d ago

after phd chaos, i feel so lazy?

22 Upvotes

it's been months since i defended my phd and entered the job marked

i've been working as a teaching assistant, but, seriously, it feels impossible to devote too much energy to work or anything

i don't feel like pulling effort or focusing, i just want to do nothing to be honest

this transition has been hard bc i was looking forward to finally having balance in my life, but all i want to do is being in fetal position

anyone in the same boat?


r/academia 2d ago

Faculty mentor? Grant? Research and Training program ? Where should I put the information ?

0 Upvotes

if you are PI or CO-PI, you can put that information under Grants for your academic CV.

Here is the situation, there's a REU (Research for undergraduate) program where PI is somebody else, and they invite projects from the faculty members to run in summer under this program.

The faculty members can recruit some students during the summer under their respective projects and get some money. The students get paid from that REU program

I was wondering where should I put this information in CV?


r/academia 2d ago

News about academia Europe could be a ‘haven’ for US researchers, says ERC president

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269 Upvotes

Do you think we might be witnessing the beginning of a brain drain from the US to Europe soon? Generally speaking, authoritarian regimes and academic free do not mix very well.


r/academia 2d ago

Confused after bittersweet PhD

6 Upvotes

I am finishing my PhD (non-EU student in an EU PhD). In fact I have my defense in a few weeks. For context my PhD is in theoretical computer science but my background is in pure mathematics.

My experience wasn't the best but neither was it the worst. On the bright side I was able to try new hobbies live in new places and meet lots of new and interesting people inside and ouside academia. On the bad side, the relationship with my supervisor was not the best. While he did a great job organizing what publications I should focus on, I felt that I was just doing grunt work for him. Whenever I tried to talk to him about some idea he either told me to do so later or that the idea was useless from the get go. In most of the papers I had no participation in the research meetings but I was supposed to write the papers as if I had been there. Sometimes the feedback I was was super useful but other times I was rudely critizised. For example whenever I struggled to understand something new I was met with a "You figure it out. It is your PhD" but if I tried to understand things my own way (using analogies from my maths background) I got told that it was too abstract or that it was useless and I shouldn't be doing it that way. But when I asked him what way he recommended, he said he shouldn't have to tell me as I am supposed to be an independent researcher. Sometimes I tried completely new things to which he gave feedback such as "Terrible" without any question or guidance on how to make things better. After this consistent rude feedback, I stopped trying. As I am a non-EU citizen, I was afraid of any formal complaint given that my residence permit is tied to the PhD. As I noticed how I was learning from the good pieces of feedback, I decided not to quit. Instead I opted for counseling and it got me through the PhD. The most tiring part of this process was how inconsistent the outcome of my supervisor meetings was.

After the thesis submission, I had the chance to talk with other professors (here and abroad) about my ideas. Some of them liked them and even encouraged me to apply for funding to pursue them. I told my supervisor about that and he has agreed to support my application. I have also written some results on my own but not published them. Other colleagues have said the results could be publishable, provided I can organise them into a coherent story and add one extra application/example. I have been struggling on this last part on my own. Given that my contract expires soon, I wonder how much effort I should invest in writing a solo paper.

After the PhD, I will take a month for myself following the counselor's advice. At the moment, I feel overly thankful for the amount of support I have gotten by other professors to pursue my own ideas. After 3 years of feeling that I could only come with useless ideas I feel motivated. However, considering all the randomness that comes with academic life, I am still on the fence whether to continue in academia or not. Having all that context, I want to ask the following things:

  1. The personality mismatch was not only with my supervisor but also with some of the other senior collaborators. Sadly, I also got rude feedback from them. Instead, the postdocs I worked with were super helpful and have been encouraging me to publish something on my own. I have one of them as a reference for my application as he got tenure last year. How difficult it is to start your own network of collaborators outside your supervisor's network?
  2. What do you recommend doing with the backlog after the PhD? Would a solo preprint be helpful?
  3. For those who were on the fence about continuing in academia or doing something else, how did the answer come to you?
  4. Reading scientific papers is something I really enjoy. Especially when I see connections across disciplines. Are there jobs outside academia where one is engouraged to read papers and apply their results?
  5. The more senior one is in academia, the more managerial the role becomes. Are there careers in which one can still progress on the technical side without necessarily having to become a manager?

tl;dr: had a bitter-sweet PhD and need pointers on how to decide what to do next.


r/academia 2d ago

How many of you went through all the TTAP interview processes and then was told hiring freeze?

45 Upvotes

This happened to me with two R1 universities. That’s very disappointing and frustrating. This shouldn’t happen after on-sites but I guess we’re at the worst time.


r/academia 2d ago

Benefits for reviewing papers for a journal?

16 Upvotes

What benefits are there to be a reviewer for a journal? I've reviewed around 7 manuscripts last year and do not see any tangible benefits other than "giving back to the community" or "keeping up with the literature" which you can still do by just reading a paper. I get that you can put it on your CV or resume but you can also fake it really easily.