by Robert In one of the podcasts I regularly listen to, I came across an interesting topic. Cognitive biases – i.e., a systematic, faulty inclination when perceiving, remembering, thinking, and judging – and how you should deal with them. In this post, however, I don’t want to give a lesson in theoretical bias theory, but…
Today, I want to talk about my start as a leader. Looking back, I now consider this my first real leadership position. However, I actually held such a role much earlier. Nonetheless, I’ll stick with this example because I held that position for a few years, and it was here that the foundation of my…
Who hasn’t experienced this? You’re working with a teammate on something, and somehow, it feels like you’re doing all the work. The small part they’re supposed to contribute ends up being delivered in a way that falls far short of expectations. If that already sounds like a nightmare, try leading a project with multiple collaborators—it…
This acronym first crossed my path around 10 years ago. It attempts to describe the chaos now surrounding us in more detail. Given the current global political situation and, in addition, the results of the U.S. elections and the first announcements of key players in the Trump administration, I thought it’s worth revisiting. Because what…
by Robert You’re probably wondering why it’s been so quiet on our end this past week. Well, we’ve been incredibly busy! First, we had another fantastic Leadership Lab, co-hosted with Ana Pineda. Around 200 people were interested in learning how our P^4 Framework can help them do research without suffering. If you’re interested, you still…
With this title, I could genuinely write about a lot of things: spacetime, our role within it, or even how, alongside talent and effort, the right opportunity can be crucial for a career leap. But this title also perfectly suits today’s topic. Today, we’re dealing with a common challenge we often encounter in our consultations:…
by Robert This week’s blog post is going to be a bit shorter because Stefanie is working on other projects, and I’m on vacation with my family. Still, I thought I’d take a moment to write about something that’s come to mind during this trip. Stress has far too negative a connotation. Sure, chronic stress…
– by Stefanie During my postdoctoral training in the U.S., I learned a tough but critical truth about what it took to succeed in academia: $$ funding $$. As a graduate student and even far into my postdoc, I used to think that having brilliant ideas alone would be enough. If I only express my…
by Robert Two weeks ago, Stefanie wrote that her department chair no longer wants to allow remote work. Last week, a news ticker announced that Amazon is eliminating the option of home office for all employees. And I can’t help but feel like this is a step backward… Before and during the pandemic, I worked…
As a research team leader, you’re constantly faced with obligations—it’s part of the game. But the real question is: which of these should you truly take on as responsibilities, and which ones can you approach with a bit more pragmatism? I divide them into three categories: Let’s start with your formal obligations as a PI:…