Last October, I gave a Sunday morning talk to a group of early-career researchers attending the Earth Systems Governance conference. It was a day-long program on "Developing a career in earth system governance: opening up science." I enjoyed the chance to gather my thoughts and pass along some good advice I've been given (and some earned through experience!).
Thanks very much to Ina Möller, who made a podcast from our conversation. You can have a listen here.
Here's a condensed list and links to resources I've found helpful. Hope they're useful to others!
Thanks very much to Ina Möller, who made a podcast from our conversation. You can have a listen here.
Here's a condensed list and links to resources I've found helpful. Hope they're useful to others!
- Keep asking what you find meaningful. (My current motto: Maximize meaning, minimize carbon.)
- Cultivate a healthy writing practice.
- Advice for New Faculty Members, by Robert Boice
- Scientist’s Guide to Writing, Stephen B. Heard
- Tips for making research grantwriting less painful, Kim Nicholas
- A quick guide for writing a solid peer review, Kimberly Nicholas and Wendy Gordon
- Ten rules for writing fiction, Margaret Atwood +9 more
- Writing Down the Bones, by Natalie Goldberg
- Spend time wisely.
- Ask Two Questions, David D Nowell
- Productivity 101: A Primer to the Pomodoro Technique, Alan Henry
- Workload survival guide for academics (especially Opportunities Anonymous by Harriet Bulkeley)
- Urgent vs Important, Jory MacKay
- Clearing the 8 hurdles to doing and publishing research (“William Shockley on what makes a person who publishes a lot of papers (and the superstar researcher system)”), Brian McGill
- Passion Planner (free PDF download- after trying every time management and list system out there, I came back to pen and paper)
- (Update, my latest planning & time management tool is the Bullet Journal- I like it a lot, and you just need any blank notebook!)
- Impostor syndrome never goes away. Don’t let it stop you.
- Give yourself permission to suck, Ira Glass
- Fixed vs. Growth: The Two Basic Mindsets That Shape Our Lives, Maria Popova
- Take initiative to figure out and ask for what you want.
- Embrace failure.
- Appreciate and prioritize family and friends.
- Cultivate your physical and mental health.
- Give back and share with others.
- Escape from the Ivory Tower: A Guide to Making Your Science Matter, by Nancy Baron
- The Message Box, COMPASS
- "If you want to explain your science to the public, here's some advice," by Esther Ngumbi
- Communication can never be too simple: Dejargonizer and Up-Goer Five Text Editor
- Our Warm Regards podcasts with Katharine Hayhoe on Finding Shared Values and Climate Scientists are People Too!
- The future will not turn out like you planned, and that’s okay.