December 2023 round-up

In December, I spent a lot of money and ate a lot of sugar. I was elated with some friends’ news, and really sad with another friend’s loss. I spent time with people that make my life better, and time with myself to reflect on the past year and set some goals for the next one. 

Research

I did not get the TSF grant, was not shortlisted for a research sandpit that I was very interested in and did not secure a visiting fellowship for someone I am really interested in working with. So, overall, a lot of rejection this month.

At least the washing machines project is progressing well, and I finally secured the appointment of someone I am working with, as an honorary fellow at the University.

I am also working on three other grant ideas. Moreover, I have put together an idea for a small research project that I would be very interested in supervising, as part of Sussex’s International Junior Research Associate (IJRA) scheme, using large language models for sentiment analysis.

Writing

I worked on a paper about distributed social media, which was submitted at the start of the month.

I also worked on a paper about chatbots, one about ChatGPT and one about digitalisation – all of which are now with the respective co-authors.

Teaching

Taught. Coordinated the marking (create rubrics, send instructions, etc…) for the Dissertation module. Moreover, started putting together the virtual learning environment for the Research Methods module that I am teaching next semester.

Service

I reviewed a paper for a journal, and several for a conference.

My word of the year for 2023 was “cheerful”, and it served me well. Sure, there were many @£$%^& moments but, overall, it was good to be reminded to look at the bright side of life and to create cheerful moments for myself and others.  For 2024, my chosen word is “stretch”. It is a commitment to both physical and intellectual flexibility. So, here’s to stretching boundaries, embracing the new, and creating a year filled with exploration.

What is your word or mantra for 2024?