January wasn’t bad! While it was disappointing to get rejected for a grant and it is sad that some people close to me are going through a tough time, I also managed to get clarity on some work priorities. Plus, I noticed marked improvement on my knee injury. I even decided to go back to step 1 of Couch to 5K, to help me enjoy running, again – and, so far, it is proving helpful (also helpful: stretching and strength training).
Another great point in January was going to Krakow and, among other things, to visit Auschwitz. This was on my wish list since the kiddo went there, on a school trip. And, this year, the kids joined forces to gift me this trip, whcih was really lovely of them. It was really impactful! And then, when I landed, I bumped into a friend that I had not seen in a long time, and who needed a lift back to the town where we both live – so, we ended up having a lovely chat on the way home.
Here is an overview of what happened in January, work-wise.
Research
Let’s start with the bad news: a grant application was rejected. Worst of all, this application was really important for one of our stakeholders. So, this rejection was doubly frustrating.
On a more positive note, the Gen AI training project is progressing well.
Writing
Despite not knowing if I will be able to attend conferences this year, I ended up submitting an abstract for a conference and a paper for another. Plus, I worked on revisions for a journal paper, and bits and pieces on 2 others.
Finally, I submitted evidence to a parliamentary enquiry related to AI adoption.
Teaching
Semester 2 has started. So, much of January was taken with setting up the modules that I am teaching this semester, including finalising the syllabus, writing assessment briefs, creating the virtual learning environments, organising guest talks, etc…
I also decided on the outline for my AI literacy workshop.
Service
I screened various ethics applications, reviewed a paper for a journal, and worked on a report about a programme that I had reviewed in December.
I also collected data for some analysis that I am need to do about PhD students’ progression.
How was your January? Did 2025 get off to a good start?
Ana Canhoto 