This was a big month on the personal front: I got my British citizenship achieved a key personal goal that I had set for 2025; plus, the kiddo started University.
I spent the last 20 or so years wishing for the day when I wouldn’t have to plan work around the school day. I imagined that my productivity would increase dramatically, if I didn’t have to interrupt work because of school runs or after school stuff. Alas, it turns out that it’s really hard to drag myself out of bed if no one needs to be in school by 8h15m. So, overall, I am pretty much working the same number of hours as before. Truly, the grass always looks greener on the other side!
Workwise, this month was mostly about wrapping things up for the previous academic year, and preparing for the new one.
Research
I completed three interviews for a research project; had meetings with various research partners for a grant proposal; and, had meetings with colleagues about a number of possible research collaborations.
Writing
Most of the writing this month has been on research grants: I worked on an application that is due to be submitted at the start of October; and on an expression of interest for an internal process.
As for papers, I did a bit of work on a literature review paper, which is now with one of the other co-authors. Plus, I submitted an extended abstract for a special issue. I also had a meeting to plan a white-paper.
Teaching
I coordinated the marking of research proposals and dissertations on the MBA programme, which included some moderation.
I agreed the syllabus and assessment brief for the module that I am teaching this term, set up the virtual learning environment, and prepared the first session.
Moreover, I had interviews with a couple of potential PhD students, and welcomed a PhD student from a University in Italy, who is spending the semester at Sussex, as a visiting student.
Finally, I did some external examining for programmes in other institutions.
Service
On the SeNSS front, September was mostly about working on the annual report for the funder, ESRC; and planning training across the network for the next academic year.
In my Ethics role, I interviewed for two reviewer positions and attended committee meetings.
Elsewhere, I reviewed four articles for various journals.
What did September 2025 have in store for you?
Ana Canhoto 