I have fully embraced Autumn, this month, with soups, walks on crunchy leaves, and, of course, Halloween celebrations. Oh, and I was interviewed by the BBC, on the use of AI-generated images for scams.
Research
I joined a group at Sussex, preparing a funding application to create a doctoral centre.
And, at the end of the month, I travelled to Barcelona to meet with some great colleagues to work on a research idea for a grant application. We are calling ourselves the Canaletes – after the famous fountain in Barcelona (see photo below), but also because it represents the various disciplinary streams coming together in this project.
On a side note, it was so good to be in the same room with other people, bouncing ideas back and forth, and making plans. In recent years, I have been mostly meeting with research colleagues online, even those that work in the same place as I do. But it is such a different (i.e., better!) energy meeting people face to face. I really need to make an effort to meet people face to face more often.
Writing
The main event here was working on a paper on use of public health apps, and submitting it at the end of the month. It included several binge-writing days, when I ended up with a sore back and hands. You would think that, by now, I really should know better how to plan my writing.
I also did some work on white paper about the use of generative AI in education, and a colleague submitted the grant applicant that we had been working on.
Elsewhere, I got some (encouraging) feedback on an extended abstract that I had submitted last month.
Teaching
I have been teaching a research design module to our new PhD students. It is really rewarding to teach this group because, while I really enjoy teaching research methods, this isn’t usually a popular module with business students. It is understandable: they want to learn about specific business-related topics such as marketing, or leadership, or information systems… not how to do research about those topics. By all means, I do feel that most students end up seeing the value of a module that teaches them how to ask good questions and collect and analyse data to answer those questions. But, it is a journey. In contrast, PhD students signed up to do a research degree – so, they see the value of this module from the start, which is very refreshing.
In addition to this module, I held various PhD supervision meetings, and interviewed some PhD candidates.
Service
The main event on this front was reviewing a new programme proposal at Sussex. I also reviewed a paper for a journal.
What did October 2025 have in store for you?
Ana Canhoto 
Look like a very productive month for you. Are you going to take long year end holiday? 😁
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It’s so nice to hear from you, Jennifer. Thank you for stopping by.
The university will be closed around Christmas and New Year, which is nice. What about you?
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It’s nice that you can finally enjoy a long holiday. My university here will only close for one day on Xmas and another on New Year. Wishing you a merry Xmas and happy new year.
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Autumn is a season that fills me with melancholy. While I enjoy the colours in the trees, the short days and long nights seem to sap my energy. My go-to song for the time is ‘Les feuilles mortes’, a sad lament for a love that died. Like the autumn leaves.
“Oh, je voudrais tant que tu te souviennes
Des jours heureux où nous étions amis
En ce temps-là, la vie était plus belle
Et le soleil plus brûlant qu’aujourd’hui
“Les feuilles mortes se ramassent à la pelle
Tu vois, je n’ai pas oublié
Les feuilles mortes se ramassent à la pelle
Les souvenirs et les regrets aussi
“Et le vent du Nord les emporte
Dans la nuit froide de l’oubli
Tu vois, je n’ai pas oublié
La chanson que tu me chantais,”
Ah well, perhaps I need to escape to Barcelona to recharge my batteries. My autum involved trips to Scotland and Wales, neither of which are quite the same.
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I struggle with Autumn, too, particularly November. This year, I am trying to embrace the “positive” elements of this season in an attempt to “fake it until you make it”, I suppose. Though, I was in Barcelona last week, and it definitely boosted my mood. So, yes, a quick escape there might just be what the doctor ordered 😉
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I find it hard to “embrace” autumn. The season fills me with melancholy: the loss of the warmth of summer, the long lazy days. The dread of the coming winter and the rains of spring. My go-to song at this time always seems to be Les Feuilles Mortes, itself based on a poem about a love that withered and died like the autumn leaves.
“Oh, je voudrais tant que tu te souviennes
Des jours heureux où nous étions amis
En ce temps-là, la vie était plus belle
Et le soleil plus brûlant qu’aujourd’hui
“Les feuilles mortes se ramassent à la pelle
Tu vois, je n’ai pas oublié
Les feuilles mortes se ramassent à la pelle
Les souvenirs et les regrets aussi
“Et le vent du Nord les emporte
Dans la nuit froide de l’oubli
Tu vois, je n’ai pas oublié
La chanson que tu me chantais”.
Perhaps I need to get to Barcelona to banish these blues. My autumn has involved trips to Wales and to Scotland, niether of which seemed able to shake this melancholy.
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There’s always the possibility of a quick hop to Oxford, too.
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