This is one of those months where I am really, really grateful to my past self for keeping a research journal. The month ended on a very @£$%^Y&ty note and, if it weren’t for the entries that I wrote throughout the month, I would be telling myself that it had been a bad month. But it wasn’t. May was, actually, a very positive month on various fronts, and it is a shame that the @£$%^Y&ty stuff will now take up so much of my time and energy. [Sorry, I can’t be clear about the issue, for the time being – I will be more specific when I can].
In addition to the work stuff below, I went to Portugal and spent time with my parents, which was lovely. We also had some lovely weather in the UK, with outdoor swims and reading by the pool at my local gym, plus al fresco meals. Perfect… apart from all the pollen in the air. 🤧🤧
Research
Continued discussions with colleagues about future research projects. One of the groups decided to put together a panel / session proposal for a leading conference, which sounds like a great opportunity to leverage our different interests and expertise, plus strengthen ties.
I started the ethical application process for a research project that I am working on.
I also attended several workshops, including one about extended reality which brought together industry and academia, in London; one about diversity, equity and inclusion, at Sussex; and one about how AI is changing the shape of organisations, in Lancaster.
Writing
While in Portugal, I worked on the paper about AI agents. this included revisiting the data, deciding on the positioning and key contribution, and writing some sections. It is now with one of the co-authors, to work on other sections.
Then, did some minor work on another paper, which, again, is waiting for input from a co-author.
I also planned how to revise a paper, based on the reviewers’ feedback… but then got side tracked by the @£$%^Y&ty stuff mentioned above.
Lastly, I had a meeting with my research methods book’s co-authors, to plan the next edition. We were a bit shocked when the publisher contacted us to say that it was time to work on a new edition (for textbooks one is expected every 3-5 years), Then, checked and, indeed, they were right. The new edition will need to address the use of artificial intelligence in research, and we also want to discuss the use of secondary data in more depth than the current edition. Is there anything else that you think current research methods books (for business school students) are missing?
Teaching
In May, I delivered the remaining sessions on my MBA module, and organised supervisor allocation for the research projects plus marking of the research proposals.
I also marked one MBA research proposal, and one undergraduate research project. And I provided feedback to students on their projects.
Service
In my SeNSS role, I worked on the annual report for the management board and started working in ideas for an employability bootcamp. I also reviewed applications for our placement competition.
I also reviewed various ethical applications from colleagues and doctoral researchers. Plus, I wrote three reference letters.
What did May have in store for you?
Ana Canhoto 