Category: Personal

May 2023 round-up

May was busy. There were several big things happening at the same time, and I constantly felt being pulled between different demands on my time and attention. As much as possible, I tried focusing only on the task at hand, rather than let myself feel overwhelmed about everything that had to be done. This is … Continue reading May 2023 round-up

Day in the Life of an Academic #15: The research sandpit

While the previous DITL post focused on something that I do regularly (i.e., teaching), this one looks at something that I had never done before: participate in a research sandpit.  UKRI, the UK’s government main body for funding research and innovation, defines research sandpits as residential, interactive workshops bringing together “a highly multidisciplinary mix of participants (…) … Continue reading Day in the Life of an Academic #15: The research sandpit

April 2023 round-up

This month saw progress on various research projects. I got selected for an innovation sandpit*, which I am really excited about (except for the guilt about being away from home while child 2 has GCSE exams); and took the first steps on a project related to improving attitudes to learning among an at-risk population. The … Continue reading April 2023 round-up

March 2023 round-up

The month started with a presentation about the online health information project at the Multiple Sclerosis patients’ day, to gather feedback about the idea from the very people that live with the condition. Later in the month, we did another two presentations for neurologists, again to gather feedback. I found these sessions really helpful to … Continue reading March 2023 round-up

February 2023 round-up

February was a full-on teaching month. And book writing month. And pass the Calpol and tissues month. I am soooo glad that I chose “cheerful” as my word for the year! It sure came in handy this month, reminding me to embrace the whimsical. For instance, it inspired to me go out, to look for … Continue reading February 2023 round-up

Day in the Life of an Academic #14: Teaching day

Someone asked me the other day what the job of an academic looks like. We talked about the multiple sides of academic life, and the need to balance them; about how we are never truly off, even if people outside of academy (my mother included!) seem to think that we are permanently on holidays; and … Continue reading Day in the Life of an Academic #14: Teaching day

January 2023 round-up

I was reeeeeeally tempted not to write this post. I had high hopes that I would be wrapping up a couple of projects, but that didn’t really happen… mostly because I failed to plan for some tech fails and logistical mishaps. You would think that after all these years I would be better at anticipating … Continue reading January 2023 round-up

This blog is 13 – Spotlight on McCarthy and Boger’s “The open academic” paper

Image generated by Dall-E I published my first blog post, on this blog, thirteen years ago (January 6th, 2010, to be precise). Since then, I have been looking at public life through the lens of digital marketing, information systems and science & technology studies. I have also been writing about what I read and the … Continue reading This blog is 13 – Spotlight on McCarthy and Boger’s “The open academic” paper

December 2022 round-up

I listened to my past self and was very pragmatic about what I would be able to achieve in December. I even booked some time off for the period around Christmas and New Year, so I wouldn’t be tempted to promise others to get something done, then. That was a good decision: less running around and stressing … Continue reading December 2022 round-up