I apologise for referring to the junior person as “she” throughout this post, and assuming that the senior one is a “he”. I know this is only one of many possible situations, and much of what I say applies to any of the others too. This is going to be a complicated post, so I summarised my recommendations in a… Read more →
At age twelve I designed my dream house for a school project. There was a large pool in the backyard, the house had three levels, the top level was home to a family playroom with a window overlooking the yard, and from this window a waterslide snaked down to the pool. The house hugged the slide proudly in a crescent… Read more →
I am quite certain I would not have landed a permanent academic job without the amazing advice I received from my post-doc mentors and earlier on from my PhD advisor. So I’ll stop whining for a minute to pass their insights on to you, and add my two cents while I’m at it. If you’re likely to get the Fields Medal or the… Read more →
Pink, Pixie and I have just returned from a two-month tour of the world where we caught up with countless friends and family members, many of whom are parents of young children. When you only see someone face to face once or twice a year, there is always an element of surprise: bellies have turned into babies, last year’s infants… Read more →
Post-docs inhabit the nether-land of academia between completing a PhD and landing a permanent, or tenure-track, job at a university. They work on fixed term contracts that could be as short as four months, or, in exceptional cases as long as four years; on average two to three years. They are better off than sessional instructors in that they stand… Read more →
A few months ago one of the strongest research universities in Australia advertised a continuing (like tenure-track) position in mathematics for female applicants only. Shortly thereafter, two other first-tier universities followed suit. I wasn’t privy to the politics behind the decisions, but I heard gossip that at my university there wasn’t much of an opposition. It seemed people treated it… Read more →
*Disclaimer: Contrary to what some of these posts suggest I am a reasonably stable, functioning adult.* For as long as I can remember my inner world has often revolved around the ebb and flow of guilt. Guilt is the negative emotion I most often struggle with, and the one which I have the least control over. I can conquer anger,… Read more →
TL/DR: I became a mathematician because I was a socially awkward five-year-old and things just kind of snowballed from there. The early days My mathematical career started in kindergarten. Until I was five years old I stayed home with my mom and two younger siblings, even though a free full-day pre-school and kindergarten program was available from age three, and… Read more →
I have had the good fortune and privilege to experience both sides of the infamous academic two-body problem. For those not in academia, the term refers to the situation where a dual-career academic couple is looking for jobs and wishes (indulgently) to live in the same city. Carrying out this ambitious plan usually requires one of the following: One of… Read more →
Welcome to the first ever blog post on Math, Chocolate and Circus! I’m choosing to start it off with a story about the one aspect of academic life that I have found the most challenging, but also life-changing and rewarding: moving. I have been through five major moves; most of these were to a new country, some were to a… Read more →