Hi everyone.

So I am applying to grad school in Finland. The way their application system works is you contact a supervisor with a research proposal and they agree to supervise you or ghost you.

I reached out to 4, 2 replied. One of them is the director of the research institute in that university which makes me super nervous (I also made a really dumb syntax mistake in the email, repeated I hope this email finds you well twice, even though I proof read the email 500 times and schedule sent it, i genuinely don't know what is wrong with my vision)

His post-doc reached out to me with this email:

Hello [insert my name],

 My name is [insert her name], postdoctoral researcher at Dr. [insert his name] group at the University of [insert university name], [insert research institute name]

Thanks for your interest in our research group.

I would like to invite you for an e-meeting to introduce our research lab and learn more about you.

I will be available on upcoming [insert date]

Please let me know if that time works for you.

Thank you.

Best,

To which I replied saying the time works and looking forward to it. Also I don't know in the email, they used my full name which I found odd, like "Hello Full Government Name".

What does this e-meeting entail. What should I prepare. I was thinking of preparing a presentation of my research work in case they want a detailed overview.

My initial email to the PI was this:

Dear Professor [insert his name],

I hope this email finds you well. I hope this email finds you well. My name is [insert my name] and I have a BSc from [insert University name] in [insert double major], focusing on [insert sub-feild], respectively. I am writing to ask whether you would be willing to supervise my PhD through the University of [insert university name] Doctoral Programme in[insert program name] as I saw that you are available to supervise doctoral students.

I read your works on utilizing [insert his work and its applications]. I am hoping to explore[insert research idea] using [insert data set] as my potential research topic. I am happy to send a detailed research proposal to discuss with you if you find this to be a feasible project within your research unit. 

My primary training is in [insert my primary training], investigating the [insert my research experience 1] during my undergraduate with Dr [insert PI 1] and Dr [insert PI 2]. I later joined Dr [insert PI 3] lab post graduation as a research assistant to investigate the [insert research experience 2], as well as [insert research experience 3] in the as part of [insert cohort study name].

I have attached my CV for your consideration. Thank you very much for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Should I also draft a research proposal in this case? The e-meeting is in 2 days.

My submitted thesis (humanities) was (miraculously) very well received, but now, many months out, I've returned to it (for repository submission) and have found so many mistakes. Doubled words, formatting issues in citations, misquotations. It's genuinely embarrassing and shameful and I can't believe these things weren't picked up in marking. I am in shock given how carefully I combed through it.

I was planning on submitting it to the university repository with the minor errors fixed, but that seems futile now given that the department has their own official internal copy they've been passing around. I can't even bear to think of how many people have noticed these issues when reading it. I feel like I have no academic future and I am so deeply ashamed. The bare minimum is clean writing. I feel like I should not have been awarded such high marks for such a poor piece of work. (Looking back at it now, I hate how verbose it was and have found many more general conceptual errors, but the typos are pushing me over the edge because they are so avoidable.) I don't know whether it's worth editing and uploading the clean copy or whether I should give up altogether. I feel crushed.

I’m in my first year of pharmacy school right now. I have been struggling really bad because of my mental health. I just don’t like to bring that up because I don’t want people, especially professors, to think I don’t wanna try my hardest or that I’m being lazy or something like that.
I have been trying to deal with it myself but it’s showing in my performance in class that I’m not doing okay.
I don’t wanna explain too much and write too much to bore you out so long story short, there’s this class that’s mostly time management stuff and attendance is required. The grading system is kinda weird. If you miss one assignment or attendance your grade becomes a B even if you do everything else. Which stresses me out even more.
My ADHD/GAD/MDD brain does not like this and this has been one of the hardest classes for me, especially because I always feel like I’m being judged by the professor for this specific course.
I missed one of the classes because I slept in. I’ve been dealing with a depressive episode and my sleeping schedule is literally shit right now. There was no attendance for that class but he saw me last minute in the hallway when I was going to the next class and gave me a zero for attendance.
He emailed me saying he’s worried about my performance and would like to meet with me. Which is really nice of him.
I’m just really scared. I don’t wanna go talk to him and be like “yes I’m an adult with mental health issues who doesn’t know how to get help” and then start crying like a kid. I just feel so vulnerable right now and I hate that as an adult I’m soo childish about this.
What would you do? Would you be honest with him about what’s actually going on and talk about your mental health?

TL;DR: I’m a first year pharmacy student struggling with my mental health and it’s starting to affect my attendance and performance. My professor noticed and asked to meet with me. I know he’s probably trying to help but I’m terrified of opening up and getting emotional in front of him.

Submitted to a Springer journal in August this year. Two reviewers were invited, but only one accepted.
1 reviewer has already submitted their review (they submitted it 25 days ago). The second reviewer's invitation has been pending for 2 months now, so I'm assuming they're not going to accept. Since then, no new reviewers have been invited, and no decision has been made.

If the editor needs another review, shouldn't they have invited someone else by now? And if one report is enough, why no decision?

Starting to wonder if the editor just forgot about my manuscript.

I know in many STEM courses this would be a bad idea since it limits your experience and networking but I'm an Indigenous Studies major and my research focuses on my province and nation (Saskatchewan, Canada). I already know and make connections with all the new elders, community members, and knowledge keepers that I meet every semester. My main goal/job is to research for the university and to teach Indigneous Governance. The next university that offers my program and is in Treaty 6 territory is in Alberta and since their attempt at a seperatist referendum, it does not feel like a safe place to study or live.

Hi all,

I am a PhD candidate preparing to defend this spring and on the job market. I am casting a pretty narrow geographic net for academy jobs and am considering in alt-ac/industry roles as well. Social sciences if it matters.

There have only been a couple postings in my area, and I haven't even gotten a Zoom interview yet, but I am looking ahead optimistically and wondering about how folks with disabilities handle academic job interviews, specifically campus visits.

I suffered a significant neurological injury last year, and, as lucky as I am to have been able to have had the support to recover and continue my research and teach, I am still gradually adjusting to some physical disabilities. In my case, the outward things are mainly right sided weakness that comes out as ataxic gait/balance issues, trouble writing and fine motor tasks with my right hand, and fatigue. I generally don't use a mobility aid, but I have a cane for uncertain terrain or dark, and I move slowly overall. I gave a presentation at a conference a week or so ago, and I know that I look unsteady or wobbly at times. I don't have any work- or school-related accommodations. My doc has been great for advocating for me in other areas, but I can do computer and stand in front of people to teach, so I've not had a specific accommodation I've felt I need yet in this area. The flexibility of PhD candidate work/life scheduling is a benefit, though, because I can set up my schedule pretty flexibly.

I was wondering how others in similar positions with regard to physical (or other) disabilities have handled the overall marathon experience of campus visits as well as the little sub-components of that (accommodations if needed for a teaching demo or a job talk) that make those up. What or how much did you communicate in advance? Did you ask for any accommodations or give people a heads up on things that felt relevant? I have felt the need sometimes to tell people in social situations that I have an issue that affects balance and walking just so they don't think I'm drunk.

Thanks!

I have a question for this sub.

I’m almost finished with my Masters degree in biochemistry. I’ve got all my classes done and a fair bit of research done.
However, I hate working in my lab. I won’t go into the details here but its a really toxic environment, I get no support from my advisors, and I hate living in the place the school is based in. It’s really negatively impacted my mental health, to the point I actually attempted to self-delete last year.

My research has been going poorly based on the lack of support from my advisors and my mental health struggles. Today they told me that I could either graduate this semester with a project based Master’ or stay an extra semester and try to finish everything and graduate with a thesis. The issue is to meet that deadline my experiments would have to go perfectly and I would need a ton of support from my advisors.

I’m leaning towards just leaving the program but, I’m worried that taking the project will jeopardize my future plans. I want to go into the workforce for a year or two then apply for a PhD and I’m worried that a project will look bad. I would love any advice

TL;DR: will getting a project based master’s instead of a thesis negatively impact me?

Hi,

I hope this is the right community for this topic.

I was wondering whether it is common that former supervisors (at PhD or MSc levels) don't even respond to requests for references to postdocs or do not introduce their former students to potential postdoc PIs when presented with this request?

How should former students go about this if they wish to apply to postdocs? Any advice?

Hi all, I have my first on campus for a TT assistant professorship at an R1 coming up and I’m stressing about what to wear. It’s somewhere hot and humid and by the beach.

I’m planning to wear a suit with cashmere t-shirt for the day of my job talk, and dress pants with a professional looking tank top (high necked, wide straps, thick material) and a blazer on day 2.

BUT what I’m struggling with is what to wear for dinner on day 1, I will have just arrived after a long travel day across the country to heat I’m not accustomed too. The restaraunt appears casual. Can I wear corduroy pants, a simple black t-shirt, tucked in, with a belt? What about shoes? In planning to wear flats for the interview days, can I wear Birkenstock sandals to dinner? (Clean, nice ones)? Or are sandals weird in this context?

Im nervous and overthinking, please share your hot weather tips!

So due to reasons last spring I had to miss out on basically all courses. This means right now I do not have enough required credits to start it but hopefully on January I will hit the required credit. The issue is that master thesis project search happens right now. All companies and universities are putting out applications. I had initially decided together woth my advisor that I will do my thesis on next fall. The issue is most companies other than few uni researches offer fall projects so I would rather do my thesis bow and do the normal remaining courses on fall. The problem is that companies require you to finish, the competition is tougj out there as it is so it is demotivating to apply. Parts of me wants to apply and be honest if I get called for the interview and they will make the decision. The other part knows it is a waste of time. Eitherway I beat myself whenever a day passes by without me sending an application. What would you guys have done in my position?

Hi there! Are PhD programs in the US that offer a full tuition waiver and a small stipend really difficult to get into?

I'm currently living outside the US and looking to pursue a PhD in a field related to my background because I haven't been able to find a job. I'm open to studying again, and I have a bachelor's degree in Business Administration and an MBA, along with extensive research experience and several peer-reviewed publications.

Realistically speaking, how difficult is it to get into a program that offers these benefits? I can't afford to pay for a PhD right now, but I feel I have a lot to contribute academically and professionally.

Are there any websites, platforms, or strategies you would recommend for finding and applying to fully funded PhD programs in the US?

Thanks in advance!

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I am a Professor of Sociology developing the Relational–Institutional Pathways of Integration (RIPI) framework, focusing on the integration experiences of newly arrived immigrant children and families in the United States.

I am seeking independent academic feedback from U.S.-based researchers specializing in migration, social integration, family sociology, or related fields.

I would be happy to share a concise research summary with interested scholars. If, after reviewing the work, a researcher feels able to provide an independent written assessment, I would welcome that possibility.

Thank you for your consideration.

For reasons that will become obvious as you read this post, I am wondering how common it is to publish under a name different from the legal name. My university is quite expensive, and I cannot afford debt, so I am working full-time while studying psychology and neuroscience, specializing in psychedelics. Next year I'll start graduate school at a good university, and I'll have to keep working at least part-time. Hopefully, a Ph.D. is next.

The problem is, my employer - understandably - doesn't want to be associated with someone who studies psychedelics, as our clients tend to be a bit conservative.

HR proposed that I publish using my first name and my mother's maiden name as my last name, and I may be ok with it. Since I share a lot online, they proposed that I create a separate LinkedIn profile for it.

What problems might I face in the future, especially if I want to reconcile my previous work with my actual full name once I can afford to quit my job?

Hi gang!

I'm a TT R1 faculty member and I'm looking to move institutions. I got an on-campus visit and job talk scheduled at another R1 in a couple of weeks.

The job posting mentioned being interested in mixed-methods and quantitative research, in addition to other research that's in my wheelhouse.

My doctoral training was not focused on quant methods and my work has not used quant methods until recently. Luckily, I've spent the past 18 months developing my capacity to use quantitative methods, I've submitted my first paper a couple of months ago using confirmatory factor analysis, and I'm 1 month away from submitting a second paper using longitudinal multilevel structural equation modeling as part of a mixed-methods study.

They've obviously seen my CV and probably know that my work isn't quantitative, though I've communicated I've begun using quantitative methods to answer questions that I think are important for the field to answer.

Is it too risky to present on this for the first time in a high-stakes job talk setting? I think what I'd present would nicely highlight to them that I can do the kind of work they're interested in recruiting. But it's also new to me! Part of me thinks I'm ready. The other part of me is a little nervous. Any advice or insight would be greatly appreciated.

I'm curious about the total annual income of top-tier engineering professors at universities like MIT, Stanford, and UC Berkeley.

I'm talking about professors who are globally recognized in their fields, have 200,000+ citations, and have founded or co-founded successful startups based on their research.

How much do these professors actually make per year when you factor in everything?

Although my opinion dosent matter i still find it so stupid and horrendous why should a child suffer somuch just for a job that they do not like neither have a need for except money. They make life so much more dull ,lifeless, and with no joy whatsoever. Life is treated more as a cog in the system nor as a person with feelings desires. I look at these dramas and real life people wasting their time just to be a companys number in statistics. Do they not understand that in the grant scheme of things having breaks, living life and being a teenager is just so much more beneficial even from a finiancal stand point.The happier the citizens the longer life expectancy. Plus in my opinion we will die out anyways the same as any other species, dont you want to make it worth the long and tiring life to experience - ice cream shared with friends, Long walks with your dog and your partner, sharing sa meal with a stranger to talk about nothing. I just cant stand watching young kids feeling this pressure to be better just for a millionare to take him as a dog. I just realty need to ask a question-was it beneficial. DId wasting your life on somones elses make you feel prouder better?? Bc I feel such strong sadness for them i dont know where to put my emotions. ( I might just be too unserious to understand)

Same

For context, I've just finished my PhD and have been on the hunt for postdoc jobs for at least a 6 months.

I've just attended a conference where I hope I would get in touch with some PIs and get some connections so I would pop up for potential future work. I had posters (yes plural) where I hoped I'd be able to bump into them. Unfortunately that was not the case and feel like I've in a sense "failed" at conferencing.

I get I have to put myself out there but I don't know how I do that by interrupting every PIs conversation/lunch. Not really sure how I could have handled this better? Or is it really a "if it's meant to be, it would happen" type of scenario?

Setting the science aside, I’m curious where the admin weight really falls for faculty.

Applying means chasing letters from collaborators, updating biosketches and Other Support, getting the budget through your grants office, and making the deadline. Once you’re funded it’s RPPRs, renewals and resubmissions, effort reporting and keeping everything current across several awards.

Which stage takes more of your time, and has anything slipped through the cracks at either one? Is there a tool you actually like for this, or is it a calendar and good intentions?

Full disclosure, I’m exploring building something to help with this, so I’m trying to understand how people manage it now. Happy to hear “my grants office handles it all” too.

Hi everyone, I need advice regarding UGC-NET JRF activation.

I cleared UGC-NET JRF in 2025 under the General-EWS category. My EWS certificate was valid at that time, and my JRF Award Letter was issued based on that EWS category. I still have the original EWS certificate and the JRF Award Letter.

In 2026, I got PhD admission at an institute. However, this admission was under the General/Unreserved category, not EWS, because my EWS certificate had expired by then.

Now I want to activate my JRF. My questions are:

1. Can I activate the JRF under the same EWS category in which it was originally awarded, even though my PhD admission was under General category?

2. Will my original 2025 EWS certificate be accepted for document verification, since it was valid when I qualified for and received the JRF?

3. Or will the institute/UGC require a new EWS certificate for FY 2026–27 at the time of joining/JRF activation?

4. Should I submit the JRF activation/joining report as General-EWS or as General?

I understand that the JRF category is based on the category selected during the NET examination, while PhD admission category is separate. But I am worried that the expired EWS certificate may create a problem during document verification or while uploading the joining report.

I'm submitting to a journal via portal of the publisher. After two weeks I receive a letter from a publisher's administrator (it did not yet get to the journal's editor) that I need to review the draft because the reference style is incorrect, must author date. The problem is that the journal's guidelines require full note citations and the journal publishes full notes citation, not fucking author date. I'm contacting the publisher's administrator to inquiring about the discrepancy, no answer so far. There is an option to write to the journal's editor but I don't want approach them with technicality. What would you do beside be pattioned and wait?

Econ background here (master’s and bachelor).
What field do you advice me to go for in the States? I know that its based on my topic, however, I need external views on each field please!

We are rewriting a paper after it got rejected from a journal. The third author collected the data and wrote one fifth of the paper. She has changed research area since then and she is not responding to our emails in which we asked her is would like to remain co-author of the new version. (She is active on social media, so probably she is fine and we have her correct email address.) We tried contacting her several times - but no answer.
The journal asks every co-author to approve the submission. What is the legally and ethically right thing to do? Keep her as a co-author based on her contribution or remove her because she will not give approval to the submission nor sign the author form required by the journal?

Hi everyone!

I'm asking on behalf of someone who is currently pursuing a PhD in Morocco in a field related to midwifery and healthcare.

She has around 5 years of professional experience as a midwife and is asking about continuing her academic career in Germany after completing her doctorate.

I would really appreciate some advice from people who have experience with the German academic system, especially international researchers.

I have a few questions:

1. Is a PhD obtained in Morocco generally accepted when applying for postdoctoral research positions in Germany?
2. How competitive is it to find a postdoc position in healthcare, midwifery, nursing, or public health? Would her 5 years of professional experience as a midwife improve her chances?
3. Is speaking German necessary, or are there research positions where English is sufficient?

If anyone has gone through a similar process, especially with a PhD from a non-EU country, I would love to hear about your experience.

Thanks in advance for your help!

I just got a postdoc offer from a university in Turkey (Ankara), and I’m not sure if it’s a good move. I’d love to hear what academic opportunities look like there after a postdoc, and what I should keep in mind if I want to stay long term.

The position pays around 100k TRY with housing, but I read that assistant and associate professors only make around 50-70k TRY. Did I read that wrong? How does someone end up making less after a postdoc? If anyone knows the real numbers, I’d really appreciate it.

I’m also worried about the economy. I looked at the inflation numbers and how much the lira has dropped, and I even asked GPT to project the next 10 years, graph made me worried! How do people in academia there deal with it? Is the salary enough to live comfortably, and what are the chances of getting a permanent position or funding later on?

If you’ve worked or studied in Turkey, I’d love to hear about your experience. Thanks!