Lately I have been thinking about a small but persistent difference in how we interpret behaviour. When we look at ourselves, we tend to be relative. When we look at others, we tend to be absolute. If I am late, there is a reason. The day was difficult, something unexpected happened, I am carrying too […]

A corrective experience is when someone lives through an interaction that contradicts an old, painful expectation. Not just intellectually, but physically. Instead of pressure, judgement, or rejection, the person experiences safety, clarity, and repair. After enough of these moments, something shifts: people take more intellectual risks, ask better questions, recover faster from setbacks, and stop

One of the things I care most about as a leader is helping people develop a growth mindset. When I notice signs that someone in the team may be struggling in a way that could affect their wellbeing or work, I try not to handle it alone. I call a mentor, describe what I’m seeing,

I’ve always been fascinated by the rumours that Ugo Foscolo, the hot-blooded Romantic, chained himself to his desk, and that Victor Hugo had his clothes locked away so he couldn’t leave the house and was forced to write. How can we make ourselves write without using extreme tricks? When I ask the most productive people

Last week a student asked me, “What’s the best career move right now?”My instinct was to jump straight into a list of prescriptions, a problem-solving mode: strengthen your network, learn Python, build a mentorship team. But I’ve learned to pause whenever that system-one urge to advise kicks in. After all, advice often says more about

Over the past few weeks, I’ve had a steady stream of emails and hallway conversations all circling around one question: How do I find, and keep, a fulfilling job in academia? Before jumping into the tips, let’s take a moment to reflect on the ‘why’. Academic life is a roller‑coaster of grant deadlines and fixed‑term

Alongside my main research work, I’ve developed a strong interest in improving how we manage research projects and academic workflows. Academia is full of bad habits, perhaps the most common is the tendency for projects to run over time, often brushed off with a resigned “well, we are in academia.” But more often than not,