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Pots and pans and papers
10 January 2010
By Sarah Davies
Talking to a senior academic some months ago, I mentioned that I was interested in trying to follow a non-traditional route through academia – not simply going for the first lectureship that comes along, but at least attempting to have a research career. ‘Oh yes’, was their response. ‘My students and staff are increasingly saying that to me, too. Lots of them don’t see, if they’re not really interested in teaching, why they should be forced into it.’
If this is the case, it’s weird that in practice a research career is so difficult to have, with so few permanent or secure research positions (as Mashhuda has already discussed). It seems to me that one way to ensure at least a few years doing research you’re really interested in – as opposed to whatever’s available – is to become hyper-mobile: to accept the fact that you’ll move around from research job to research job, not fixed to one institution.
Which is why I’m writing this from Arizona. I’ll be here in Phoenix for the next three months, as a visiting researcher at Arizona State University. It’s a great opportunity – a chance to work at one of the leading centres (or centers, I suppose, now) in my field and to have some space to both work with great people and focus on my own writing. All this is to come, though; I only arrived here a couple of days ago and I’ve so far been focused on practical concerns like: what is that white stuff they put on pancakes here? and: why make a ten cent piece so much smaller than the five? That’s confusing, no?
What I have been reflecting on is that, for me, anyway, being ‘hyper-mobile’ isn’t as simple as it sounds. In my head, I can move about from place to place, working all the time – easy come, easy go, so to speak. But what I’ve found – for this move and others – is that there’s so much stuff that distracts you. You have to find an apartment, cope with jetlag, work out the public transport system, buy pots and pans, negotiate the supermarket – all in the time that you’d planned to finish the book chapter that was due yesterday. Time seems to disappear in a haze of tiredness, confusion and a niggling sense of isolation.
Maybe I need more practice. Or maybe I’m too high maintenance – too reliant on things like bedding and curtains, which to me are an essential prerequisite of civilised life. Or maybe it does just take time, and a new place will inevitably take a while to get used to. The trouble is, of course, that when you’re only somewhere for a few months, that ‘while’ starts to dominate your experience.
How have others found mobility as a researcher? Any tips from others who have shifted counties/countries/continents?
Oh - and the white stuff on pancakes? Butter, it turns out, rid of its yellowness by some chemical means. Given that you then add maple syrup, the one thing I’m certain to gain during my time here is an increased cholesterol level…
Hannah Dee11 January 2010 at 07:31 AM
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I know that feeling well - I'm currently in France, (where they invented bureaucracy) and I think I probably lost all evening and weekend time for about four weeks working out insurance, getting a flat, getting internet, mobile phone, telephone, telly, Fortunately I found a furnished place, but still ended up having to buy bits and pieces (and a washing machine - I decided some time ago that I am too old for launderettes). That was in June. I've now got 4 months left, and will probably end up relocating again and losing another few weeks of spare time. As someone who's drawing to the close on their 3rd post-doc, and who actually likes teaching a lot, I'd certainly "jump at the first lectureship that comes along". They're not coming along very often right now though, thanks to the economic crisis. The idea of a job that doesn't have a pre-defined end really appeals to me now, as does the idea of communicating my subject to others rather than just chipping away at my tiny corner of it...
Sarah Davies13 January 2010 at 01:11 AM
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Well, I haven't been tested with the lectureship yet - as you say, *any* secure job is looking pretty attractive right now ;-)
Tennie Videler13 January 2010 at 10:12 AM
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Hi Sarah, Hope you're getting on okay in Arizona! How's the weather there? The mobility required of researchers has been the subject of several of the posts on here but I really enjoyed your lookj at the practical side... I remember very well the mad rush of finding accomodation etc every time I moved. For example, finding an affordable flat in Glasgow where I would be allowed to have my two kittens was tricky. Which leads to my point: the way I found it was via a former project student of mine who was then doing a doctorate and a postdoc in her lab knew... So in short, a support network. Which is what you need to start up again every time you move and is tricky to on short contracts. You can be lucky and end up with a welcoming bunch of people. Here the welcoming bunch were the local French- I really hadn't expected a move to Cambridge to improve my French! But then I am sure my colleagues in Glasgow thought I was borderline alcoholic as I kept asking everyone to go to the pub in an attempt to get to know people socially.
Elizabeth Dodson13 January 2010 at 10:58 AM
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...which is yet another argument in favour of creating a strong online support network for researchers and for encouraging international membership...
Nick Dickens15 January 2010 at 09:44 AM
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Moving around definitely weighs on certain things, maybe I am just getting old but I resent having to move around to continue to do research. I am getting married in the summer and my fiancee has a career, it isn't fair to make her move every 3 years as well. We were just back together at Christmas after only a few months and this is definitely the last big move for me. I am now thinking house, dog, kids...and if research doesn't work out then, much as I love what I'm doing, I'll bend it to something else rather than move again. But good luck with pursuing your research - and with the cholesterol!
Matthew Salois15 January 2010 at 09:15 PM
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Sarah, while I miss the white butter topped pancakes and maple syrup, I do find the indulgence of savory pancakes on Shrove Tuesday just as tasty! That aside, my post-doctoral experience here in the UK has been rewarding, unforgettable, and I do not regret the decision to re-locate from Florida. That said, I do HOPE this is my LAST contract research position and that I settle into something permanent (academic or not). I find the unsettled nature of a temporary work-life too, well, unsettling. While I may be able to move forward with my research, I feel like all other aspects of my life are on pause (or worse rewind). I love the work, but the fleeting nature of it all does not justify the constant reshuffle of my life & wife. Like Nick, I also yearn for more of what I saw in my future just a few years ago: a home, a family, a cat...maybe a farm, too!