Changing Academic Life

”Writing is thinking, I love thinking, I love working on problems, I love thinking through the problems…. So the whole writing thing is a thinking thing.” says Graham McAllister in this final part of our conversation. His foray into writing a book on Games Usability after he sold his company was also a foray into exploring the process of writing, asking himself questions like "How do you write a book? What's my voice? How do I write? What fits in with my life?” Graham unpacks his experiences about the art and craft of writing that worked for him in answer to these questions. He starts with reflections on publishing challenges in academia and his commitment to making knowledge freely accessible. He also talks about the process of discovering his writing voice, the iterative writing process, setting up a writing routine and setting achievable goals. Graham also reflects on the broader implications of his work within academia and industry, the pursuit of clear communication for your audience, and his future aspirations in writing and consulting. The conversation highlights themes of personal growth, the importance of thoughtful work-life integration, and the impact of past mentors and opportunities. Overview 00:00 Introduction 02:50 Introduction to the Book Writing Journey 03:28 The Philosophy of Free Knowledge 04:51 The Writing Process and Idea Generation 07:12 Structuring and Refining the Book 10:08 Finding Your Voice and Writing Routine 11:51 Future Writing Projects and Reflections 20:09 Balancing Work and Personal Fulfillment 26:04 Final Reflections and Gratitude Related Links: Graham’s Home page and LinkedIn Profile and his books CAL120 Part 1 episode with Graham on his previous career pivots CAL121 Part 2 episode with Graham on team vision alignment

In this second part of my conversation with Graham McAllister, we explore Graham's next pivot to studying organizational psychology at the London School of Economics. After selling his startup, Graham decided to do an MSc to help him answer what he now saw as the core problem in game development teams and that was lack of a unified vision. He shares his insights into shared mental models, vision alignment, shared values, diversity in hiring, and building resilient teams. He also discusses how these principles can be applied to other creative and research collaborations. Keep an eye out for the final episode in this series with Graham where he shares practical tips on the art and practice of writing. Overview: 00:00 Intro 00:29 Episode Introduction 02:30 The Turning Point: Leaving the Company and Writing a Book 04:54 Discovering Organizational Psychology 05:44 The Journey to London School of Economics 07:16 The All-Consuming Feeling of Vision 11:07 The Importance of Education and Luck 16:26 Reflections on Lifelong Learning 19:22 Applying Mental Models Beyond Games 20:42 Understanding Alignment and Values in Organizations 23:39 Rethinking Hiring Practices and Leadership 26:46 Setting a Vision and Mission 29:01 Building a Mental Model 32:19 Operationalizing Shared Values 36:26 Detecting and Addressing Cultural Beliefs 38:15 Preview of Part 3 on Writing 40:38 End Related Links: Graham’s Home page and LinkedIn Profile CAL120 Part 1 episode with Graham on his previous career pivots Kotter’s Change Model https://www.kotterinc.com/methodology/8-steps/ Edgar Schein’s three layer of organizational culture - see various discussions: https://psychsafety.com/psychological-safety-edgar-scheins-three-layers-of-organisational-culture/https://mitsloan.mit.edu/ideas-made-to-matter/5-enduring-management-ideas-mit-sloans-edgar-scheinhttps://www.managementstudyguide.com/sigma/edgar-schein-model.htmOriginal 1983 paper

Graham McAllister reflects on his various career pivots, starting with a PhD in computer graphics in Belfast, transitioning through roles in academia and industry and then forming and later selling his games usability start-up. In the process Graham provides a masterclass on how to navigate and negotiate career pivots, how to articulate clear problems and solutions. The conversation highlights the value of bridging practical and theoretical domains, the role of luck and other people, and the need for continuous learning, reflection and adaptation in your career journey while being very clear about the strengths and passions that underpin this. Overview: 00:00 Episode Introduction 03:01 Welcoming Graham 03:43 Early Career and PhD Journey 04:49 Transition to Industry 06:01 Straddling Academia and Industry 07:54 Return to Academia and Music Technology 13:34 Influence of Gary Marsden 17:41 Joining University of Sussex 21:18 Starting a Spin-Out Company 21:52 Balancing Academia and Startup 25:24 Challenges and Reflections 31:37 Academic vs. Industry Conferences 32:32 Critical Thinking in Video Game Development 33:28 Startup Challenges and Team Building 34:32 Marketing Through Education 40:56 Leadership Reflections and Authenticity 48:35 Selling the Company and Moving Forward 56:20 End Related Links: Graham’s Home page and LinkedIn page People he mentions: Ricardo Climent and Gary Marsden Mentioned in this episode: Call to sign up for next online Academic Leadership Development course If you are interested in understanding who you are as a leader and how do you create environments in which people can thrive and develop and do their great work together, then consider signing up for our next online academic leadership development course. The sign up deadline is 6th of April, 2025, and the course will take place online on Friday mornings during May, 2025. You can find the details by going to wwwinformaticseurope.org. We'd love to have you as part of our next cohort and be part of changing academic life for the better. https://www.informatics-europe.org/events/academic-leadership-development.html

This is Part 2 of my discussion with Matthew Barr and Oana Andrei who work together in the Education and Practice Section in the School of Computing Science at the University of Glasgow. Oana and Matt each share their personal experiences with mental health challenges. Oana shares her journey from postdoctoral research to becoming a lecturer, highlighting how she dealt with burnout by taking up Taekwondo. Matthew discusses his long-term management of depression and the importance of normalizing such conversations in academic settings. We also talk about their learning, teaching and scholarship career paths, the significance of reflective practice and how it has been integrated into their teaching methods. They also discuss their commitment to inclusion and diversity in education, alongside their passion for teaching and the innovative graduate apprenticeship degree program they have implemented that widens access by enabling work-based learning and student support. The episode offers valuable insights into the importance of personal wellbeing, the role of supportive workplace environments, and what a teaching-focussed path can involve. Overview 00:29 Episode Introduction 02:00 Picking up on the question about mental health 02:46 Oana Shares Her Experiences With Burnout 08:05 Matt Shares His Experiences With Depression 12:45 Choosing Teaching Focussed Career Paths 16:36 Oana Moving From Research To Teaching Track 19:06 Promotion Criteria in a Learning, Teaching and Scholarship Track 24:14 Apprenticeship Degree Program 31:50 Doing a Master in Education 34:39 A Framework for Reflection 38:52 Wrapping Up 39:18 Revisiting Belonging 44:09 Thanks For The Podcast 46:27 End Related Links Oana Andrei, Lecturer (Ass Prof) Uni of Glasgow webpage and LinkedIn profile Matthew Barr (Senior Lecturer) Uni of Glasgow webpage and LinkedIn profile The reflective writing resources Matt mentioned: http://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk/https://myport.port.ac.uk/study-skills/written-assignments/reflective-writing-introduction Their paper on how the apprenticeship degree program might widen access to HE: 2023 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE)10.1109/FIE58773.2023.10343199

This is part 1 of my discussion with Matthew Barr and Oana Andrei who work together in the Education and Practice Section in the School of computing science at the University of Glasgow. It was the experiences of Matt as head of Section that led Oana to suggest he would be good to talk. Together they share their experiences of what makes for good academic leadership and change, including the psychological safety and sense of belonging of members, the impact of everyday micro-interactions, and fostering a supportive environment. Matt discusses his approach in leadership, such as seeking feedback for self-improvement and actively supporting staff promotions. The episode also highlights Oana's perspective on the importance of belonging and mentorship in academic settings. Their insights provide a meaningful look at how we can transform academic work culture for the better. Overview: 00:29 Episode Introduction 01:52 Welcome 02:28 Oana's Journey and Career 03:46 Matt's Journey and Career 06:13 Leadership and Management Insights 10:00 Creating a Supportive Work Environment 13:29 Supporting Promotion for a Learning, Teaching and Scholarship Track 21:23 Micro Actions That Can Make All The Difference 25:16 Being a Role Model in How We Handle Bad Days 28:45 Learning From Experience What Not To Do 36:44 Taking Care For Belonging 41:20 Linking to Part 2 43:14 End Related Links Oana Andrei, Lecturer (Ass Prof) Uni of Glasgow webpage and LinkedIn profile Matthew Barr (Senior Lecturer) Uni of Glasgow webpage and LinkedIn profile Role modelling paper mentioned by Matt: Virginia GrandePäivi KinnunenRole Modeling as a Computing Educator in Higher Education: A Focus on Care, Emotions and Professional Competencies

In this episode the tables are turned and I'm being interviewed by Nutan Limaye who hosts the ‘Life of a Researcher’ podcast. Nutan is an Assoc. Professor at the IT University Copenhagen. We met when she was a participant in one of our residential academic leadership development courses in 2024. We talk about my unconventional career path starting in social work, moving into nursing and midwifery, then finding myself in computer science and human-computer interaction, and now doing more leadership and academic development work. As with many career stories, serendipity figures a lot, along with a strong people-centred red thread that weaves through all the various turns. Nutan also asks about how the academic leadership development courses came about, and how we facilitate learning experiences on hard topics like challenging conversations. And we talk about themes that have arisen in the podcast. Along the way we also touch on interdisciplinarity, and academic mobility and what is home. This is a slightly edited conversation from the version she released end of June 2024, shared with her permission. I'm releasing this now as a complement to my careers article in the Feb 25 edition of Communications of the ACM Overview 00:29 Introduction 02:41 Nutan's Introduction to the Podcast 05:09 An Unconventional Career Path 07:34 Transition to Computer Science 11:08 Shaping Interests around People-Centred Perspectives 14:21 How Research Evolved as Technology Evolved 17:14 Reflections on Changing Paths 23:12 The Challenges of Interdisciplinary Research 28:03 Supervision Serendipity 34:21 Leadership and People-Centred Academia 42:21 Designing Learning Experiences about Challenging People and Conversations 48:23 Insights from the Session 50:06 Motivation and Themes of the Changing Academic Life Podcast 55:41 Academic Mobility and the Concept of Home 01:05:13 Non-Rapid Fire Questions and Reflections 01:14:11 Outro 01:15:00 End Related Links: Nutan Limaye Life of a Researcher podcast and episode A conversation with Geraldine Fitzpatrick Nutan’s LinkedIn profile My CACM article: Geraldine Fitzpatrick, Fit for People, Fit for Purpose: Designing Tech that Matters, CACM, Feb 2025 Issue, Vol. 68No. 2, Page 7. Other CAL Episodes mentioned: Sarah Davies - two parts: On mobility, precarity and notions of excellenceOn luck,...

Vikki Wright is the director of PhD Life Coach and offers professional coaching and training for PhD students and academics. She also hosts the PhD Life Coach podcast. Up until 2022 though Vikki was a full professor of Higher Education at the University of Birmingham in the UK, with a research background Sport and Exercise Sciences, then shifting to more of a teaching focus. Vikki shares her interesting journey from full professor to becoming a life coach. The conversation covers her career transitions, dealing with ADHD, the importance of self-awareness, along with self-compassion, curiosity and having realistic ambitions. She also shares role-based time blocking as an approach for effective self-management. These practical tools and mindset changes can be useful for us all to help us take more control of our lives and careers. Vikki also offers insights into her programs and coaching approaches for PhD students and academics. Overview 00:00 Intro 00:29 Episode Introduction 03:10 Guest Introduction 03:27 Academic Journey and Career Transitions 03:56 Challenges in Research and Shift to Teaching 07:29 The Teaching Path to Full Professor...and Pandemic Reflections 11:27 Discovering Coaching and Personal Growth 17:37 Understanding ADHD and Coaching Transformation 26:35 Balancing Ambitions and Realistic Goals 30:58 Self Understanding and Being Her Own Best Boss 37:25 Recognising and Addressing Student Challenges 41:24 The Role of Self-Understanding in Supervision 45:31 Self-Compassion 49:37 Curiosity 51:35 Balancing Ambition and Realism 01:00:04 Role-Based Time Blocking 01:09:52 Final Thoughts and Resources 01:11:36 Outro 01:12.24 End Related Links More about Vikki’s offerings: ‘The PhD Life Coach’ podcast ‘Be your own best boss’ course Vikki’s podcast episode on ‘How to use role based time blocking’ The PhD Lifecoach ‘The Membership’ - sign up Jan 2025 Vikki's LinkedIn page People: Dr Alex Conner Other podcasts: ‘I have ADHD’ podcast, Kristen Carder The Life Coach School, Brooke Castillo

As we leave 2024 and embark on the new year, I want to share the reflective template I used for myself, playing with the LP (long play) record concept. I introduce the table structure of the personal, people, play, and projects (Ps) categories, paired with reflective components like land, love, labor, and learn (Ls) for the past year review, and look forward, let go, let grow, and let be (Ls) for the next year. I share some illustrative examples from my own reflections of 2024, including milestones, achievements, and lessons learned. And I share some of the feedback from you that helps make the work of this podcast worthwhile – thank you! I hope this encourage you too to reflect on your LP last year, celebrate your accomplishments, and be more intentional on how you approach the coming year. You can download the LP template here. 00:29 Episode Introduction 02:29 Introducing the LP Table Template 06:27 Reflecting on my 2024 Landings 16:10 What I Loved and What Feels Like Labour 19:13 What I Learned 23:21 Taking Time to Savour and Celebrate 25:06 Celebrating Feedback on the Podcast 31:42 Looking forward to the 2025 LP 36:44 Wrapping Up and Summary 39:48 Final Pointers 41:01 Outro 41:50 End Related Links Past Episodes: Remembering Volkmar Pipek - on being curious, being you Liam Bannon (Part 1) on a career outside the box – April 2024 Liam Bannon (Part 2) on values & what matters – Sept 2024 On research identity, meaningful work and funding (solo) - Jan 2024 RW9 Progress and praise – July 2021 Other links: Linked In Post by Rachel Ratz-Lubashevsky on the research identity episode HCI Group, TU Wien Online Academic Leadership Development course – Spring 2025, early bird deadline 2 March 2025 To explore more of my offerings: geraldinefitzpatrick.com

Evan Peck returns to discuss his career evolution since our last conversation in 2017. The focus is on his initial choice to join a liberal arts college post-PhD, emphasizing the balance between teaching and research, how his research evolved, and on his career goals then. Evan then talks through his move to the University of Colorado Boulder, detailing his motivations and the strategic thinking behind the transition. He reflects on the impact of his work in responsible computing and data visualization and the importance he places on aligning career choices with personal values and goals. Evan also discussed the nuances of working in different academic environments and how he continues to prioritize student mentorship and educational impact. Overview 00:00 Intro 03:21 Welcome Back, Evan! 04:33 The Appeal of Liberal Arts Colleges 06:26 Making Academic Paths Visible 09:31 Balancing Teaching and Research 13:21 Shifting Research Interests 22:40 The Move to Colorado 24:40 Integrating Ethics in Computing and Wanting More External Impact 33:50 Reflecting on Post-Tenure Decisions 37:16 Exploring New Opportunities 40:46 The Unexpected Offer 43:34 Transitioning to a Research Institution 47:26 Adapting to a Larger Institution 53:18 Balancing Work and Family 54:30 Reflecting on Career Choices 01:00:16 Final Thoughts and Advice 01:03:05 End Related Links: Evan's CU Boulder web page and his personal web page and LinkedIn profile 2017 podcast episode with Evan and his blog post

Özge Subaşı is the Director of Futurewell: CoCreation and Wellbeing Group in the Media and Visual Arts Department at Koç University in Turkey. In this episode, Özge shares a journey from industrial design to interaction design, with a focus on diversity, inclusion, and justice. The work with visually impaired children and older people significantly influenced Özge's transition into human-centered design. Özge's story reflects a life of multiple relocations—whether moving schools as a child, transitioning disciplines, or navigating new countries and cultures. Özge describes “always coming from somewhere and not being in the system.” The episode emphasizes the importance of holding true to core values, such as listening without prejudgment, fostering open communication, and caring for both the individual and the community. Özge's practical examples illustrate how these values influence research and teaching choices, as well as navigating trade-offs, particularly while completing an evaluation document. The discussion also addresses challenges with Özge's depression during the academic journey and strategies for maintaining personal wellbeing. Additionally, the episode highlights some difficulties faced by academics in Türkiye, including engaging with the international community and managing issues related to travel and visas. Özge's commitment to personal values, to trying different ways of being an academic researcher, and to fostering an empathetic and inclusive work culture is really inspiring. Overview 00:00 Intro 00:29 Episode Introduction 03:37 Introduction and Background 04:39 Early Career and Education 08:10 Transition to Interaction Design 11:50 Values and Philosophy 14:15 Challenges in Academia 18:07 Building a Collaborative Culture 26:37 Balancing Academic Expectations 34:42 Navigating Academic Trade-offs 36:04 Embracing Personal Values 38:36 Prioritizing Mental Health 42:26 Building Supportive Environments 47:00 Challenges in Academia 53:45 International Collaboration and Travel 01:02:22 Concluding Thoughts 01:04:36 End Related Links: Futurewell: CoCreation and Wellbeing Group, Media and Visual Arts Department, Koç University Özge’s LinkedIn page Özge on Instagram @allthefooldays (personal page on food & family) and @sozges on X

Continuing our culture theme, I revisit past podcast conversations that explore how to foster positive research environments and cultures. We hear from people such as Elizabeth Adams, Tanita Casci, Jolanta Burke, Janet Reed, Alex Taylor, Kia Hook, and Lindsay Oades, who share their experiences and insights on creating a sense of belonging and collegiality within academic settings. Their stories emphasize recognizing individual strengths, promoting transparency, celebrating achievements, and the importance of supportive management practices for bringing out the best in people. Hopefully you will take away practical ideas and inspiration, and recognise the importance of both micro-actions and collective efforts in creating supportive, transparent, and inclusive cultures. 00:00 Intro 00:29 Episode introduction - fostering good cultures 03:48 Glasgow Uni's Research Culture Awards 07:51 Jolanta Burke on positive organisations 09:53 Janet Read on flexibility and supporting people with young families 11:47 Janet Read on know your team 12:32 Janet Read on bringing out the best in people 16:14 Alex Taylor on the power of the collective 22:25 Kia Höök on Fika 25:50 Lindsay Oades on autonomy, rationales and leeting people they are valued 29:58 Wrapping up 33:18 Outro 34:05 Repeating what Lindsay said Related Links Past episodes used in this curated episode: Tanita Casci and Elizabeth Adams on supporting, rewarding and celebrating a positive collegial research culture (from May 2021) Jolanta Burke on burnout, harmonious passion, positive workplaces & helping others (from Nov 2017) Janet Read on charm bracelets, finish tape & the work to be a complete academic (from May 2018) Alex Taylor on research at the boundaries, moving from industry to academia, the labour of academia & the power of the collective (from July 2019) Kia Höök on challenges of success & value of slowing down and re-connecting (from Feb 2017) Lindsay Oades on academic wellbeing, connecting to strengths, meaning and purpose, and not taking the system too seriously (from Sept 2018) And others you can search for on Changing Academic Life who also talk about culture (among many others): Sarah Davies (part 2), Mark Reed, Karen Stroobants, Elizabeth Churchill.

Continuing the theme of great research environments, I explore how to contribute to creating great research cultures with a focus on the concept of psychological safety. I contrast the prize winning example we heard about in the last episode with examples of experiences with poor research environments. This leads to a discussion of the value of psychological safety as defined by Amy Edmondson, and others for enabling creativity, collaboration, and innovation. Psychological safety is about creating conditions where people feel safe speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns and mistakes and that foster a learning culture. I discuss practical strategies for leaders through their everyday interactions for fostering such an environment and enabling innovation, collaboration and personal growth and wellbeing. And I finish up with an invitation for all of us to reflect on our role in cultivating a supportive and inclusive academic culture. 00:00 Intro 00:29 Introduction to Creating Great Research Cultures 00:52 Recap of Prize-Winning Research Environment 02:38 Understanding Psychological Safety 03:40 Examples of Poor Research Environments 10:37 Defining Psychological Safety 12:21 Historical Context of Psychological Safety 15:42 Research on Psychological Safety 21:31 Psychological safety as key factor in Google's great teams 23:03 Leadership and Psychological Safety 24:15 Role Modeling and Self-Awareness 26:46 Fostering Belonging, Inclusion and Learning 29:18 Co-Creating Research Culture through our Actions 31:20 Conclusion and Reflection Related links: Previous podcast episode with Line, Nicklas, and Nina on Danis Young Academy prize research environments Amy Edmondson web page Amy C. Edmondson and Shike Lei, Psychological Safety: The History, Renaissance, and Future of an Interpersonal Construct. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior. Vol 1:23-43, 2014. Amy C. Edmondson. The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth. Wiley. 2019. Pat Thomson, Blog article - Felling like an imposter? Pat Thomson, feeling like an imposter? Google’s Project Aristotle Royal Society, Research Culture Embedding inclusive excellence: Insights on the future culture of research. (Tom Welton quote on culture p6)

What are the ingredients for creating a supportive, inclusive research culture? Nina Molin Høyland-Kroghsbo from the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences , Microbial Ecology and Biotechnology at the University of Copenhagen discusses the Research Environment Prize established three years ago by the Danish Young Academy to promote and celebrate good research environments, as experienced by early career researchers in those environments. We are joined here by the 2024 prize winners, PhD students Line Maj Sternberg and Nicklas Stott Venzel who nominated their Research Unit in Psychology of Sport, Excellence and Health at the University of Southern Denmark. They share what makes their environment great, and how the group translates their research on what makes a great sports environment into what makes a great research environment. In particular, they talk about encouragement for taking initiative, a focus on long-term development, open communication, psychological safety, promoting mental health, and a sense of belonging, as key factors. Nina also reflects on the common themes that the awarding panel has seen across over a hundred nominations, such as belonging, collaboration, creative practices, and celebrating both successes and failures. Overview: 00:34 Episode Introduction 03:26 Meet the guests 06:44 The Danish Young Academy and the Research Environment Prize 11:51 Line and Nicklas on applying sports research to academia 18:38 Building trust and open communication 22:34 Support for long term development and wellbeing 25:55 Psychological safety in research 26:55 Creative methods for sensitive topics 29:56 Common themes from nominated research environments 34:47 More examples of good practices 38:41 Having clear values 44:03 Learning from failures, celebrating successes 45:56 Value of good research culture for scientific integrity 49:51 Wrapping up, final thoughts 53:48 End Related links: SDU Prize announcement Prize announcement by the Young Academy on LinkedIn LinkedIn profiles for Nina and Line

In this solo episode (S6 E3) I invite us to rethink the concept of networking within academia, inspired by what the late Liam Bannon shared with us in our recent conversation and the evident relational impact he had on people. I encourage us, myself included, to view networking as being about the other person, not about us, and see it as an opportunity for forming meaningful impactful social connections. I offer some practical ideas for making networking about giving and helping others, based on the value of generosity, curiosity, and everyday interactions. In the end our real impact and success in academia are measured by the quality of relationships and the human connections we build, not by the titles or metrics we collect. Overview 00:00 Introduction to Changing Academic Life 00:29 The Challenges of Networking 01:33 Rethinking Networking: Social Connections 01:48 Tribute to Liam Bannon 02:43 Personal Relations in Academic Careers 03:44 The Importance of Human Connections 10:16 Networking for Others 10:50 Practical Networking Strategies 17:17 Maintaining Connections 21:38 Conclusion and Call to Action 22:58 End Related links: Recent episode with Liam Bannon Gopinaath Kannabiran Adam Grant, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania

Update 22 Sept 2024: It is with deep sadness that I share Liam passed away this morning. May we honour his memory and his generosity in sharing his reflections by always reminding ourselves about what and who is really important. Liam Bannon is a Professor Emeritus and founder and director of the Interaction Design Centre at the University of Limerick in Ireland. In April 2024 I released a conversation with Liam Bannon recorded in 2017 about his career, ending with a hint about some health issues. This is a follow up conversation with Liam from Sept 2024 where he shares his profound reflections on life, health, and academia, amid dealing with terminal cancer. Recorded from his hospital bed, Liam shares his journey since his 2015 stage-four lung cancer diagnosis and subsequent health challenges, including a brain tumour. Emphasising the importance of appreciating life, paying attention to how and with whom we spend it, and maintaining meaningful relationships, Liam offers invaluable insights on managing career pressures, the costs of neglecting personal connections, and the significance of staying true to one's values. Despite audio quality issues, this deeply personal and reflective conversation is a poignant reminder to reassess our priorities and strive for a life balanced between professional aspirations and personal well-being, and prioritising relationships. Here is a pdf file of the transcript. There is also a transcript embedded with the audio that you can follow along with. Overview: 00:29 Episode introduction 07:25 Liam’s health journey 12:11 Reflections on professional connections & relationships 21:22 Being reflective about 25:37 Contributions & tradeoffs 31:04 Asking what do you want to do with your life 33:48 Prioritising people & relationships 38:50 Taking stock, taking holidays, being true to yourself 44:32 Wrapping up 46:16 End

Introducing the new season of Changing Academic Life. Reflecting on my recent transitions. And thanks to the HCI group for support.

In this short solo episode a share a simple yet powerful technique, S.T.O.P., for taking a purposeful pause throughout your every day. Stop, Take a breath, Observe, Proceed. 00:29 Motivating STOP 01:50 What is STOP 04:37 Using STOP 11:19 Towards making STOP a habit 13:58 End

Volkmar Pipek was a highly influential researcher from Uni of Siegen who sadly passed away in Jan 2024 after a long illness. This short episode draws from a written interview he gave to Mateusz Dolata on the occasion of his 2023 EUSSET-ISSI Lifetime Achievement Award. I read an extract where he shares his advice about becoming and being a researcher: Be curious. Be who you are. Be curious who you are. Wise advice for all of us. Read the full interview with Volkmar Pipek Interview conducted by Mateusz Dolata, University of Zurich Text accompanying the EUSSET-ISSI Lifetime Achievement Award 2023 to Volkmar Pipek EUSSET: European Society for Socially Embedded Technologies ISSI: Institute for Social Informatics Volkmar Pipek, University of Siegen and Volkmar’s publications

Liam Bannon is a Professor Emeritus and founder and director of the Interaction Design Centre at the University of Limerick in Ireland. Liam has been a hugely influential thinker writer and researcher since the 1980s, along with various collaborators, in shaping work around technology and design. Recorded in-person in 2017, he reflects on his interdisciplinary journey and contributions, covering areas such as AI, HCI, CSCW, human-centered design, and collaboration. Liam’s experiences exemplify the challenges and rewards of crafting a unique academic career largely outside the box, grounded in interdisciplinary collaboration and a commitment to improving human-technology interactions, while also highlighting the importance of personal fulfilment and being able to think broadly. Related Links: Liam at the Interaction Design Centre, Uni of Limerick Some of the people & papers he mentions: George Miller Zenon Pylyshyn, (1973). What the mind's eye tells the mind's brain: A critique of mental imagery. Psychological Bulletin, 80(1), 1–24. H. Rudy Ramsey and Michael E Attwood (1979) Human Factors in Computer Systems: A Review of the Literature, Technical Report SAI-79-111DEN James Jenkins, Uni of Minnesota Don Norman, Human Centered Design, UCSD. See also https://jnd.org Kjeld Schmidt Lucy Suchman Rob Kling Center for Social Informatics Susanne Bødker, Aarhus Uni; see also our 2023 podcast conversation Mike Cooley, Engineer Lucas Aerospace Terry Winograd and Fernando Flores, Understanding Computers and Cognition, A New Foundation for Design, 1987, Addison-Wesley. Bannon, L. & Bødker, S. (1991) Beyond the Interface: Encountering Artifacts in Use. Book Chapter in J.M. Carroll (Ed.) (1991) Designing Interaction: Psychology at the Human-Computer Interface, pp.227-253. (New York: Cambridge University Press) (See also an

Jean Paul is a senior scientist at the Medical University of Innsbruck. In part 2 of our conversation, Jean discusses her experience leading an impact-led transcdisciplinary research project focused on supporting families with mental health issues. She highlights the challenges of stakeholder engagement, distributed team management, and transdisciplinary research. Jean emphasizes the importance of community engagement, virtual team collaboration, and fostering diversity in academia. She also reflects on the skills she brings to this role and the importance of investing in the team set up from the very beginning. Overview [00:29] Introducing Part 2 [02:23] Recap from Part 1 [07:27] Working with stakeholders [13:35] Leading a distributed international interdisciplinay project team [14:59] Learning leadership from diverse experiences [18:25] The transferrable skills – listening and learning [20:04] Supporting diverse career paths [25:16] Insights for parents in academia [29:22] Leadership, organisational design and virtual team management [34:33] Making virtual collaboration work [39:08] Future directions and reflections [41:57] End Related links: Ludwig Boltzmann Institute/Gesellschaft The sandpit-funded project – The Village Project The Healthy Minds project Dr Ghislaine Caulat – consultant on virtual leadership development Simon Martin – consultant for their organisational design in a transdisciplinary project with stakeholder involvement Project Design principles: The design principles that came out of the oganisational design workshops: