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 Discussion on answer by WhatTheDuck: …

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penelope
Nov 14, 2024 22:29
I also had a collaborative editing session with an LLM recently and was surprised at how well this works when used as, well, a language model. And I really don't find that the resulting text sounds any less like me if I give it good instructions (e.g. "no changes whatsoever except grammar corrections" or "minimal changes, without losing any meaning, need to shorten this paragraph for about a sentence"). I asked it to highlight proposed changes and explain the nuance in the meaning between the suggestion and original, and manually edit any proposed changes I like back in my text.
 

 Discussion on question by phd_cyber_c…

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penelope
Jul 26, 2024 18:16
Nothing really substantial to add to the answers below, but just to mention that I know several UK universities of mid-ish rank which will hire people into (entry level, Lecturer) academic positions (on a research/teaching profile) straight out of their PhD. On the other hand, many UK universities are currently in a bit of a financial pickle. However, it loosely meets your criteria ("Europe" -- kindof) so might be worth keeping an eye.
penelope
Jul 26, 2024 18:16
@DmitrySavostyanov I think this is exactly the kind of advice I would expect to provide to somebody in a postdoc position. Sure, they're fully qualified researchers so if they had questions about basic research procedures, I'd be worried, but since this is the first time they are likely looking for a permanent job in academia, while their advisors have done it before, I don't see an issue with postdocs asking their advisors for advice on this topic.
 

 Discussion on question by Dmitriy Fil…

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penelope
Jun 16, 2024 09:54
Also note that "teaching 5 classes just to survive" is not the reality of academic positions in the UK. Everyone complains about too much teaching; that's universal everywhere. I teach an equivalent of 1.3 modules per academic year. The starting early career salary is well over the 30k a year that you mention, and higher at Russel group Unis. And most people chose to stay in academia rather than go to industry specifically so that they could work on problems they find interesting, with comparatively fewer limitations than in industry.
 

 Discussion on question by psychnerd29…

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penelope
Apr 27, 2024 05:54
@Okano Should we be in a position to persue our passion and address injustices done to us? Absolutely. But this is not always the reality. It's easy to get outraged online, type "you should report what you faced", and be done with it. In reality, reporting this would likely be (yet another) long slog, taking time and effort. Somebody with health problems, working part-time as a psychologist, and (potentially) looking to secure a new PhD position likely has a lot on their plate already. Reporting discrimination should absolutely be an option, but not an imperative as you make it.
penelope
Apr 27, 2024 05:54
@Okano Appologies, I really didn't plan to put words in your mouth. And that would indeed be a good reason to get in touch with somebody in a position of authority, and something they may be able to address. However, the OP was asking about continuing her PhD, and I tought your comment was to that end. The OP would be absolutely in the right to pursue this as a discrimination case at her institution. But while that would go towards addressing the problem of the injustice she has faced, or maybe getting some much-needed support, it would not go towards improving her PhD situation.
penelope
Apr 27, 2024 05:54
@Okano Contact them to achieve... what? To force somebody who doesn't want to work with the OP to work with them? Do you really think the OP would get a good PhD experience if their supervisor was forced to work with them? Whether they were fair or not in their decision (and it does sound like the supervisor was cold and insensitive), I do not see a point in trying to force a working relationship in this situation -- the OP would be much better served by finding somebody who wants to supervise them.
 

 Discussion on answer by Fe2O3: When t…

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penelope
Apr 11, 2024 15:01
Are you suggesting that Universities use made-up CPUs while teaching, in order to make it more difficult for their students to understand and use any real-world CPU they might encounter after finishing their studies? Why would the Universities try to make things more difficult for their students? And... what does religion have to do with any of this?
 

 Discussion on question by It'sMe: How…

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penelope
Apr 5, 2024 21:21
@DikranMarsupial I didn't take any part of your comment as disrespectful, no worries. But, I would disagree with your view. As an academic, I am hired to pursue my hobby -- the things I enjoy. Happily, it seems that society currently finds that useful enough that I can keep myself in post. If, at any point, this changes so that on the balance, I'm required to do more of the things that feel like a chore than the things that I enjoy - I might reconsider if academia is (still) the right place for me. After all, if it's just about exchanging labour for money, industry pays better.
penelope
Apr 5, 2024 21:21
@DikranMarsupial I see no mention of funding anywhere in the OPs question, and am not trying to suggest how to write a maths grant application. The OP seems to be frustrated with peers who express negative opinions about pure mathematics because of the lack of practical applications. If I like cooking, origami and maths, and you like cars, painting and biology, we deal with it by accepting we are different. If you think less of me and/or belittle me because I enjoy different things than you, then I probably don't think a world of you either and don't consider your opinion important to me.
penelope
Apr 5, 2024 21:21
@toby544 I think the OP is saying pure mathematics gives enjoyment and enrichment to him, and at least some people in his surroundings that he knows.
 

 Discussion on question by LyndaElaine…

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penelope
Mar 15, 2024 21:02
@AdamPřenosil I don't think it's clear -- look how many people asked for clarification in the comments. But I agree, I think that's what the OP meant.
 

 Discussion on question by Ooker: Rese…

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penelope
Mar 2, 2024 03:32
I prefer to read papers printed out on paper, use a pen to mark them up, and most importantly scribble in the margins. I find that my level of focus is just not the same when reading off a screen. So I would hate the idea of papers without a properly typeset pdf version
 

 Discussion between Nico and Bryan Krause

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penelope
Feb 16, 2024 14:56
But, you're talking about giving up on your current PhD after 3 months. One of the most important characteristics of successful PhD candidates is persistence. You are talking about quitting your current programme, without even attempting to remedy or improve the situation ("I don't want to talk to my advisors as I think they can do nothing to help"). You will have a difficult time convincing anybody that you are the best PhD candidate in the pile of students who had applied.
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penelope
Feb 16, 2024 14:53
As far as moving to another PhD programme, well, it can be done. I had a good friend during my PhD who also didn't do her due diligence quite well... she didn't get along with her advisors, didn't trust their scientific judgement, and didn't get along well with the project. She just got a permanent academic post in Canada a few weeks back.
penelope
Feb 16, 2024 14:50
I did my PhD in France without speaking French and I have also noticed that in a group of French people, they would only ever switch to English if talking directly to me, but speak exclusively in French to each other. I definitely wouldn't say that makes them 'inhuman'. Sure, it's a bit rude, but ultimately, still human, just, eh, French.
 

 Discussion on question by wiss13: My …

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penelope
Oct 7, 2022 16:25
While the question has been well-received here, if this is a research institute or University, it might also be suitable for academia.se -- as the culture in Academia often differs from the one in industry
 

 Discussion on question by Allure: If …

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penelope
Nov 3, 2021 22:59
@avid Further to this, the practical effect of this "end of 2020" date is that the first cohort of students affected by the new post-Brexit policies is the current one, i.e. the one that just started 2 months ago. The performance of the first post-Brexit cohort has had no chance to reflect the rankings at all. And even then, it's going to take a full 3 years before the Unis will contain only "post-Brexit cohorts"
 

 Discussion on question by JEs9X: How …

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penelope
Sep 28, 2021 16:16
@Polygnome Aaah but "software engineering blogs" are -- engineering-oriented. There indeed is a number of well presented, well articulated technical blogs and similar mediums. And (as a researcher) I use them often -- they're great at summarising state-of-the-art, especially as more and more research papers get published with code and and readily accessible for tinkering. They sometimes demonstrate (pretty impressive) contraptions/algorithms/apps you can/they have easily made with available tools. But they are not research blogs by researchers about (their) research, as best as I know.
 

 Discussion on question by John McSimo…

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penelope
Jul 21, 2021 16:47
Alarm bells going off at "high failure rates are frowned upon in our department". But hey, this is the UK and it is well know that the Universities don't like inconveniencing their customers. At least, in your Uni, the academic offences committee seems to be taking plagiarism cases seriously. Here, two pieces of code that compare line-by-line except in variable names are apparently "not a strong case" (I reported it, nothing ever came out of it... I think they were really scared of the student ratings in the covid year). It is the right thing to report it, but you could make big waves.
 

 Discussion on answer by Acumenus: How…

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penelope
Jul 13, 2021 00:09
This seems like a good way to come across as rude and lacking any tact. Most (good) interviews allow the candidate to ask questions at the end (as you say, two way street), which is the time to inquire about the things about the company you are interested in. I'd guess that could be a good place to ask about the company conflict resolution policy or similar, but to immediately ask (the interviewer) about a time when their subordinates disagreed (when the interviewer might be just a proxy and not even your potential boss) makes you seem petty and spiteful. Quite insightful of your behaviour
 

 Discussion on answer by Djib2011: How…

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penelope
Mar 5, 2020 23:34
@Djib2011 You'll notice that I very carefully wrote "most" and the "biggest push". However at least my opinion (shared by several other active researchers in close fields) is that those are also the activities most likely to be automated in the not so distant future - (my rough estimates) would be 5 years for the technology to emerge commercially, and up to another 10 for it to mature. In high-risk activities (diagnosis, piloting) current AI research is more focused on complementing the human expert and I don't think we can aim to start replacing the experts by automation in the next 30+ years
penelope
Mar 5, 2020 23:34
As somebody developing approaches that might lead to 'jobs becoming redundant', I just want to add: most of the jobs that are being automatised, partially or fully, are in fact low-interest jobs. The number of people that want to do farmwork is reducing rapidly, and suddenly it's impossible to find people to sort through boxes of grass cuttings blade by blade (yes, there is a purpose to that when diagnosing pastures!). The biggest push for automation is in jobs for which the workers are scarce in developed countries.
 

 Discussion on answer by Buffy: I noti…

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penelope
Nov 20, 2019 00:03
Buffy, I was responding to your statement "I viewed my job as one of teaching, not grading." I was saying that I don't have the luxury of saying I don't consider grading part of my job, as grading is explicitly included in the teaching qualification academics have to obtain here. In the ideal world, I'd also love to teach only for the students to learn. In reality, they actually assess me on my assessment skills, in a way, and they are explicitly included in the teaching duties in the UK. Sorry if I was unclear :/
penelope
Nov 20, 2019 00:03
I am quite surprised at "my job is teaching, not grading" statement. Maybe you have that luxury, but here (in the UK), as a member of faculty (teaching+research), you are required to pass a teaching qualification which explicitly covers assessment and grading as one of its elements (where performing teaching activities is another one, of the four or five elements covered in total).
 

 Discussion on question by Jimmy: Why …

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penelope
Oct 10, 2019 19:21
Note that you are talking about a software engineering role, and comparing it to the requirements of a computer science programme. I would argue that a CS programme is indeed a wrong choice for somebody hoping to end up in an engineering role, especially when developing close-to-user (or close-to-market) software. However, since the number of science and research oriented positions is relatively small (even the industrial ones), it is likely that CS graduates nevertheless end up in developer or engineering position. Might be biased as my University programmes did reflect this :)
 

 Discussion on question by Erel Segal-…

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penelope
May 14, 2019 17:41
@Buffy To me, using any of the phrases "it's (easy to see/obvious/trivial)" comes across as "If you (reviewer) don't find it easy/obvious/trivial, you're not as smart as I, to whom this is easy, so therefore it is easy to see, and even obvious, that you should accept my paper without questioning the logic of one smarter than you, you dummy." I'm happy to include your "As I'm sure you will agree" to my list of "proof-by-intimidation" key-phrases, but I've ready plenty papers using easy/obvious/trivial that come across as trying to bully the reader into believing them.
penelope
May 14, 2019 17:41
Yes, there is one good reason. I like to call it "proof by intimidation".
 

 Discussion on question by Tim: Should…

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penelope
May 3, 2019 18:29
@user4052054 Maybe not everybody starts learning English at the age of three, but I am sure that people who are active academics, researchers and are involved in teaching programmes in English use English actively, if not daily, for many years. I would almost guarantee that such positions are filled with people whose level of English understanding is above the required level, especially in the Netherlands, the European country with most foriegn languages spoken per citizen.
penelope
May 3, 2019 18:22
@user4052054 I've never even seen a native speaker before the age of 15, which is when I got my first native speaker teacher. I remember an incident around the age of 10 when I couldn't remember the word "I" is the first person singular in English and my mother got quite angry at me. I started using English on a daily basis 8 years ago, and before that I rarely was in a situation where English was spoken other than a classroom. I think somebody got their definition of "native speaker" mixed up.
penelope
May 3, 2019 11:35
constructions and vocabulary that no reasonable non-native English speaker could ever be expected to know I was obliged to pass an English exam before I was allowed into the UK. Scored higher than most native speakers. Using English as my first language for 8+ years now, and learning it since the age of 3. So I guess I'm unreasonable, and what you can reasonably expect from professionals that use English actively for their teaching, publishing and collaboration is "My Engrish very well, yes.". You need to adjust your attitude, not writing.
 

 Discussion on question by user2912328…

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penelope
Apr 30, 2019 13:52
@Alchimista Actually, at least in my experience, a degree to which "people cheat" greatly depends on the culture and the environment and how those formed the students' (peoples') opinions. For example, typical student behaviour (which profs and TAs try to fight hard against) in my country of origin, where it has been confirmed that many prominent political figures bought their diplomas and the majority of students take up cheating as their main strategy while at the University, would be considered disgusting and unacceptable by their student peers in the subsequent countries I've lived in.
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 Discussion on question by user-214748…

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penelope
Mar 7, 2019 22:36
@user3209815 Actually, harassment is pretty well defined, and especially (but not exclusively) applies when somebody in the position of power makes you repeatedly uncomfortable, moreover in relation to one of protected characteristics (ie sex/gender), and even more so if that person has expressed the wish for the behaviour to stop. And it happens to be something my University is obliged to educate me about. Calling it "just an awkward social interaction" is, at best, a bad excuse, especially if includes behaviour expressly against your colleague's wishes.
 

 Discussion on answer by qsp: Why do s…

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penelope
Feb 2, 2019 13:37
@deathlee If you're looking at a PhD as (just another) degree to finish, it is probably not the right thing to do. PhD or not, you are going to need some time to pick up to ropes at any job. The knowledge ("facts") you'll get through a PhD is going to be so problem-specific that it is not going to be easily transferrable to different fields. People do a PhD to learn hot to become researchers and obtain research skills. It's not about a piece of paper called a diploma, but rather learning how to process, digest and evaluate scientific literature in any related topic, not just the PhD topic.
 

 Discussion on question by Motaka: I'm…

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penelope
Dec 17, 2018 19:16
Yes, I can imagine some of the problems you have to face (from your descriptions) - but I can't quite put myself in your situation or give advice. Maybe you can edit this additional information in (about location and culture; maybe the example you give places it all in good context) for more pointed answers. My experiences are from international labs with a big cultural variation - so religion has minor to no influence on the supervisor-student relationship (although we have one actively and openly practising faculty and only one such student, not working together)
penelope
Dec 17, 2018 19:16
While I don't know your location, my default answer to this would be "no, you should not do anything that makes you uncomfortable and surely not pretend to be religious in front of your supervisor or anybody else". The nuances on how to deal with this might be easier to suggest if you give us some hint of your location. But, what I'm really interested in is your statement that "Surely if they knew I am not religious it will annoy them" - how do you know that? Have you seen them treat non-religious students unfavourably, is it your funded or unfunded assumption, or something else?
 

 Discussion on question by Allure: Why…

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penelope
Jul 25, 2018 12:53
@SSimon One thing that makes good research good is communication and exchange of ideas. Which is why mobility is so strongly encouraged. Science as it is has somewhat of a problem of small, isolated communities. People reinventing the wheel because of lack of between-field communication. By removing EU people and international people, they are removing the possibility to benefit from a different point of view and way of thinking.
 

 Discussion on answer by Dan Romik: De…

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penelope
Jun 26, 2018 08:43
I see that asking the student to show their face/voice in the video really ticked you off, but to me it seems it stopped you from looking at the original agreement fully. OP also mentions "short educational materials" and "videos for each publication". My research group does that - and they are silent and subtitled. A sort of a short video-presentation instead of a static one on a conference. They use it for conferences, along poster sessions and with academic visitors. To me it seems reasonable, useful, complimentary to typically published research, non-intrusive and previously agreed upon.
 

 Discussion on answer by Dan Romik: De…

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penelope
Jun 21, 2018 13:06
I see that asking the student to show their face/voice in the video really ticked you off, but to me it seems it stopped you from looking at the original agreement fully. OP also mentions "short educational materials" and "videos for each publication". My research group does that - and they are silent and subtitled. A sort of a short video-presentation instead of a static one on a conference. They use it for conferences, along poster sessions and with academic visitors. To me it seems reasonable, useful, complimentary to typically published research, non-intrusive and previously agreed upon.
 

 Discussion on question by Vikash: Co-…

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penelope
Apr 9, 2018 07:54
This question seems to be bordering an angry rant, while not making the question itself clear. Did he ask you for the authorship, are you asking what the best way to avoid having to include him in the author list is, would you like if it is better to try and talk to him and at which point or avoid it all together? What exactly would you like help with?
 

 Discussion on question by Ngeshlew: A…

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penelope
Dec 17, 2014 15:46
@Ngeshlew This is a question-answer website, working very well specifically because people know what the appropriate topic is, because we hold our questions and answers to a standard and have an agreed-upon format. There is many other sites that offer opportunities for discussion, or just publishing/posting your opinion and soliciting comments, but this is not one of them. If this site does not correspond to your needs, you're more than welcome to not use it. But there is no need for name calling and insults, we are all quite happy with the format and rules of stackexchange network here.
 

 Discussion between ff524 and penelope

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penelope
Mar 4, 2014 17:21
cheers
penelope
Mar 4, 2014 17:20
me too
penelope
Mar 4, 2014 17:20
You know, I understand you issue. I understand you trying to fix it. And I understand people saying tat if you use something internationally standardized, you should use it consistently. And honestly, finally, I don't know what kind of advice to give
penelope
Mar 4, 2014 17:17
Oh, I understand the issue. And why it is frustrating and unfair.
penelope
Mar 4, 2014 17:15
I don't think it's ethical to use standardized criteria different for different people. Even if I know the criteria is not a perfect indicator of what ever I'm trying to measure.
penelope
Mar 4, 2014 17:13
While well aware that will probably cause some bad seeds to slip trough, as well as some good people to be rejected.
penelope
Mar 4, 2014 17:13
Well, I simply think that if using standardized results, for anybody, you should use it the same for everybody.
penelope
Mar 4, 2014 17:08
I ment extra exam. But why not for an extra exam? I've seen this model function before
penelope
Mar 4, 2014 17:08
and I assumed you can't do interviews, that's why I didn't suggest it earlier on