57
votes
Accepted
Assistant professor: is it bad if I attend a class in a discipline close to mine but not exactly mine?
There's nothing bad about this; it's pretty common, especially for advanced graduate courses. You don't have to be secretive about it. But here are a few things to consider.
First, time. As a new ...
- 132k
56
votes
What's the point in hiring assistant professors instead of more experienced professors?
For example:
Their salaries are far lower. (The discrepancy varies by department, high in the physical sciences, low in economics and business.)
In fields that receive startup packages, their startup ...
- 18k
50
votes
Accepted
Leaving academia for financial reasons - how to communicate the reason of departure in a professional manner?
Express that you have enjoyed working in your department. (Even if this is not entirely true.)
Explain that you are only leaving because of an opportunity "too exciting to turn down." Don't volunteer ...
- 6,806
44
votes
As a new faculty, should I attend students' thesis defense in my department but not in my field?
It's normal to advertise PhD defenses broadly in some systems; in many cases defenses are open to the public (at least in part; detailed questioning by the committee is often separate), but as in just ...
- 103k
36
votes
What's the point in hiring assistant professors instead of more experienced professors?
Assistant professors are not inferior versions of full professors. Aside from years of experience, there will usually be many differences between two candidates. Young does not mean not as good (it ...
35
votes
The assistant professor doesn't answer e-mails
15 days ago was the weekend before Christmas, 5 days ago was new years day. I am not surprised the assistant hasn't answered: my university is closed till Monday. Since I have children and the school ...
- 41.8k
35
votes
Academic progression in Germany, what happens after a postdoc? What is the next step?
I was told that there isn't really a step up from postdoc (like an assistant professor) until you get a professorship (for which you have to do habilitation among other things).
In Germany, there is ...
- 25.5k
34
votes
Accepted
When and how to leave a faculty position for a new department/university or industry
I think Steve Jobs got it right in his Stanford commencement address when he advised that to do great work, you must do what you love and that if you haven't found it, you must keep looking. To his ...
- 30.9k
32
votes
Do newly hired professors have to take a drug test before they start?
Is this a serious question? I would refuse to work anywhere where my employer would require me to do such a test. It is simply none of their business.
I am actually not aware of any (European) ...
- 5,022
32
votes
How to survive in the academic world: focus entirely on top-tier results, or spend effort on lower-tier results to boost h-index?
There are two separate points here.
First:
However, based on their criteria, it seems that I have already been eliminated from consideration before the committee has even reviewed my resume.
It may ...
- 26.9k
30
votes
Do newly hired professors have to take a drug test before they start?
In Germany you will be subjected to a medical examination if you become a civil servant. Full professors (W3) are typically civil servants. The levels below that (W1 and W2), are typically also civil ...
- 41.8k
30
votes
Accepted
Can I call myself an assistant professor without a PhD?
the position is called "Assistant Professor"
If you hold an appointment as an assistant professor, then you are an assistant professor. Still, I understand your concern....
kinda makes no sense ...
- 64.7k
27
votes
Accepted
Is it possible to get a professor position without having had any fellowships in grad school?
There's no way that you are going to be disqualified from faculty positions by not having a graduate student fellowship. There's no "has a fellowship" checkbox on rubric that search committees use.
...
- 12.8k
25
votes
Do newly hired professors have to take a drug test before they start?
While drug testing is very common in the USA, this is not the case world wide. In the UK it is rare. The uk government advises
Employers should:
limit testing to employees that need to be tested
...
- 480
23
votes
"Taking summers off" and the impact on tenure decisions
This is really dependent on your department culture.
Officially (at least for all the tenure systems I've participated in), tenure decisions are based on the quality, reputation, and impact of the ...
- 98.2k
23
votes
Co-authors not willing to publish after rejection. May I drop them?
It depends what the co-authors did. If they were involved in the work they should normally be authors of the paper. I think the important questions you need to answer are:
What exactly do you mean by ...
- 10.3k
23
votes
Accepted
Instructor to assistant professor transition
As a general principle, ceteris paribus, if you have the choice between offers of an instructor position at an elite institution versus a tenure-track position at a non-elite institution, I would ...
- 64k
22
votes
Accepted
Emailing HOD to enhance faculty application
To stand out from the rest of the applicants and to bring to attention the application to the head of the department (HOD), would emailing the HOD enhance my application or would it affect it ...
- 135k
21
votes
Accepted
For a new assistant professor in CS, how to build/manage a publication pipeline
Here two pieces of advice:
As a mid/long term perspective you should build a large network with
bright people. In the beginning talk to as many as possible. Tell
them about your ideas and ask them ...
- 9,589
20
votes
What's the point in hiring assistant professors instead of more experienced professors?
In a system like the US, a "more experienced professor" typically has tenure already. Someone who has tenure won't want to give it up. Therefore, if you want to recruit them, you have to offer them ...
- 132k
20
votes
Accepted
Does it make sense to apply for assistant professorship positions before Ph.D. graduation?
Most people apply for positions while still students. That is normal. The "date of hire" could mean various things, depending on the institution. Don't worry too much about it, and apply. If ...
- 343k
20
votes
Accepted
Is it appropriate to apply for an assistant professor job in the same department where I just started my postdoc?
A reasonable and supportive supervisor would have no trouble with this. You need to have a chat with them to see how disruptive it would be, but, I assume, that any permanent position wouldn't start ...
- 343k
19
votes
How can I quickly prepare an application for a tenure-track assistant-professor position?
For context, let me first answer a question raised by RoboKaren in one of the comments:
Once you have three or four applications filed at different types of schools (research university vs. small ...
- 135k
18
votes
How to survive in the academic world: focus entirely on top-tier results, or spend effort on lower-tier results to boost h-index?
First of, realize that you are currently drawing a lot of conclusions from a single data point. In this one specific job search the committee valued the number of publications and h-index higher than ...
- 135k
17
votes
Accepting an Assistant Professor position at a low ranked university
The chances of successfully "moving on to bigger and better things" depend on one's discipline, and also what topic one studies within that discipline. Some topics look much more attractive than ...
- 1,530
17
votes
Accepted
Do math PhDs - post-doctoral researchers have an advisor?
This varies greatly, depending on the type of postdoctoral position. Some postdocs are funded by a specific grant. Then they have a supervisor, namely the PI on the grant. How formal the ...
17
votes
Is it a bad sign? Search committee did not ever reach out to references, even before and after campus visit
Hiring practices can vary widely by departments. In my experience hiring in industry, generally no news is good news. Though a bit of a tautology, the idea that "you are not rejected until they ...
- 1,619
17
votes
US Assistant Prof salary negotiation with counter offer before going up for tenure
In a negotiation, never use a threat if you can't make hard. Certainly if you have much to lose.
- 2,443
16
votes
Accepted
Making sense of U.S. assist. prof. salaries: gross vs. net, 9 vs. 12 months
In the United States, the "academic year" consists of the 9 months that comprise the fall and spring semesters. This is the period during which you are formally employed by the university and receive ...
- 90.3k
16
votes
Applying for both assistant and associate professor position at the same university
First of all, are you sure you have a clear idea on the distinction between an assistant professor and an associate professor at a US institution, and in particular at this US institution?
The ...
- 130k
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