• Question: what’s one thing you don’t actually like about your job or could be improved about it

    Asked by anon-303194 to Alex on 5 Nov 2021.
    • Photo: Alex Baxendale

      Alex Baxendale answered on 5 Nov 2021:

      The waiting times! I wrote a big research paper last year and trying to get it published somewhere has been a nightmare. There are hundreds of journals (think of them like small books that only publish research) that I have to pick from, then I send them my paper and hope they like it. Whenever I submit to a journal they take MONTHS to read what I send them – looking at the last place I sent it, they received my paper 2 months ago and nobody has even read it yet!

      Research itself can also take a lot of waiting around. I spend a lot of time designing and coding experiments on my computer, and then I have to submit paperwork to the University to let me actually run the experiment which can take a few weeks to a couple months. Then when we’re testing it can be really slow to get people, my current experiment has been running for 4 months and we’re almost there, but it’s definitely taking a while!

      So there is a lot of waiting around, which sucks. But when we get results in the end it’s definitely worth it! But…. I wouldn’t say no to speeding things up a little bit!

Comments

  • Photo: Natalie

    Natalie commented on :

    Funding process – As scientists, we have to apply for sponsorship for our research every year or every couple of years. This process is very competitive, exhausting and unrewarding at times. Some ideas (regardless of how clever they are) might not be a current priority for many funding bodies, which restricts scientists’ interests and opportunities for work, as well. It would be much better to find a way to provide consistent funding for scientists, which could improve science and scientists’ well-being.