Last week I was in Readings bookstore, with a $100 book voucher burning a hole in my pocket, when I spied a book called ‘On writing well: the classic guide to writing non fiction’ by William Zinsser. According to the cover ‘On writing well’ has sold more than a million copies, which piqued my curiosity …continue reading.

The other day a student came to see me after his mid point presentation. He was upset because the panel chair had questioned the scope of the work and his ability get the rest of it done. The student felt the questioning was out of line. Who was this academic who hadn’t worked in a …continue reading.

PhD students are an interesting cohort. At our university the average age of a PhD student is 36, which means you can safely bet that most students have some family responsibilities – either to a spouse, elderly parents, animals or children. Parenting is challenging for PhD students because, in addition to the caring work that …continue reading.

A friend of mine tells the story of her first day as a PhD student with equal parts amusement and horror. One day she had a busy life as an academic, working with a wide range of students and colleagues, the next she was a PhD student who just had to hand in a thesis …continue reading.

@thetokenlefty was freaking out about his confirmation presentation – so I wrote this post to reassure him

The procrastination fairy has sprinkled you with her can’t be bothered dust – what to do?

The incredible hulk complex – too much thesis, too little shirt. Here’s some ways to tell when your topic is not too green and muscly for comfort

Want to write a winning grant application? The Whisperer rethinks the problem in a non listy kind of way.

Addicted to email? You need a system darling.

The post where I get conflicted about ambivalence.