Table of Contents

Preface vii

About the Author ix

Part I: The PhD Student and Postdoc Years 1

1 An Academic Career 3

2 Traits of Successful Scientists 7

3 Avoiding a PhD in Anxiety 11

4 Getting Your First Academic Job 15

5 The Academic Matthew Effect 19

Part II: Surviving and Thriving in the First Few Years 23

6 Paper Writing Gone Hollywood 25

7 The Perfect Department 27

8 Ethics in the Real World 31

9 Research Brand Identity 35

10 The 1‐Hour Workday 39

11 Orchestrating a Powerful Research Group 41

12 Proposal Writing Hacks 43

Part III: Tenure and Beyond 47

13 Mentoring the Middle 49

14 Research Visits and Academic Growth Spurts 53

15 On Leadership 57

16 The Sustainable Professor 61

17 A Scientist Looks at 60 63

Postface 67

Acknowledgments 69

Notes 73

Further Reading 77

Index 81

About the Author

Jeffrey J. McDonnell, University of Saskatchewan, Canada