smallworlnd on Nostr: Politically savvy in what way? Like positioning in a way that helps bring in more ...
Politically savvy in what way? Like positioning in a way that helps bring in more research grants, or maybe politically savvy by choosing to be a researcher in a "hot topic" field? Or maybe a mix of the two?
In any case, my own experience in the academic fiat mines over the years is that researchers are like entrepreneurs in a way. They constantly have to be advocating for their work and their teams. Bigger research groups tend to publish more by virtue of being bigger, which brings in more grants. Being a researcher in a hot topic field also helps to get the ears of funding agencies but it's also hyper competitive because there are so many academics for so few funding dollars that it's a race to the bottom. It really is just a constant grind to keep research going, students going, papers published, peer reviews done, conference attendances to disseminate research, grant applications done, juggling institution politics, and on and on.
In any case, my own experience in the academic fiat mines over the years is that researchers are like entrepreneurs in a way. They constantly have to be advocating for their work and their teams. Bigger research groups tend to publish more by virtue of being bigger, which brings in more grants. Being a researcher in a hot topic field also helps to get the ears of funding agencies but it's also hyper competitive because there are so many academics for so few funding dollars that it's a race to the bottom. It really is just a constant grind to keep research going, students going, papers published, peer reviews done, conference attendances to disseminate research, grant applications done, juggling institution politics, and on and on.