Woking behind closed doors is not smart for a scientific researcher, because our researches are based on the solid foundation of others’ work.

Who are they?

When we first think about academic interaction, the frequently asked question is, “who are the people I interact with?”

Well, they are mostly your colleagues, supervisors, engineers, schoolmates, friends. So you can also take it as academic social interaction.

They knew exactly what it took to write publishable papers in this subfield.

These peers will likely grow into award-winning professors, research leaders, and high-tech entrepreneurs.

These people are or are going to be influential in their research fields. You can generate your research ideas by talking with them. You can create lucky opportunities by interacting with them.

Why we need academic social intercourse?

The importance of being endorsed by an influential person; simply doing good work isn’t enough to get noticed in a hyper-competitive field.

With the help of their suggestions, it can be easier to publish top-tier papers.

Most of my fellow interns also got their jobs through connections, although usually, their advisors made a direct recommendation.

This same supervisor would later provide a crucial introduction that led to my first full-time job after graduation.

It can be helpful for your job hunting, but that’s the afterword.

How to handle these kinds of stuff?

Repeatedly put me and my work on display—giving talks, chatting with colleagues, asking for and offering help, and expressing gratitude.

Ally with insiders: informal talks at university lab group meetings to conference presentations.

For a newcomer, he/she is absolutely an outsider in every research field. So, he/she must ally with insiders. For instance, your supervisors, colleagues, sub-communities, and friends, etc.

Professors aren’t just relentless research producing machines. empathize with them both as professionals and also as people.

It’s impossible to be well-liked by all colleagues due to inevitable personality differences. I strived to seek out people with whom I naturally clicked well and then took the time to nurture those relationships.

At the meeting and conference, you should act professionally. But after that, on a coffee break, make a big smile and find chances to exchange emails.

People feel good when they find out that their advice or feedback led to concrete benefits. Even a quick thank-you email goes a long way.

Most of the time, you can’t provide any benefit for them, but you can show your gratitude sincerely.

Reference

[1] Philp Guo, The PhD. Grind