Faculty Facilitator

Topic

Organization and Productivity

A collection of 6 issues

When to Kill a Project

Science is unpredictable. Well-researched projects with solid preliminary data can go nowhere, while a chance observation can open a novel and fruitful line of inquiry. However resources are fixed, and faculty have limited time, funding, personnel, and brain power to devote to ongoing projects. Not everything is worth pursuing.

Writing Letters of Recommendation

Letters of Recommendation (LOR) are ubiquitous in academia. They are an important component of applications for schooling, career advancement, enrichment activities, and for awards. A good LOR can make an otherwise borderline application successful, and a bad LOR can destroy the chances of an otherwise good applicant. Faculty members, particularly

Lab Hours

“When do I need to be here?” said the graduate student. “Whenever you need to be to make sufficient progress.” replied the PI. This response gives many well-meaning graduate students just enough rope to hang themselves. What if you can't make progress no matter how many hours

Sick Days

If you are sick, you should take a sick day. When you are sick, you don’t have the attention, patience, or clarity of thought you have when you are well. Consequently, your interactions with people suffer, the work you produce will be subpar, and you expose everyone around you

Formatting Grants

Properly formatting your grant is essential for ensuring its comprehensibility to reviewers, which facilitates their ability to understand and promote your work. It can also help ensure that your documents are fully compliant with sponsor guidelines. updated April 2026 Label sections and subsections All grants have required sections and subsections.

Get your inbox under control

Email is a critical method of communication. However we are getting more emails than ever before, and it is difficult to stay current in email while not detracting from other essential activities. Opening an overflowing inbox can be distracting at a minimum, and can trigger intense anxiety. Here’s some