monsoon0,
@monsoon0@mathstodon.xyz avatar

Does your work sit at the intersection of multiple fields of ? Imagine each field valued fundamental characteristics that the others do not. How do you build a career when those in one such field don't understand or care for the perspective of another?

johncarlosbaez,
@johncarlosbaez@mathstodon.xyz avatar

@monsoon0 - my solution, largely accidental, was to find a department that wasn't extremely competitive, and publish a lot, and teach well. That meant nobody was very upset by the fact that I kept switching from one subject to another. But they pegged me as an "analyst", so the only qualifier course I could teach was real analysis. Not too bad, but sort of funny.

henryseg,
@henryseg@mathstodon.xyz avatar

@monsoon0 Of course, the same problems of siloed departments and granting agencies exist when working across disciplines outside of mathematics or between mathematics and another field. The siloing is fractal.

The solutions I’ve seen are to 1) do enough in just one field to be acceptable there, mostly independent of work done in the other field; or 2) make friends with higher ups who can protect you despite your unusual position.

JadeMasterMath,

@monsoon0 I have this problem! The main issue is that I can't find a job where I can both teach and research what I know. It's always research what you want and teach something irrelevant... or teach what I want but not have the research

highergeometer,
@highergeometer@mathstodon.xyz avatar

@JadeMasterMath @monsoon0 I'm really curious: what do you want to teach, and what do you consider as "teaching something irrelevant"?

JadeMasterMath,

@highergeometer @monsoon0 I want to teach math but I have to teach computer science

highergeometer,
@highergeometer@mathstodon.xyz avatar

@JadeMasterMath @monsoon0 Oh, that's interesting. What sort, if I may ask?

I'm reminded of the Macquarie University category theorists, who are hanging on mostly by virtue of having connections to comp sci.

JadeMasterMath,

@highergeometer @monsoon0 Haskell (I guess it's kinda close) and also I'm supervising two MsC students in a project which is mostly programming

JadeMasterMath,

@highergeometer @monsoon0 My research group is mostly like this: doing mathematical research but teaching computer science

highergeometer,
@highergeometer@mathstodon.xyz avatar

@JadeMasterMath @monsoon0 Well, best of luck! As I noted in my response, I have no idea how to make this type of thing work. 🤷‍♂️

johncarlosbaez,
@johncarlosbaez@mathstodon.xyz avatar

@highergeometer @JadeMasterMath @monsoon0 - Jade is learning the upsides and downsides of working in a computer science department when you're a category theorist at heart. The upside is that you can actually get a job this way, or at least a postdoc position - more in Europe and Canada and the UK than the US. The downside is that if you don't really enjoy computer science you may have problems with teaching and, ultimately, getting tenure.

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