I believe in the importance of public-facing writing to help communicate our science to a broader audience. Below is a selection of op-eds and popular press works that I have published. Interested in writing op-eds as an academic? Click here for an ongoing compilation of resources that I’ve found useful!
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Three Roadblocks in Academia That Limit Science Communication
Heterodox: The Blog (August 11, 2022)
Academia needs to bridge the gap between scientific research and the people it is meant to help. However, science communication is limited by the academic infrastructure — that is, the structures, systems, and incentives that scholars and faculty work within…
Pursuing A Research PhD Is Like Launching Your Own Start-Up Business
PhD Stories with ThePhDPlace (June 6, 2022)
I worked in a start-up business before beginning my PhD in a research-intensive psychology program, and I have found there are overlapping skills and mindsets between being successful in a PhD and in launching a start-up. I share these in the hope that they help other students find their own “success”, whatever that may look like, and perhaps prepare future students for some of the unexpected challenges they may face when starting a PhD.
The Academic Bait-And-Switch: Do Professors Make Good Administrators?
James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal (February 25, 2022)
Academics sometimes have a bit of an unfortunate reputation of being big picture thinkers, with our heads in the clouds (or ivory tower) and disconnected from the realities of everyday life… Why, then, do we expect people who excel at being an academic to turn around later in their careers and lead the “business” side of the institution?
Are Students Learning the Right Skills? Why Academia Needs to Go Back to the “Basics”
James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal (November 17, 2021)
Last year, Forbes published a headline, “Americans rank a Google internship over a Harvard degree.” It seems higher education is quickly losing hold of its value proposition as the best way to prepare for a job or advance in one’s career…
Failure Isn’t Really Failure: What Academia Can Learn From Start-Up Culture
Heterodox: The Blog (November 16, 2021)
I’d like to propose one way academia can address the barrier of publishing incentives found in the academic system. Drawing from my experience working in a start-up, I believe that we in academia — from graduate students to early career scholars, to late-career tenured faculty — can learn to adopt a start-up and entrepreneurial culture and attitude toward research…
3 Warning Signs to Consider Before Using a Personality Test
Fast Company (June 7, 2021)
It seems like we bring up personality at work all the time… Sadly, what most people don’t realize is that the science of personality is incredibly complex and faces ongoing debate, even in the academic literature. Even worse, the vast majority of the personality tests used in business settings are flawed and lack scientific evidence.
What Psychology Offers Christians Amid Political Polarization
Christianity Today (June 24, 2019)
Scholars describe the difficulties and benefits of humility, but Christ offers an example.
From 2020-2021, I was a staff writer for the George Mason University newspaper: the Fourth Estate. You can find my collection of op-eds here.