These are related to two departmental initiatives that I would encourage candidates to read more about: Indigenous Community Planning (dusp.mit.edu/projects/ind...dusp.mit.edu/racially-jus... ) 15/16

I agree it's a story with a familiar ending but it's overly flattering to read it as that intentional: the 'departmental minister pens reassuring piece to Green-curious voters in Guardian, PM froths at mouth in Sun' thing is not cynical, it's worse, it's stupid and dysfunctional.

Again I find cross department support good for this. Whilst a good English departmental culture of editing and improving may exist it can sometimes be difficult to transfer it to other subjects. Using the same strategies in science that they use in English helps.Again I find cross department support good for this. Whilst a good English departmental culture of editing and improving may exist it can sometimes be difficult to transfer it to other subjects. Using the same strategies in science that they use in English helps.

I am DONE with the work offsite. It was fantastic for what it was supposed to do (much as this introvert is loath to admit it…). Not looking forward to the post-peopling crash, but happy for the new connections and the cross-departmental understanding.

I felt dreadful yesterday - temperature, sore throat and so on. Seems to have mostly gone by today, so maybe it wasn’t the departmental lurgy. Need to be well by Sunday, it’s Covid and flu jab day.

looking forward to reliving work-related trauma in a giant inter-departmental meeting today 😃

Note - this was part of Awa’s dissertation as an undergrad at Oxford, and she won a departmental prize for it. Over the summer we wrote it up for publication. Very proud of her!

Royal Historical Society applications for Departmental Visits are open (deadline 29 November). These are a great way to showcase your unit, strategise and inform the Society's Council of the state of play at your institution and in your region. Highly recommended: royalhistsoc.org/visits-2025/

I'd additionally like to see function level measures – percentage of departmental staff in specialist DDaT roles, percentage of civil servant versus supplier versus contractors, that sort of thing (given this 5 minutes thought, others could do better)…

an incredibly funny thing to do, over the course of a departmental retreat where two dozen different people try to figure out What Your Deal Is (given your PI and their reputation), is to practice for your grfp personal statement by explaining it to them. (we’re both formidable! it’s a great fit.)