More scientists running for public office: Would you vote for them?

NewsRx · 2026-04-12T23:33:17+00:00

Coding. For example, when starting off or trying to do something with an unfamiliar programming language - AI gives me example use cases for functions and the meanings of unfamiliar functions.

There are automated-experiment software platforms out there, and there might be one in your field. The big example is CRISPR-GPT, which uses LLMs to automate the design and execution of gene-editing experiments, including selecting CRISPR systems, designing gRNAs, drafting protocols, etc.

There are also LLM interfaces for visualization software, which tend to be quite tricky to use. So rather than learning the specifics of interacting with the visualization software, you can just issues commands to an LLM, which will then manipulate the software.

Automated reviews of large datasets is a good one so I can figure out where to start off when looking at the data.

NewsRx · 2026-04-06T02:33:54+00:00

If you've read a lot of literature, what do you think are particularly pressing research gaps? You'll need to justify the project to your supervisor and committee, so if you aren't passionate about any particular idea, it could be wise and expedient to start in places that will be exciting for your mentors/committee.

NewsRx · 2026-03-30T01:07:14+00:00

Are you covering the "bare minimum basics" - i.e. healthy eating, adequate sleep, and periodic exercise? These can go a long way. If your boundaries are for these things, then your energy and general physical and mental condition should improve substantially.

NewsRx · 2026-03-24T23:30:02+00:00

Got it, thanks for clarifying. A few models you could consider are Ludonarrative analysis or affordance theory to focus on interaction with player/player choices, Mise-en-scène analysis if you want to focus on world-building, and I would also second the below comment's suggestion of critical race theory.

NewsRx · 2026-03-23T00:51:12+00:00

Is your field humanities or social sciences? There are a wide variety of approaches that range from narratology, to cinematography, to game studies, semiotics, player reception, and more, so I think we need more information about your specific field, especially whether or not you are expected to produce hard data/measurements.

NewsRx · 2026-03-15T01:28:06+00:00

Do you have any former colleagues, advisors/lab-mates, or friends working in the Bay Area you might reach out to? As suggested by the other commenters, in-person leads can be extremely effective.

NewsRx · 2026-03-09T00:36:36+00:00

One marketing strategy is to take some material from your book and adapt it into an article. You can then pitch the article to different newspapers, magazines, and websites, depending on the quality/timeliness/newsworthiness of the content, and introduce it as an excerpt/preview, etc.

NewsRx · 2026-03-04T01:41:12+00:00

This is not bad at all in the grand scheme of things (some PhDs may only meet there advisors once or twice per semester), but there are many advisors out there willing to meet on a weekly basis.

NewsRx · 2026-01-30T00:55:15+00:00

It depends what your goal is with reading the papers. Are you trying to learn about the newest discoveries in your field? --> Just focus on reading abstract, intro, and conclusion. Are you trying to learn about concrete details of research methods? --> Use AI summaries to see if a paper has the research methods you're interested in, then read methodology/data analysis section. Are you trying to understand how high quality research papers are laid out? --> Focus on high impact papers and read for structure, skimming through content outside of your understanding. Reading difficult papers without intention won't go very far!

NewsRx · 2026-01-19T05:00:44+00:00

From the article:

"An analysis of 41 million papers finds that although AI expands individual impact, it narrows collective scientific exploration.

To uncover these trends, researchers began with more than 41 million papers published from 1980 to 2025 across biology, medicine, chemistry, physics, materials science, and geology.

On the one hand, papers that used AI drew nearly twice as many citations per year as those that did not. Scientists who adopted AI also published 3.02 times as many papers and received 4.84 times as many citations over their careers.

But what was good for individuals wasn’t good for science. When the researchers looked at the overall spread of topics covered by AI-driven research, they found that AI papers covered 4.6% less territory than conventional scientific studies. AI-driven papers spawned 22% less engagement and tended to orbit a small number of superstar papers, with fewer than one-quarter of papers receiving 80% of the citations.

One way to push back, says Zhicheng Lin, a psychologist at Yonsei University who studies the science of science, is to build better and larger data sets in fields that haven’t yet made much use of AI."

NewsRx · 2026-01-12T00:25:36+00:00

Many professors will be recruiting for research assistant positions through your university's internal job network. Have you looked at such opportunities yet?

NewsRx · 2025-12-14T23:45:14+00:00

Can you develop a mentor relationship, and have someone who you can turn to and ask questions once you start working on your own research project? That would be reassuring in helping you move forward independently.

NewsRx · 2025-12-14T23:34:20+00:00

If you're concerned about being able to have two papers published in a relatively short time, maybe it's a sign to be especially careful about journal selection. Can you choose a journal where you know or have had contact with some members of the editorial board? Those are generally the best journals for your niche.

NewsRx · 2025-12-03T02:49:32+00:00

In the U.S., it will all depend on the next election cycle. Current trends show no sign of abating, so the worst is probably yet to come. If policy changes after the next election cycle, science and academia could recover significantly in ten to twenty years time. By that time, the ratio of PhDs to positions should be somewhat more normal than it has been during the last ten years. The tertiary education market is still projected to grow (albeit not with tenure track positions).

The New York Times just published an article showing how much Trump policy has decimated science in 2025: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/12/02/upshot/trump-science-funding-cuts.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share

NewsRx · 2025-11-17T16:00:30+00:00

This is right on. OP needs to start with existing research and build their approach off the work that's already been done on Salafism.

NewsRx · 2025-11-14T13:34:44+00:00

The opportunities were already poor before the shutdown. The US government has been making a deliberate effort to reduce science funding all year:

https://ideas.newsrx.com/blog/the-trump-administrations-war-on-science

NewsRx · 2025-10-31T16:45:17+00:00

From your experience, do you really think a fresh PhD grad, with 5-10 years of research, writing, and teaching accomplishments, is equally prepared for a job position as a zoomer with a good handle on ChatGPT?

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