GenAI now
I thought we had gotten into calmer waters with generative AI, but DeepSeek, the plunge of Nvidia stock, and the launch of o-3 mini showed me that I was very wrong. And yet - I feel a certain fatigue, a…
Broadly contributing
In the past, my research lines were very well defined. I started with the shear capacity of reinforced concrete slabs under concentrated loads. Gradually, I expanded to other shear problems, punching, torsion, and assessment of reinforced concrete slab bridges. Then,…
How my work has changed
Every now and then, I take a look back on what my work weeks used to look like, and what they look like now. And now is a moment in my career in which I've been a full professor in…
PhD Talk for AcademicTransfer: How to prepare your PhD candidates for their defense
This post is part of the series PhD Talk for AcademicTransfer: posts written for the Dutch academic career network AcademicTransfer, your go-to resource for all research positions in the Netherlands. These posts are sponsored by AcademicTransfer, and tailored to those…
Offboarding PhD candidates
I have written about the procedures I have for onboarding PhD candidates and postdocs, but it recently became clear to me that I also need to think about my procedures for offboarding. So, I sat down to see what are…
Aligning research projects to scale up
I have recently been applying to more calls for proposals than in the past - partially because I am developing a new research line in Ecuador, and I can use all the financial contributions to buy the necessary equipment. For…
How to deal with a startling block: when your writing’s going well
Today, I have the pleasure of hosting Dr. Noelle Sterne (Ph.D., Columbia University) with a fascinating guest post on when your writing goes too well. Noelle is a dissertation coach and editor, academic and mainstream writing consultant, author, workshop leader,…
Think day on legacy, impact and visibility
It has been getting harder for me to carve out the time for my think days, so a few of these have taken place while my kid was at one of her activities and I went for the duration to…
What made this past semester so heavy
Fall 2024 was one intense semester for the books. I'm held together by thin treads of caffeine and death metal. Not exaggerating. So, what made this semester so heavy (I know this one was going to be a challenge when…
My current exercise routine
As I write an update every now and then of my exercise routine, it is time to put my current exercise routine up here. My routine is rather simple. I currently focus on four big lifts: back squat, push press,…