Why You Need an Academic Website
And some practical advice for how to make one and what to put on it.
How To Grad School
I'll help you make the most of graduate school and give you tips to survive this competative and stressful period—without working all day (and night, and weekend).How to Be a Better Reviewer (JAWS Event Recap)
Avoid being Reviewer 2 (and stop writing the summary paragraph!).
An Introvert’s Guide to Navigating Academic Conferences
Here’s what to do before, during, and after conferences if the idea of shaking hands with strangers in a hotel lobby makes you sweat.
All the President’s Mentions
Members of Congress often talk about the president. As it turns out, non-presidential partisans do it a lot more. Here’s why.
Write Your First Draft Faster by Writing the “Minimum Viable Paper”
Don’t spend valuable time coming up with an amazing research idea. Come up with many ideas, try the best ones quickly, and choose the one that works.
How to Learn Statistical Methods By Yourself
My 4-to-N step process for teaching myself statistical methods. And you can too.
Remote Python Web Scraping on a Grad Student Budget
In the summer of 2021, I taught our department’s annual short course on Python. I enjoyed teaching this class, and there are a lot of good lectures, but my favorite is the day we spend on web scraping—a skill that has a democratizing power. When you know how to scrape, the world opens up. You don’t need a team of research assistants or co-authors to create big data sources. You don’t need to limit your research to data from a few specific cases that are feasible to manually collect.
When Stronger Presidential Powers Could Be Worth The Risks
Americans are both skeptical of executive power yet desirous of a strong leader who can tackle America’s growing challenges. How should we think about potential benefits and risks?
A Long Guide to Giving a Short Academic Talk
Giving a talk is a lot like selling a car. Take them for a test drive, don’t read them the owner’s manual.
Power Through Your To-Do List with Time Blocking
Stop working in reaction mode. Be more proactive about tackling big, complicated projects by making time for deep work.
How to Get Started with Public Scholarship
Notes and reflections from a panel with Julia Azari, Hakeem Jefferson, and Matt Yglesias.
How to Have More Research Ideas
There is no formula for coming up with a great research idea. But there is a formula for coming up with more research ideas…some which might be good.
How to Productively Process Feedback and Criticism
Feedback is a gift, but in this case, it truly is better to give than to receive. I discuss some strategies for dealing with the initial sting and making the most of constructive criticism.
How To Stay Productive During a Pandemic
As we get ready to start another (hopefully, the last) remote semester, here are four ideas for staying productive at home during a pandemic.
How to Choose An Academic Advisor
Five qualities to consider beyond their research agenda and subfield expertise.
Seven Habits of Highly Effective Grad Students
The academic market is tough, and you need to start thinking about it early. To be competitive, you’ll have to develop some habits that ensure you stay productive and sane. Here are mine.
Don’t Take Shortcuts When It Comes to Course Readings
You don’t have to read every word on every page, but you should spend time on each book or article and answer these questions.
Five Things I Wish I’d Known Before Starting Grad School
Is grad school really that hard? How many hours will I have to work? Will I get a job?