I had a very difficult PhD advisor. They were a bit of a celebrity in the field and it showed in their attention to image and presentation, both of themselves and the work: speaking in inspirational profundities while actually expecting the opposite, obsessing more with the optics of the lab and work than the work itself, pushing for PR that distracted from actual research, etc. They were constantly belittling and dismissive to most updates while being unable to advise in a meaningful technical capacity, which fostered a stale air of depression around the lab.
I was once threatened to get kicked out of the lab due to missing an internal deadline for a paper draft, several weeks out from the official deadline (which is very strict by comparison; most other PIs were fine with students starting to write a week - or even just a few days - before the deadline). We were already working against our late decision to aim for a submission, and a whirlwind of academic and personal events made this a very stressful period that they were unsympathetic to. That paper ended up being the only accept out of the whole department.
I eventually /did/ get kicked out, after venting years of pent-up grievances during a mental breakdown for which I was seeking treatment. I can't tell which part of that episode upsets me more: finding out through a notification of my fork of my project repo being deleted, or that they did this despite - or maybe because of - knowing that I had scheduled counseling appointments. That they could do this without any warning or mediation - per university policy - hammered home the point that under the subterfuge of caring and inclusivity, academia still treats students like replaceable cogs in a paper mill.
I limped and hobbled my way to graduation and have since been much^3 happier in industry. From what I've heard of the department, it sounds like nothing has changed and controversies - some particularly heinous - continue to get swept under the rug. Academia is in need of a wholesale reset to flush out the toxic mentalities that breeds these bullies in the first place.
Sorry that happened to you. It should never have happened. The older I get the more I realize there are so many broken people in positions of power in this world that it feels overwhelming.
My son, at college last year, ran into something similar, but much less serious. A professor on a power trip wouldn't let him make up a lab when he had a Dr's note he was at the hospital for walking pneumonia. He got an incomplete in the course and still has to take it.
Broken people in positions of power can due massive amounts of damage to this world. It's unclear how we humans can limit that. I believe the "woke" movement was, in part, a response to it.
Pushed out of the PhD program, had to settle for a Masters. Told by many faculty, "Women can't do math". Really impacted her mental health. She got abuse even from female faculty.
Some students were clearly favored over others, for reasons nothing to do with ability or necessarily gender. Rich girls with similar grades didn't have it as bad, for example.
Then of course was the male professors who sort of implied that there was perhaps something that could be done to improve their standing in the school. What that thing was was left unsaid. One doesn't have to wonder.
> attention to image and presentation, both of themselves and the work: speaking in inspirational profundities while actually expecting the opposite, obsessing more with the optics of the lab and work than the work itself, pushing for PR that distracted from actual research, etc.
A theory I’ve heard from a few people directly: the groups working in the ugly, ordinary, boring buildings on campus are more likely to be doing the best work. Flashy buildings often don’t have impressive functional architecture, just looks, they attract vanity and image obsessed, and push out people who care the most about substance in academia.
I was once threatened to get kicked out of the lab due to missing an internal deadline for a paper draft, several weeks out from the official deadline (which is very strict by comparison; most other PIs were fine with students starting to write a week - or even just a few days - before the deadline). We were already working against our late decision to aim for a submission, and a whirlwind of academic and personal events made this a very stressful period that they were unsympathetic to. That paper ended up being the only accept out of the whole department.
I eventually /did/ get kicked out, after venting years of pent-up grievances during a mental breakdown for which I was seeking treatment. I can't tell which part of that episode upsets me more: finding out through a notification of my fork of my project repo being deleted, or that they did this despite - or maybe because of - knowing that I had scheduled counseling appointments. That they could do this without any warning or mediation - per university policy - hammered home the point that under the subterfuge of caring and inclusivity, academia still treats students like replaceable cogs in a paper mill.
I limped and hobbled my way to graduation and have since been much^3 happier in industry. From what I've heard of the department, it sounds like nothing has changed and controversies - some particularly heinous - continue to get swept under the rug. Academia is in need of a wholesale reset to flush out the toxic mentalities that breeds these bullies in the first place.