The secret to research-life balance

During a reception for new hires at Concordia, a professor from another department asked me to explain my ongoing research. When I did he said, “You need to meet Andrew!”*

Zipping across the room while I followed, he made the introduction. A conversation ensued, and Andrew, steps ahead of me on the academic ladder, invited me to present my research at a public forum he was organizing.   

Collaborations are sometimes forged unexpectedly (thanks to a generous colleague), but most often they require strategic planning.

What are the best tactics for forming fruitful collaborations inside and outside the university?  

On January 22, 2016, that question, and others, will be tackled at the third annual Women’s Faculty Summit, “In Pursuit of Knowledge: Exploring Academic Research for Women.” The event will be held at the Loyola Jesuit Hall and Conference Centre.

Sponsored by the Office of the Provost, the summit aims to bring together female faculty members across the university for a day of networking and discussion about common concerns.

At this year’s edition, women representing all faculties at Concordia, at all levels, will communicate their strategies and share their experience on two panels.

The second panel will reflect upon another topic that occupies many women: how to balance research commitments with life’s other challenges.

There will be a networking luncheon, which will be followed by a keynote address by Maryse Lassonde, scientific director of the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies (FRQNT).

As one of the province’s three primary funding groups, FRQNT covers a wide swath of research fields, including natural resources, the environment, agri-food and all related information and communications technology.

Lassonde, who earned a PhD from Stanford, served as a professor of psychology at Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (1977-1988) and later at Université de Montréal (1988-2013). Her own research interests span several disciplines, including social sciences, health and biomedical imaging.

Encouraging women to aggressively pursue research is a cause close to Lassonde’s heart, and her keynote will be entitled “Doubling the Research Possiblities for Women.”

Lassonde is looking forward to the opportunity to convey her message to female faculty members at Concordia. “The event brings together many themes that I'm passionate about,” she says. 

Register for the third annual Women’s Faculty Summit, “In Pursuit of Knowledge: Exploring Academic Research for Women,” taking place at the Loyola Jesuit Hall and Conference Centre (7141 Sherbrooke St. W.) on January 22, 2016, from 10 a.m. to 2.30 p.m.

*Andrew is not his real name.