The juice and the squeeze

A zesty podcast by two academics about where, how, and why we focus our efforts

About the show

We (Julia and Jonathan) happen to be academics and also happen to be psychologists studying speech perception. We want to make awesome science, make science awesome, and share what we’ve learned with a broad audience. In The Juice and the Squeeze, we peel apart issues in our careers and beyond (e.g., prioritizing, imposter syndrome, motivation, and more).

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Episodes

  • Episode 32: Which niche will you pick?

    October 27th, 2020  |  48 mins 20 secs

    Julia likes Halloween JUST A LITTLE and Julia and Jonathan start with their annual review of Julia’s Halloween plans. Then, on to talk about finding a research niche. It turns out it's not Leonardo Da Vinci times where it’s possible for one person to know everything, and Julia and Jonathan extol the virtues of programmatic research (and some hints on how to find your program).

  • Episode 31: Grant writing: Who's your audience?

    October 20th, 2020  |  50 mins 43 secs

    Julia and Jonathan have a wide-ranging discussion on grant writing, starting with a basic question: Which audience are you writing for? Topics include the mindset of your reviewers (hint: not always as expert as you might think), how to handle resubmissions, and our wish that it were easier to see examples of grants.

  • Episode 30: We thank the reviewers for their helpful comments

    October 6th, 2020  |  57 mins 20 secs

    You get reviewer comments back on your manuscript. How do you respond to them? Julia and Jonathan give their perspective on picking your battles, structuring a response letter, and how much to include vs. not. Some of us get grumpy when we read reviews, and many of us have experience with Grumpy Reviewer 2. But what about Helpful Reviewer 4? Also, your hosts invite David Tennant to be a guest on the podcast next time Julia is out of town.

  • Episode 29: Reviewing

    September 22nd, 2020  |  1 hr 5 mins

    Peer review is an integral part of the scientific endeavor. Julia and Jonathan share thoughts about why we review, and how we review. And, some thoughts on how to review less if you review a lot, and how to review MORE if you’d like to get started.

  • Episode 28: "Soft" skills

    September 8th, 2020  |  49 mins 20 secs

    Be serenaded by the dulcet tones of crying babies while you hear Julia and Jonathan discuss poorly-named “soft skills” of academia, including project management, general organization, and taking care of yourself (“sharpening your saw”). Empathy and theory-of-mind are undervalued as soft skills but are probably things we can practice. Imposter syndrome makes an appearance. And, Jonathan also explores a unique publishing opportunity.

  • Episode 27: Postdocs and how to apply for them

    August 27th, 2020  |  57 mins 30 secs

    What’s a postdoc? Why might you do one? And, how do you get one? Jonathan and Julia talk about their own experiences and advice, including why it’s never too early to start and why considering the F word is useful. But before any of that, a refreshing digression on cocktails and clear ice.

  • Episode 26: Online teaching

    August 11th, 2020  |  1 hr 3 mins

    Julia and Jonathan have been thinking a lot about online teaching. Not claiming to be experts they share what’s worked well and what they are excited about for the coming term. Office hours? Casual interactions? Small group discussions? We’ve got ideas for you. Bonus: hear how Julia learned about controlled burns (yes, it’s related).

  • Episode 25: Applying for a professor job at a small liberal arts college (SLAC)

    July 21st, 2020  |  49 mins 44 secs

    Interested in what a job at a small liberal arts college (SLAC) is like? Julia shares about her job (spoiler: she likes her job just a little) and offers advice on things to consider when applying for a similar job. Pssst: teaching experience helps. (And, follow-up reply to an email where the hosts reject a listener’s suggestion that it is entirely their fault they have a difficult relationship with their advisor.)

  • Episode 24: Virtual conferences

    July 7th, 2020  |  46 mins 35 secs

    With many (all?) conferences online for the foreseeable future, Julia and Jonathan talk about the pros and cons of online conferences, using SIPS (which Julia just attended) as a jumping off point. How do we fight “Zoom fatigue”? What advantages do online conferences offer and how can we take advantage of them?

  • Episode 23: When the going gets tough

    June 24th, 2020  |  44 mins 32 secs

    Turns out, life isn’t always easy. Julia and Jonathan explore some ways that we can help ourselves, and others, when we are going through difficult times (academic and otherwise), including the importance of modeling dealing with disappointment for our trainees (and colleagues) and having a network of people to turn to for support.

  • Episode 22: Taking time to listen

    June 9th, 2020  |  2 mins 49 secs

    Julia and Jonathan have a short show this week so you have time to listen to one of the other great podcasts by Black academics linked to in our show notes.

  • Episode 21: Congratulations, you are now a Mentor!

    May 27th, 2020  |  57 mins 2 secs

    Mentoring is one of those things in life that is super important but that most of us don’t get much training about. Julia and Jonathan talk about how mentees can seek out effective mentors (understanding everyone differs in their flexibility), and things mentors can do to be more helpful. And a friendly reminder that you’re never to young to have a mentor, or to be a mentor.

  • Episode 20: Registered reports

    May 12th, 2020  |  45 mins 38 secs

    Julia and Jonathan are excited about registered reports. They discuss pros (many) and cons (none?) and try to provide an overview of the process for newbies. Also, find out the best food to cook in your waffle maker (hint: it may not be a waffle).

  • Episode 19: Sharing more is caring more

    April 28th, 2020  |  53 mins 51 secs

    Jonathan and Julia—and special guest Violet Brown—muse over sharing sciency things that AREN’T code and data (such as knowledge about statistical analysis or writing grants). What is the best way to share this knowledge, who’s our audience, and why bother? Plus, find out whether you are in Jonathan’s scientific generation or not.

  • Episode 18: Sharing is caring

    April 14th, 2020  |  50 mins 32 secs

    Julia and Jonathan catch up on FU from Julia’s “self correcting” episode and dive into talking about why and how we share our data and code. What are the pros and cons? Will you be helping your future self? Spoiler alert: your hosts are more convinced by the pros. Plus, lots of interesting links to supplement your listening.

  • Episode 17: Self correcting

    March 31st, 2020  |  50 mins 49 secs

    In this episode, Julia describes the process of finding and correcting a major error in one of her published papers. A programming mistake had generated a pattern of data that was, in fact, completely untrue. Julia shares how she discovered the error, the temptation to conceal it, and the process of disclosing it to her co-authors, the journal it was published in, her tenure committee, and others. Along the way, Julia and Jonathan talk about the incentive structures of science, the benefits of programmatic research and scientific transparency, and the importance of sharing our mistakes and how we fix them.