May
25
Silverbacks and scientific progress: no more co-authorship for just supervision
Barend Mons (GO FAIR) frequently uses the term silverback to refer to more senior scientists effectively (intentionally or not) blocking progress. When Bjoern Brembs posted on G+ today that Stevan Harnad proposed to publish all research online, I was reminded of Mons' gorillas.
My conclusion is basically that every senior scholar (after PhD) is basically a silverback. And the older we get the more back we become, and the less silver. That includes me, I'm fully aware of that. I'm trying to give the PhD candidates I am supervising (Ryan, Denise, Marvin) as much space as I can and focus only on what I can teach them. Fairly, I am limited in that too: grants put pressure on what the candidates must deliver on top of the thesis.
My conclusion is basically that every senior scholar (after PhD) is basically a silverback. And the older we get the more back we become, and the less silver. That includes me, I'm fully aware of that. I'm trying to give the PhD candidates I am supervising (Ryan, Denise, Marvin) as much space as I can and focus only on what I can teach them. Fairly, I am limited in that too: grants put pressure on what the candidates must deliver on top of the thesis.
