On December 10th, I applied for a position in the University Professors’ body in the Department of Didactics and School Organization at the Faculty of Education, University of Murcia. As I mentioned in a recent post, when I prepared for my tenure-track position, I shared some insights from the process with you (you can find it in this post from September 12, 2018). However, I see little value in that approach today, mainly due to the various methods used in Spanish universities.
That said, I think I can share some materials and reflections from preparing for the public defense of the position (some universities do not require this) in case it might help anyone.
The most challenging part, from my perspective, is making sense of the position you’re applying for. By this, I mean defining what a university chair means, in my case, what it means to be a Chair Professor today and why you, specifically, deserve that title. This involves overcoming impostor syndrome and breaking free from stereotypes about what a professor should be, focusing instead on defining who you are and what all those papers, projects, conferences, and the list you submitted to ANECA mean to you and to academia.
In my search for answers, I found refuge where I feel most creatively comfortable: in design (though I lack talent, enthusiasm helps). Inspired greatly by the Dear Data project, which I read about a few years ago (https://www.dear-data.com/theproject), I started following some Instagram accounts of professionals who specialize in visual – I would say artistic – data design and visual presentations. To name a few, which will surely connect you with others, I recommend the work of Federica Fragapanne (https://www.instagram.com/federicafragapane/, who also offers short courses on platforms like Domestika) and the Master Slides account (https://www.instagram.com/themasterslides/). I took some Domestika courses (you can see my professional level, haha) as an introduction to these topics, like this one and this one, and read the books recommended to me on the subject…
Ultimately, I created this slideshow (I’ve trimmed it because I’ve removed the project details, hoping we will find funding for them) to make sense of it all.
And with some of those slides, I also made a series of postcards that I printed as keepsakes to share with the people I have felt closest to over these years and who couldn’t be there that day.
I hope some of this may be useful, inspiring, or suggestive for you, whether in terms of things to do or to avoid. This has been part of my journey; now it’s time to think of new paths.
Thank you to everyone who has shown me kindness during this significant moment in my life.