Keynote talk “Academic kindness”

What an amazing day at our Department Retreat!
I was so happy when our Head of Department, Matthew Francis, asked me to talk about academic kindness this year.

I love talking about academic kindness because it is so important to me. I believe the best way to discuss a personal and sensitive topic like this is to open up and be vulnerable. I wanted to be clear from the start that this isn’t about prescribing behavior – academic kindness can be lived very differently and is a personal decision. So, I decided to share my own experiences, both positive and negative, and how they affected my wellbeing, performance, and creativity.

Before our session (here’s us just before we began), Annika from HR set the stage by recapping last year’s retreat centered around trust and respect. With over 100 people in our department, I knew this approach wouldn’t resonate with everyone, but my hope was to make kindness more visible and get it on everyone’s radar. This was the first time I took such a strong position in a public setting – it was scary, but definitely worth it.

I wrapped up by inviting everyone to reflect:

• What does academic kindness mean to you?

• How would you like your team to show it?

• What can you do?

I was overwhelmed by a wave of positive feedback. Our department has people who are willing to work together on this, and it’s incredibly motivating to see such support. I don’t expect to change academia overnight, but I’m doing my part to promote kindness in science. If you feel the same, let’s connect!