Feeling left out

[Vid]

Hello folks,

I just heard that a full professor in my department got an internal grant from my college to work on some kind of research that is 70% related to what I do. Apparently, he got $2 M from our college to do this research but didn't include me (I just came to know about this in a meeting) and instead he included a faculty from another university to help with the type of research that I do!!

I feel his action wasn't really professional---giving our college money to another university while we have in-house expertise doesn't seem right/fair to me. 

What do you guys recommend in this case? I feel left out!

Thank you.

[ciao_yall]

Ask him about it?

[Durchlässigkeitsbeiwert]

Offer your services to help with the project without appearing entitled to a piece of the grant

There are all kinds of reasons to choose collaborator from elsewhere:
- familiarity
- return of a courtesy
- access to a specific equipment/data/field site
- prestige
- fear of you attempting to hijack the project

[Ruralguy]

I disagree somewhat. Don't offer services so early. Just ask questions. Just say things like "Oh wow, that's really interesting. I just wrote a paper on a similar thing." See if that sparks interest. If it doesn't then leave it alone.  If it does, offer some services.

He probably didn't really know what your research was, or didn't want to burden you, or had some anxiety in sharing, etc.. But don't assume the worst.

[Ruralguy]

Also, if its an internal grant, its rather unlikely money is being transferred to another college. He is  likely just working with that person due to familiarity.

[Vid]

Durchlässigkeitsbeiwert: Excellent points. I like it. Thank you.

Ruralguy: You're right. I am thinking the same way cause there was another internal grant (with another senior faculty) and he wanted me to do 60% of the project freely (not sure, maybe I am a junior TT and they treat me this way!)! This senior faculty awarded the internal grant (~$1.5M)before I joined the university, though.

But I feel I need to talk to my department chair about this, I feel something isn't really right!? The main reason they needed/hired a faculty with my research background was doing this type of research and now they left me out!  

It amazes me how they get large-scale internal grants! None of them actually have any fed grants just internal or local grants (city or county level grants).

[mleok]

Your department chair can't force senior faculty to include you in their grant proposals, and you'll come across as clueless if you make a fuss about it. Start introducing yourself to the senior faculty whose research interests are closest to yours. Focus on getting your own single PI external grants, that's the most important thing for your tenure bid anyway.

[jerseyjay]

Did the senior professor know that your interests overlap with that of his grant? If it is a big department, and both you and the other professor have diverse interests, it is possible that he doesn't know that you are interested in a similar area. You said that the grant is "to work on some kind of research that is 70% related to what [you] do." How similar is your actual research (instead of your interest) to the grant?

For matter, have you actually seen the grant or a description of it, instead of just heard about it? It is possible that there is less overlap than you think, and that what you heard might not be accurate.

If your research really overlap, and if the senior professor really knew what you do, I can think of various reasons why he might not have included you. Besides those that Durch indicated, it is also possible that he is taking a different theoretical/methodological approach and hence would not be interested in collaboration, even if you look at the same thing; he might think you are over-committed; he might not like you personally or professionally; he could have been working with the other professor for ages; he may consider the fact that you have not approached him about your own research a sign that you are not interested in collaboration. So you really don't know why he overlooked you--it could be anything and mean anything. I wouldn't assume the worst.

If you get offended and accuse him of being unprofessional, it probably will come off like whinging and unprofessional on your part. And if he is a senior professor in your department who does something similar to you, alienating him more wouldn't be good.

Assuming that you are not likely to run into him on campus given the pandemic, I would write him an email along the lines of: Congratulations on the grant; I am attaching an article that I just published that might be useful for your research; please do not hesitate to contact me if there is anyway I can be of help.

And then let it be. Perhaps at some time in the future you can ask him how it is going (this would work best if you can actually run into him in person.

[Vid]

jerseyjay: Yes, this project is very close to my research area. when I got hired my department chair said this senior professor is recently hired to write proposals and include you and other two faculty (he is 100% research). He knows my research very well. Anyway, it's what it's.


Thank you, all.

[ciao_yall]

Assuming that you are not likely to run into him on campus given the pandemic, I would write him an email along the lines of: Congratulations on the grant; I am attaching an article that I just published that might be useful for your research; please do not hesitate to contact me if there is anyway I can be of help.

And then let it be.

^ This ^

[Cheerful]

But I feel I need to talk to my department chair about this, I feel something isn't really right!? The main reason they needed/hired a faculty with my research background was doing this type of research and now they left me out! 

If you get along very well with your dept. chair, it might be OK to talk  with the chair about this (in-person, phone, or Zoom, not email).  Not in an accusatory way or because you expect the chair to do something about it (probably not much the chair can or should do), but just to ask what the chair thinks or what advice the chair might have for you going forward.

Your feelings seem normal to me.  If you thought you got along well with this person who received the grant, it's understandable that you are puzzled and/or hurt.  Others have listed some of the hundred possible reasons why this happened.

Strive to stay on good terms with everyone and focus on what is best for you and your own record.

[mamselle]

If you're junior faculty, people may have been told, "hands off" so you can get your own pubs going.

Collaborations can be great.

They can also chew up time, tax your inner resources, and play havoc with your mind.

Maybe focusing on your own work more is expected until you have more out is expected.

But don't go all silly on yourself, or aggrandize yourself. People do what they do.

M.

[Ruralguy]

And what the frack...two million in internal grants? I'm lucky to get three orders of magnitude lower than that from my school.

[jerseyjay]

And what the frack...two million in internal grants? I'm lucky to get three orders of magnitude lower than that from my school.

As a new faculty member I got a $6000 internal grant to do research on my book. And then $250 minigrant to help pay for the index. The only way for my school to fund a $2 million grant would be to lay off all the administration. Which might not be a bad idea....

[Ruralguy]

I can only see a school giving out that kind of money to an individual if they know they are going to get back something. If it isn't return on indirects from federal grants, then perhaps the person is really good spokesperson for...whatever, or brings in students, or is an active minority faculty member they want to get behind. There has to be something behind this. I can see a school blowing 10,000 on a useless nobody, but 2 million?