đź’ One of my favorite papers (that I have written)
Published:
During the academic job search, I was sometimes asked what my favorite paper was. I like this question because it is an invitation to discuss not just a paper but also the story behind it—most likely, a story that dives into the inevitable setbacks of doing research. The finished manuscript does not tell this story. The stumbles, the dead ends, the blunders are all distilled away to produce a carefully curated line of reasoning. Rightfully so. Still, I believe there merit in acknowledging the nonlinear paths that research follows and reflecting on the tangled, at times frustrating, at times rewarding, journey of trying over and over again to solve a problem.