The Joy of Science

We live in an age where working in science or engineering offers tremendous professional opportunities - the pace of scientific development is truly breathtaking. Yet many researchers struggle with the pressures of the fast-paced academic workplace, and struggle to harmonize their work and personal lives. The result can be burnout, exhaustion, and stress on a personal level, and difficulty in recruiting and retaining talented, diverse people to science and engineering. Those topics are addressed by "Joy of Science" from Roel Snieder. The book aims to help scientists by identifying and questioning the core beliefs that drive a culture of overwork, and provides real-world examples and exercises for those wishing to do things differently.

In this edition of the Thursday Lunch Series, we look at the main messages of the book and discuss the extent to which they apply to our daily scientific work. We definitely recommend reading the book, but it is not a prerequisite for attending the lunch discussion.

Prof. Dr. Herbert Zech holds the Chair of Civil Law, Technology Law and IT Law at Humboldt University, Berlin, and is a Director at the Weizenbaum Institute for the Networked Society.