Excellence is a term that is often used in academia. While we all probably have some idea of what this term means, it tends to remain superficial and generic. We therefore contend that to really understand and appreciate people, excellence should always be viewed in context. Without this, you often don’t see the complete picture, hampering appropriate judgement of someone's performance. Through this, talents can remain unrecognized and underappreciated. Failures, for instance, are rarely discussed, although they have a substantial effect on overall performance. Moreover, the contexts in which people operate can differ substantially, whether due to educational demands, caregiving responsibilities, or other factors. All the while, time is scarce, forcing us to make choices on where to focus our efforts and where not.

This raises the question: What does excellence mean for people in academia, and what does it take to foster and sustain this kind of excellence for the future?

In this podcast series, we aim to discuss and reflect upon ‘Excellence’ in context. Guests discuss how differences in opportunities, demands and constraints impact one's academic career, offering insights from different perspectives. We hope that these discussions will increase awareness, encourage reflections, and foster discussions on context-dependent opportunities and constraints to flourish in academia.

Music: Higher Up by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com