, 1 min read
Academic applied research is… unapplicable
While pure theory is wasteful, bringing applied research to academia is equally wasteful! Applied research seeks to produce applied results. These results are good or bad depending on their real-world application. But in academia, success is defined by peer review. Peers do not test real-world applications! Moreover, researchers have an approximative idea of real-world problems.
Hence, I cringe every time I hear about a new academic applied project. Professors are rarely good at solving real problems! A better option is to use the world around us as a stimuli for research ideas.
To put it bluntly, you cannot live in an ivory tower and pretend to tell others what to do. Instead, use your tower to have a bird’s eye view on the world! Study the world! But be humble about what you can do to transform it!