Michael Barany
@mbarany.com
Historical and cultural theories about maths and science theories. Fields Medal killjoy. Scotland enjoyer. formerly @mbarany on birdsite and intermittently @[email protected] on fediverse
Pinned
Michael Barany
@mbarany.com
· Apr 17
Reading Between the Lines in the Barany Lab: Lessons on Written and Unwritten Science and Mathematics - International Journal of Peptide Research and Therapeutics
Purpose I reflect on my childhood experiences in the Barany Lab and connect them to several findings and themes from my subsequent career researching the history and culture of science and mathematics...
doi.org
I wrote a little essay in honor of my dad's retirement, "Reading Between the Lines in the Barany Lab" (open access) doi.org/10.1007/s109...
there were three Michael B's and a Michael R and, briefly, a Michael W in my middle school math class. felt bad for the substitutes when our regular teacher was away
January 12, 2026 at 9:12 PM
there were three Michael B's and a Michael R and, briefly, a Michael W in my middle school math class. felt bad for the substitutes when our regular teacher was away
yeah here we have lots of consultation but no evidence that it makes any difference to decisions or plans
January 11, 2026 at 7:44 PM
yeah here we have lots of consultation but no evidence that it makes any difference to decisions or plans
the pattern here is fairly high satisfaction with bosses the closer they are to you on the ladder, where they are accordingly much more likely to understand and value what you do and appreciate what you need to do it
January 11, 2026 at 7:07 PM
the pattern here is fairly high satisfaction with bosses the closer they are to you on the ladder, where they are accordingly much more likely to understand and value what you do and appreciate what you need to do it
of course internal appointment of leadership is not a solution in itself, but it can help address a basic factor in the disastrousness we expect from external ones
January 11, 2026 at 4:03 PM
of course internal appointment of leadership is not a solution in itself, but it can help address a basic factor in the disastrousness we expect from external ones
it's much easier to find out what is done elsewhere than it is to understand how and why your own institution works, and all the elsewhere-knowledge in the world is useless (or indeed harm-prone) without a solid own-understanding
January 11, 2026 at 4:00 PM
it's much easier to find out what is done elsewhere than it is to understand how and why your own institution works, and all the elsewhere-knowledge in the world is useless (or indeed harm-prone) without a solid own-understanding
the biggest benefit is you avoid career VCs, the jobs become something you do as an exception to your norm of working within an institution, which keeps you at least nominally sensitive to what it means to work within the institution
January 11, 2026 at 3:58 PM
the biggest benefit is you avoid career VCs, the jobs become something you do as an exception to your norm of working within an institution, which keeps you at least nominally sensitive to what it means to work within the institution
honestly if you can't fill your senior roles from people who have made a significant part of their careers within the institution, you need to reform your hiring and career support, not seek leadership externally
January 11, 2026 at 3:23 PM
honestly if you can't fill your senior roles from people who have made a significant part of their careers within the institution, you need to reform your hiring and career support, not seek leadership externally
Reposted by Michael Barany
Three short paragraphs, and you've got the whole mind-bending mess that is #UKHE finance & governance neatly laid out.
This is why it's all so exhausting: our managers declare there's only one static frame, while we know their framing is part of the issue.
💡 www.hepi.ac.uk/2026/01/10/w...
This is why it's all so exhausting: our managers declare there's only one static frame, while we know their framing is part of the issue.
💡 www.hepi.ac.uk/2026/01/10/w...
January 10, 2026 at 12:28 PM
Three short paragraphs, and you've got the whole mind-bending mess that is #UKHE finance & governance neatly laid out.
This is why it's all so exhausting: our managers declare there's only one static frame, while we know their framing is part of the issue.
💡 www.hepi.ac.uk/2026/01/10/w...
This is why it's all so exhausting: our managers declare there's only one static frame, while we know their framing is part of the issue.
💡 www.hepi.ac.uk/2026/01/10/w...
Reposted by Michael Barany
new year, new design for my website mbarany.com
Michael J. Barany
The personal website of Michael J. Barany.
mbarany.com
January 1, 2026 at 4:17 PM
new year, new design for my website mbarany.com
see e.g. senate paper 6 here, which was approved overwhelmingly registryservices.ed.ac.uk/sites/defaul...
registryservices.ed.ac.uk
January 7, 2026 at 10:34 AM
see e.g. senate paper 6 here, which was approved overwhelmingly registryservices.ed.ac.uk/sites/defaul...
fwiw the academic senate, research directors, heads of subject, union, and more have been raising all these questions and concerns about the edinburgh metrics, and no movement yet from management
January 7, 2026 at 10:33 AM
fwiw the academic senate, research directors, heads of subject, union, and more have been raising all these questions and concerns about the edinburgh metrics, and no movement yet from management
Reposted by Michael Barany
I've heard through the grapevine about a few UK universities using research metrics to make redundancy or performance management decisions, and it's really troubling, but I think there is scope to push back and hold institutions to account. #AcademicSky
Regular reminder that research assessment reform is, above all, a labour issue.
I've learned that Edinburgh University is planning to cut 20% of academics in some departments
To decide who gets the chop, they generated an academic contribution metric that is a raw count of *any type* of output, including book reviews.
The management of UK Universities continues to amaze
To decide who gets the chop, they generated an academic contribution metric that is a raw count of *any type* of output, including book reviews.
The management of UK Universities continues to amaze
January 6, 2026 at 1:02 PM
I've heard through the grapevine about a few UK universities using research metrics to make redundancy or performance management decisions, and it's really troubling, but I think there is scope to push back and hold institutions to account. #AcademicSky
yeah quick search puts some summer truffles at that price point
January 7, 2026 at 10:19 AM
yeah quick search puts some summer truffles at that price point
I think some high end mushrooms come in around there? expensive but also low density
January 7, 2026 at 10:17 AM
I think some high end mushrooms come in around there? expensive but also low density
Reposted by Michael Barany
i'm glad i spent most of my life learning how to read unreliable texts.
January 6, 2026 at 8:37 PM
i'm glad i spent most of my life learning how to read unreliable texts.
came here to recommend that series 👍
January 5, 2026 at 7:45 AM
came here to recommend that series 👍
Reposted by Michael Barany
Might be worth reminding any AMS officers or council members you see next week #disruptJMM
On 22 Feb 2022, shortly before the planned host of that year's International Congress of Mathematicians launched a "special military operation" in the territory of a sovereign neighbour, the American Mathematical Society released this statement: www.ams.org/news?news_id...
January 3, 2026 at 8:26 PM
Might be worth reminding any AMS officers or council members you see next week #disruptJMM
I was an officer of one of a large number of organisations issuing statements calling for the ICM to be suspended during those four interim days, so more firsthand experience than historian in this case
January 3, 2026 at 8:18 PM
I was an officer of one of a large number of organisations issuing statements calling for the ICM to be suspended during those four interim days, so more firsthand experience than historian in this case
Four days later, the International Mathematical Union moved the ICM online in recognition that asking mathematicians to gather in the aggressor nation would be untenable www.mathunion.org/fileadmin/IM...
www.mathunion.org
January 3, 2026 at 8:01 PM
Four days later, the International Mathematical Union moved the ICM online in recognition that asking mathematicians to gather in the aggressor nation would be untenable www.mathunion.org/fileadmin/IM...
On 22 Feb 2022, shortly before the planned host of that year's International Congress of Mathematicians launched a "special military operation" in the territory of a sovereign neighbour, the American Mathematical Society released this statement: www.ams.org/news?news_id...
January 3, 2026 at 8:01 PM
On 22 Feb 2022, shortly before the planned host of that year's International Congress of Mathematicians launched a "special military operation" in the territory of a sovereign neighbour, the American Mathematical Society released this statement: www.ams.org/news?news_id...
Reposted by Michael Barany
My Kingdom for a Dean of Actually To Be Honest Just Get On With Core Business
At what point will a brave university simply tell its staff to stop applying for grants, and just fund their research or give them time to write instead. I'm sure it would cost less than all that wasted staff time.
'ok I'll read one article on something before starting on my grant proposal'
the article:
the article:
January 2, 2026 at 1:56 PM
My Kingdom for a Dean of Actually To Be Honest Just Get On With Core Business
well into my third decade of being a stickler for minutes
January 1, 2026 at 6:41 PM
well into my third decade of being a stickler for minutes
going to take a while to convert the whole publication list to the new approach, but I think this will be a lot more user friendly.
obvi a work in progress, pointers/feedback welcome!
obvi a work in progress, pointers/feedback welcome!
January 1, 2026 at 4:17 PM
going to take a while to convert the whole publication list to the new approach, but I think this will be a lot more user friendly.
obvi a work in progress, pointers/feedback welcome!
obvi a work in progress, pointers/feedback welcome!
rebuilding this and my teaching site (study.histsci.scot ) on the same basic static html/css, for all the reasons web 1.0 is making a comeback
Study.HistSci.Scot
Course materials and resources for teaching and learning the history of science, based in Scotland.
study.histsci.scot
January 1, 2026 at 4:17 PM
rebuilding this and my teaching site (study.histsci.scot ) on the same basic static html/css, for all the reasons web 1.0 is making a comeback