By ZG_Rules - 20/03/2015 14:38 - Netherlands - Wageningen

Today, I disproved a scientific theory created by my supervisor. He was furious and said that I shouldn't have tried to disprove him. He told me to continue working with his theory and now he threatens to fire me if I publish my work. FML
I agree, your life sucks 34 670
You deserved it 2 972

Same thing different taste

Top comments

Who cares? Publish it. Scientific advancement is more important than a job, and if you can disprove theories made by older and more experienced scientists, I'm sure you could find work elsewhere. Props for doing that, by the way.

Publish it, discredit him, and take his job. I understand that respect is important, but you will make a name for yourself if you do, and regret it if you don't. #1 beat me to it haha but plus why would you want to continue working for such an Asshole?

Comments

Publish it!!! Forget your supervisor! Why do you want to waste time working on a theory that you know is wrong??

Pretty immature move to threaten your job just because he was proven wrong. Publish that shit.

First, check your work carefully. Better yet have someone else check it (I still regularly discuss my work with colleagues and get feedback before publishing, its a good way to avoid stupid errors or anticipate challenges that you may not think of). You may be making an error and failing to understand, and that's why your prof is losing his cool. I'm just saying that being open to the possibility that you're wrong is a requirement for being a good academic. If your work is right then publish. Theories are designed to be challenged, improved on and act as stepping stones. If your professor can't understand that then you're better off with someone else. If he fires you then shrug it off and find someone else to hire you now that you've got a publication. Oh, and as a helpful hint, if this prof is being unreasonable with you then there's a good chance he's irritated at least one other colleague who'd love to see him taken down a notch or two. Find out who it is and they'll definitely offer you a job or at minimum make enough noise to make it difficult for him to fire you.

shit_fer_luck 8

I agree. Please make sure that your work is solid first. Unfortunately, academia over here in the USA is full of these kinds of egos. I am currently in a position where my professor wants me to replicate a previous graduate student's work and expand it out to other systems to support his current hypothesis. I can't get the damn controls to replicate her results. At this point, I am convinced she made up her data set.

Few things in this world are more frustrating than people who can't admit when they're wrong. They miss the opportunity to learn and grow.

publish your work. science needs your brilliance.

Go for it! You might get hired to replace him!

And you thought it was just religious fanatics blindly clinging to theories that have been proven untrue.

angiee_baybee 15

Sounds like your boss is sippin on some haterade! He just jealous that you did a better job than him.