Sarah Otner
@sarahotner.bsky.social
Professor of Org. Theory & Innovation. Lapsed dancer and diver, resumed swimmer, jogger-in-training. Data wonk, travel geek, foodie. Studies #fragrance, #architecture, #books, #metascience. Loves dogs & crime fiction.
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2743-8462
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2743-8462
Reposted by Sarah Otner
For lovers of @ourworldindata.org - we have improved our search functionality! Great work by the team at the backend to improve user experience. Enjoy!
ourworldindata.org/introducing-...
ourworldindata.org/introducing-...
Introducing our new, more powerful search
Finding what you’re looking for, or discovering something new, has never been easier.
ourworldindata.org
November 14, 2025 at 5:58 PM
For lovers of @ourworldindata.org - we have improved our search functionality! Great work by the team at the backend to improve user experience. Enjoy!
ourworldindata.org/introducing-...
ourworldindata.org/introducing-...
Reposted by Sarah Otner
Friends, who is doing good work/research on the impact of AI on women's employment and careers? Do you know? Please share if so!!
November 14, 2025 at 9:45 AM
Friends, who is doing good work/research on the impact of AI on women's employment and careers? Do you know? Please share if so!!
Reposted by Sarah Otner
It's a useful reminder that sometimes tech can make a task more efficient for one side (applying for jobs), and more efficient for the other side (writing job adverts), and yet make the system as a whole completely inefficient.
November 14, 2025 at 10:14 AM
It's a useful reminder that sometimes tech can make a task more efficient for one side (applying for jobs), and more efficient for the other side (writing job adverts), and yet make the system as a whole completely inefficient.
Fabulous day with @philipncohen.com, hosting two talks @sussexunibusiness.bsky.social. @antoinevernet.com and I (big nerds that we are 🤓) even had our books signed! Thank you so much for including us on your sabbatical tour.
November 14, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Fabulous day with @philipncohen.com, hosting two talks @sussexunibusiness.bsky.social. @antoinevernet.com and I (big nerds that we are 🤓) even had our books signed! Thank you so much for including us on your sabbatical tour.
Reposted by Sarah Otner
When a person who’s shared their neurodivergent diagnoses openly then judges the behaviour of someone who is clearly exhibiting behaviours commensurate with neurodiversity I’m never sure whether I should be pointing that out or leaving it alone. Which response is empathic?
November 12, 2025 at 9:28 PM
When a person who’s shared their neurodivergent diagnoses openly then judges the behaviour of someone who is clearly exhibiting behaviours commensurate with neurodiversity I’m never sure whether I should be pointing that out or leaving it alone. Which response is empathic?
Reposted by Sarah Otner
I have made clear this sends a terrible signal about what they consider the 'future of the UK research system' to be and I'd not attend such an event.
Expecting them to scramble for a token female speaker by the time of the event next week now that I've raised this with them
Expecting them to scramble for a token female speaker by the time of the event next week now that I've raised this with them
November 11, 2025 at 8:13 AM
I have made clear this sends a terrible signal about what they consider the 'future of the UK research system' to be and I'd not attend such an event.
Expecting them to scramble for a token female speaker by the time of the event next week now that I've raised this with them
Expecting them to scramble for a token female speaker by the time of the event next week now that I've raised this with them
Economist admits economic models are projections, not precise! 👏
Seriously strong recommendation in on.ft.com/4nUSm85 via @FT
Seriously strong recommendation in on.ft.com/4nUSm85 via @FT
The UK’s fiscal problems aren’t just about growth
Reassessing taxes and spending every six months introduces excessive policy uncertainty
on.ft.com
November 11, 2025 at 8:26 AM
Economist admits economic models are projections, not precise! 👏
Seriously strong recommendation in on.ft.com/4nUSm85 via @FT
Seriously strong recommendation in on.ft.com/4nUSm85 via @FT
Reposted by Sarah Otner
How aware is/are your MP(s) of what your local universities deliver beyond taught programmes? Little in political debate or media suggests that their understanding is high. Perhaps it's time to add tutorials with worked examples to the mix, before it's too late. ICSs offer easy starting points. 8/8
November 10, 2025 at 10:10 AM
How aware is/are your MP(s) of what your local universities deliver beyond taught programmes? Little in political debate or media suggests that their understanding is high. Perhaps it's time to add tutorials with worked examples to the mix, before it's too late. ICSs offer easy starting points. 8/8
Reposted by Sarah Otner
If Difference-in-Differences has been on your “to-learn” list, now is your chance to dig in. Our #GESISworkshop with @janmarcus.de takes you from DiD basics to advanced topics like triple differences, synthetic control, and modern estimators — all in R and Stata.
➡️ t1p.de/dif_in_dif_26
➡️ t1p.de/dif_in_dif_26
November 10, 2025 at 10:16 AM
If Difference-in-Differences has been on your “to-learn” list, now is your chance to dig in. Our #GESISworkshop with @janmarcus.de takes you from DiD basics to advanced topics like triple differences, synthetic control, and modern estimators — all in R and Stata.
➡️ t1p.de/dif_in_dif_26
➡️ t1p.de/dif_in_dif_26
"Since their retirement, the couple have switched to a Modelo beer at lunch rather than an after-work martini" (:takes notes:) 💜
people.com/worlds-oldes...
people.com/worlds-oldes...
World's 'Oldest Married Couple' Reveal Secret to Their 83-Year Union, and the 1 Drink They Share Every Day
Lyle Gittens, 108, and his wife Eleanor Gittens, 107, share the secret to their 83-year marriage as they set a Guinness World Record as the oldest married couple to exist.
people.com
November 6, 2025 at 7:12 PM
"Since their retirement, the couple have switched to a Modelo beer at lunch rather than an after-work martini" (:takes notes:) 💜
people.com/worlds-oldes...
people.com/worlds-oldes...
Reposted by Sarah Otner
SPRU has teamed up with Tsinghua University's School of Public Policy and Management to deepen global research on innovation, sustainability & governance.
#SPRU #Tsinghua #SciencePolicy #GlobalCollab #Innovation
#SPRU #Tsinghua #SciencePolicy #GlobalCollab #Innovation
November 4, 2025 at 12:01 PM
SPRU has teamed up with Tsinghua University's School of Public Policy and Management to deepen global research on innovation, sustainability & governance.
#SPRU #Tsinghua #SciencePolicy #GlobalCollab #Innovation
#SPRU #Tsinghua #SciencePolicy #GlobalCollab #Innovation
Reposted by Sarah Otner
It's Trustees Week! A time to celebrate the achievements of nearly one million trustees across the UK 🎉
We're incredibly grateful to our trustees, who generously volunteer their time and expertise to ensure our charity can continue to support postgraduate students. Thank you!
We're incredibly grateful to our trustees, who generously volunteer their time and expertise to ensure our charity can continue to support postgraduate students. Thank you!
November 4, 2025 at 3:25 PM
It's Trustees Week! A time to celebrate the achievements of nearly one million trustees across the UK 🎉
We're incredibly grateful to our trustees, who generously volunteer their time and expertise to ensure our charity can continue to support postgraduate students. Thank you!
We're incredibly grateful to our trustees, who generously volunteer their time and expertise to ensure our charity can continue to support postgraduate students. Thank you!
Reposted by Sarah Otner
Week 1: I completely overhauled the syllabus this year, and I'm so excited to be reading new articles along with the students!
Week 11: What the hell was I thinking?
Every term. Without fail.
Week 11: What the hell was I thinking?
Every term. Without fail.
November 4, 2025 at 1:21 PM
Week 1: I completely overhauled the syllabus this year, and I'm so excited to be reading new articles along with the students!
Week 11: What the hell was I thinking?
Every term. Without fail.
Week 11: What the hell was I thinking?
Every term. Without fail.
Must. Not. Be Allowed. To Watch. The #JohnLewis #Christmas advert. 😭😭
November 4, 2025 at 7:39 AM
Must. Not. Be Allowed. To Watch. The #JohnLewis #Christmas advert. 😭😭
Reposted by Sarah Otner
If you are curious as to why, as a salsa dancer, I hate what strictly does to it…
They turn it into a pantomime of a dance, prioritising performance over dance content. They do a minimum of salsa steps, which kills the distinctive movement. There are too many lifts, tricks and solo work.
They turn it into a pantomime of a dance, prioritising performance over dance content. They do a minimum of salsa steps, which kills the distinctive movement. There are too many lifts, tricks and solo work.
November 1, 2025 at 8:21 PM
If you are curious as to why, as a salsa dancer, I hate what strictly does to it…
They turn it into a pantomime of a dance, prioritising performance over dance content. They do a minimum of salsa steps, which kills the distinctive movement. There are too many lifts, tricks and solo work.
They turn it into a pantomime of a dance, prioritising performance over dance content. They do a minimum of salsa steps, which kills the distinctive movement. There are too many lifts, tricks and solo work.
Reposted by Sarah Otner
The whole of the HMRC Board got me to present to them about the opportunities and risks of AI about 18 months ago and my main messages were be very careful with high stakes decision making and remember the Horizon Post Office scandal which was about governance and accountability…
Somebody at HMRC needs to be canned for this idiotic ‘fraud-detection’ idea. And I fear future use of AI in welfare cases might well produce this kind of story regularly (as they have in Nevada for example).
UK woman who booked Oslo flight but did not fly loses child benefit ‘because she emigrated’
Exclusive: HMRC told Lisa Morris-Almond there was no record of her return to UK, but she did not take the trip
www.theguardian.com
October 30, 2025 at 12:38 PM
The whole of the HMRC Board got me to present to them about the opportunities and risks of AI about 18 months ago and my main messages were be very careful with high stakes decision making and remember the Horizon Post Office scandal which was about governance and accountability…
Reposted by Sarah Otner
Just got an email from Web of Science that an article I reviewed had been published in the journal. That's funny, I thought, I still owe the journal my review of the revised version. Did the editor accept the paper without my review? (And can I scratch it off my to-do list?)
Turns out, no...
Turns out, no...
October 30, 2025 at 2:04 PM
Just got an email from Web of Science that an article I reviewed had been published in the journal. That's funny, I thought, I still owe the journal my review of the revised version. Did the editor accept the paper without my review? (And can I scratch it off my to-do list?)
Turns out, no...
Turns out, no...
Reposted by Sarah Otner
Government has published one of those quiet but important documents that might get overlooked as it is not 'newsy'. The headline finding is that £1 of public R&D investment generates £8 in net economic benefits for the UK over the long term
www.gov.uk/government/p...
www.gov.uk/government/p...
The value of public R&D
www.gov.uk
October 30, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Government has published one of those quiet but important documents that might get overlooked as it is not 'newsy'. The headline finding is that £1 of public R&D investment generates £8 in net economic benefits for the UK over the long term
www.gov.uk/government/p...
www.gov.uk/government/p...
Really wanted to like this article on academic service (doi.org/10.1111/joms...). Standards maintenance is stronger when shared. Unfortunately, the authors come from the entirely wrong position. They claim scholars are Homo Economicus ("What’s in it for me?"). What ACTUALLY happens is [1/n]
October 30, 2025 at 10:40 AM
Really wanted to like this article on academic service (doi.org/10.1111/joms...). Standards maintenance is stronger when shared. Unfortunately, the authors come from the entirely wrong position. They claim scholars are Homo Economicus ("What’s in it for me?"). What ACTUALLY happens is [1/n]
Reposted by Sarah Otner
Ok a bit of policy wonky gossip on UK research and universities.
1. Universities in deficit hoping for a bail out are dreaming.
2. HE policy is drawing on success of schools policy.
1. Universities in deficit hoping for a bail out are dreaming.
2. HE policy is drawing on success of schools policy.
October 29, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Ok a bit of policy wonky gossip on UK research and universities.
1. Universities in deficit hoping for a bail out are dreaming.
2. HE policy is drawing on success of schools policy.
1. Universities in deficit hoping for a bail out are dreaming.
2. HE policy is drawing on success of schools policy.
Reposted by Sarah Otner
Ok y'all I'm throwing out a hot take on LLMs in Toronto in January:
"We’re Talking About the Wrong Error: Why Variance Matters More than Bias in AI"
Enough of the bias talk. LLMs are a completely different beast and our old frameworks are no longer useful.
datasciences.utoronto.ca/dsi-home/dat...
"We’re Talking About the Wrong Error: Why Variance Matters More than Bias in AI"
Enough of the bias talk. LLMs are a completely different beast and our old frameworks are no longer useful.
datasciences.utoronto.ca/dsi-home/dat...
Data Sciences Speaker Series - DSI
The Data Sciences Speaker Series is a collaboration of data science programs at U of T. Seminars are held on the third Monday of each month.
datasciences.utoronto.ca
October 29, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Ok y'all I'm throwing out a hot take on LLMs in Toronto in January:
"We’re Talking About the Wrong Error: Why Variance Matters More than Bias in AI"
Enough of the bias talk. LLMs are a completely different beast and our old frameworks are no longer useful.
datasciences.utoronto.ca/dsi-home/dat...
"We’re Talking About the Wrong Error: Why Variance Matters More than Bias in AI"
Enough of the bias talk. LLMs are a completely different beast and our old frameworks are no longer useful.
datasciences.utoronto.ca/dsi-home/dat...
Reposted by Sarah Otner
Survey folks, what are people’s recent experiences with online panels in terms of:
1. Panel quality (bots/LLMs)?
2. Representativeness?
3. Cost + time to complete?
Planning a 700–800 US nat-rep pilot.
Best practices welcome!
1. Panel quality (bots/LLMs)?
2. Representativeness?
3. Cost + time to complete?
Planning a 700–800 US nat-rep pilot.
Best practices welcome!
October 28, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Survey folks, what are people’s recent experiences with online panels in terms of:
1. Panel quality (bots/LLMs)?
2. Representativeness?
3. Cost + time to complete?
Planning a 700–800 US nat-rep pilot.
Best practices welcome!
1. Panel quality (bots/LLMs)?
2. Representativeness?
3. Cost + time to complete?
Planning a 700–800 US nat-rep pilot.
Best practices welcome!
Reposted by Sarah Otner
Little bit of #metascience news.
I've got a new paper out with Giulio Cantone on interdisciplinary research.
Which is meant to be great for science... but is it?
1/n
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
I've got a new paper out with Giulio Cantone on interdisciplinary research.
Which is meant to be great for science... but is it?
1/n
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Model uncertainty in the evaluation of the impact of interdisciplinary research in Business Studies: A Multiverse Analysis
There are many operational definitions and many indicators of interdisciplinary research. As a consequence, claims about its scientific impact may suf…
www.sciencedirect.com
October 27, 2025 at 3:23 PM
Little bit of #metascience news.
I've got a new paper out with Giulio Cantone on interdisciplinary research.
Which is meant to be great for science... but is it?
1/n
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
I've got a new paper out with Giulio Cantone on interdisciplinary research.
Which is meant to be great for science... but is it?
1/n
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Reposted by Sarah Otner
These are a pathology of UK universities.
Only beaten to the Gold medal in the dismal bureaucratic Olympics by the forms requiring information you can only get by emailing the sender.
Only beaten to the Gold medal in the dismal bureaucratic Olympics by the forms requiring information you can only get by emailing the sender.
Please Stop It ... @profserious.bsky.social is beset by Microsoft Word forms ... profserious.substack.com/p/please-sto...
Please Stop It
prof serious is mildly irritated
profserious.substack.com
October 26, 2025 at 9:27 AM
These are a pathology of UK universities.
Only beaten to the Gold medal in the dismal bureaucratic Olympics by the forms requiring information you can only get by emailing the sender.
Only beaten to the Gold medal in the dismal bureaucratic Olympics by the forms requiring information you can only get by emailing the sender.