Question: When do you get up to go to work, and when do you finish work? From DeadShot Gaming

Adam Hargreaves answered on 11 Jun 2017:

Hi DeadShot Gaming,

There’s actually 2 answers to this one. Normally, I try and do a regular 9-5 day. I always set my alarm for about 6am…when I actually get up after that can vary, but in general I get the bus into Oxford (I live about 3 miles outside of the centre) to get into work for about 9am. Nowadays I’m also very strict about when I finish work, and I try and leave the building by 5/5:30pm.

However, sometimes in science various things can mean that I need to be in earlier or stay later. Experiments can mess up which means staying longer to get them working, sometimes someone in the department will be giving a talk at the end of the day, a student might want to go through something in which case I never rush and always make sure that I explain things properly. The main thing is usually when writing grant applications, this can take a lot of time and generally means some late nights until it is finished and submitted.

Added onto that, the great thing about working in academia is that it can be very flexible. For example, unless I have teaching or meetings, I can usually do a lot of work from home (or wherever really! I’m definitely a fan of working in the park if it’s sunny), so the long days tend to balance themselves out.