Hi everyone,
I've been checking this forum but I have not managed to find duplicates (I'm using Summit for Lemmy). If that's the case I'll remove this post.
I'm about to start a PhD. I've been told I will be required to partake in publications and other shenanigans. I am not against it, but I'm very concerned about having my full name flying around the internet, as I've always been hesitant of sharing any of that information (real name, pictures, etc).
Ultimately, I only care for potential employers to know that it's actually me the one who has written this or that, which I would happily disclose in private.
What's the usual stance in this situation?
If there's really just your name associated with research publications online, your in an exponentially better situation than most. Getting published is a process too, it's not just submit and it's online. This being the case, I'd say it isn't a very big deal for privacy. However, I'd wonder if you could use a pseudonym in a publication. Probably not, but it'd be worth checking out.
As soon as you share the into with a potential employer that it is you, you lose the privacy. You have to assume it's publicly known. It's not worth the effort.
If you do your research everyone knows you spend most of your day researching anyway. At least your supervisor will know who you are. You will want to talk to others and tell them "I'm currently research xy. I wrote this idea, what do you think about it?" Etc.
You should do the phd because you are intrested in the topic, not to gain some degree.
You can write your good papers as an anonymuous person. If they are very good, people would cite you.
I don't know about usual, but there is a huge wall between private/ personal and public/ professional for me. Nothing personal ends up under my own name if I can help it. Basically, I'm using my name as if it were the name of a business, and I use an alias or nickname otherwise.