R3ciprocity.com - Prof David Maslach: Innovation; Research Life; & Striving Towards Happiness

David Maslach
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Professor David Maslach talks about graduate school, research, science, Innovation, and entrepreneurship. The R3ciprocity project is my way to give back as much as I possibly can. I seek to provide insights and tools to change how we understand science, and make it more democratic.

  1. -1 J

    How I Have Learned to Sit With Scientific Uncertainty

    When I began my academic journey, I assumed science was about accumulating facts that would eventually point to some clear understanding of how the world works. I believed, like many do, that each study added a brick to a larger structure we call “truth.” But over time, I’ve come to appreciate a more complex view. In many areas, evidence is often ambiguous, methods rest on assumptions, and interpretation depends on context. The questions we ask, and the tools we use to answer them, shape what we’re able to see. Pluralism is defined as the view that multiple perspectives, methods, or explanations can each contribute meaningful insights to a phenomenon. In my own work, I’ve found that no single model captures everything. Some scholars use experimental design. Others prefer ethnographic immersion, formal modeling, or archival methods. All have their strengths—and their limitations. Rather than treating one method as “the” path to insight, I’ve come to rely on what you might call a weighted mental model: I take what I can from each approach and try to integrate these insights in a way that makes sense for the specific problem I’m studying. It’s not always elegant, but it reflects the reality that many phenomena are multifaceted and dynamic. Truth as Process, Not Endpoint This doesn’t mean there is no truth. But it does suggest that truth in the social sciences often emerges through approximation—through triangulation across methods, perspectives, and disciplines. Even strong findings can vary across contexts. A causal mechanism that holds in one setting may operate differently elsewhere. What looks like a robust effect in one dataset may fade in another. This doesn’t invalidate our work—it simply reminds us that most knowledge claims are conditional. Rigor Still Matters If anything, this view has deepened my respect for rigor. In complex systems, rigor is not about perfection. It’s about careful design, clarity in logic, and transparency in assumptions. It’s about acknowledging limits while still striving for insight. The challenge is balancing structure with openness, precision with flexibility. So Where Does That Leave Me? Honestly? I still wrestle with doubt. There are moments I wonder whether I’m overcomplicating things—or not pushing hard enough for generalizable results. But I’ve come to believe that uncertainty isn’t a weakness in science. It’s part of what makes this work so important.

    9 min

  2. -4 J

    How to Build Software When You Have No Idea What You’re Doing (Most Days, You Won’t)

    I’ve been building a platform for years. And here’s the truth I wish someone had told me: You won’t know what you’re doing—most of the time. Building anything real means making decisions with half the data, managing problems you didn’t know existed yesterday, and waking up unsure if you’re wasting your life. Some days you feel like a visionary. Other days, like a fool. That’s normal. The hardest part isn’t the code. It’s not the funding. It’s managing the quiet doubt that creeps in when progress is slow, bugs are endless, and people stop paying attention. But you show up anyway. You keep building.

    12 min

  3. -6 J

    Unconditional Love Belongs in the Workplace

    (And no, I’m not talking about romance.) One of the most underrated forces in our working lives is love. Not romantic love—but the kind of love that feels more like what a good parent gives: steady, safe, present. You mess up, and they’re still there. They guide, they coach, they believe in you. It’s the kind of love that says: You’re not your worst moment. You’re still worth it. Let’s figure it out together. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized this is what shaped me most. My parents weren’t perfect—they were grumpy, snippy, just like everyone else’s. But underneath it all, I never doubted they were there for me. That kind of love? It’s the ground you walk on. You grow because someone believed you could. In my adult life, outside of family, I can count on one hand the people who’ve shown me that same kind of love. My wife. My kids. Maybe one or two close friends. That’s it. And almost never in work settings. We talk about trust in business—but I think what we’re really craving is this deeper sense of commitment. Not transactional. Not conditional. But a quiet promise: I’m here even when things go wrong. Especially then. That kind of culture is rare. But when you build it—when you coach, support, and still hold people accountable—it changes everything. Not because it’s soft. But because it’s strong. That’s the kind of workplace I want to build. That’s what R3ciprocity is about. That’s what I’m still learning to practice, every day.

    5 min

  4. -6 J

    Why the boring, ordinary investment wins—and entrepreneurship often fails

    The fastest way to wealth almost always feels the slowest and the most painful. Everything that truly moves the needle—high-return assets like index and mutual funds—feels boring, ordinary, and slow. Entrepreneurship and flashy startups may seem exciting, but they come with spectacular risk and rarely pay off. Research, psychology, and economics all point to the same truth: long-run, low-risk investments—the kind nobody talks about—generate real wealth. We don’t see stories about the hundreds of small, ordinary gains that compound over decades. Instead, we hear about that one viral investment while the many failures go unseen. If you want to build lasting wealth, don’t chase hype. Don’t buy the narrative that makes you feel weird or left behind. Stick to tried-and-true assets that grow steadily, even if they feel slow or boring. Over time, those tiny moves are the ones that win.

    11 min

  5. 21 SEPT.

    What if Science Isn’t About Truth After All?

    What if Science Isn’t About Truth After All? When I started out, I believed research was about uncovering some objective reality. Something we’re all moving toward, together. But over the years, I’ve let go of that belief. Not out of cynicism, but because I’ve seen how science actually works. We don’t just ask what is “true or valid.” Truth and validity is just the beginning. Seeking truth is challenging. We really often don’t know what “truth is.” We have to remember the system managed by imperfectly rational humans. But, let’s not just blame the people involved. They are doing their best. We often all are. And, we often research things that are challenging. Science and research is just hard. There are tools, like replication and retesting, but it is only the start. We also have to ask: - What will reviewers like? - What will get published? - What will get cited, shared, or funded? What makes it through isn’t always just truth, as I once understood. It’s what feels persuasive, legible, beautiful. Strange ideas, messy ideas, uncomfortable ideas? They rarely survive the filter. We don’t have good universal definitions of what is persuasive or beautiful. And this isn’t just a social science problem. It’s science, full stop. ⸻ I have seen this firsthand with my own work. I share publicly. I build tools. I try to make research more human. And most of the time? Ignored. Discounted. Misunderstood. I am not upset. This is not a rant. It’s just reality. Look at my Youtube videos on R3ciprocity or these posts. Some work because some see their own humanity in it, and others barely get a few dozen views. I cannot predict what will be liked or who will pay attention. Some warrant more attention than I would like. It is such a challenge to understand. But I have realized: it’s not just me. It’s the system. The our realities are not only about facts. It’s about style, status, and maybe who gets to speak. Again, this is not a flaw. This is the reality of being a human being in a beautifully ambiguous and changing world. ⸻ So what’s left? I don’t think the answer is perfect peer review. That is very difficult to do, and perhaps impossible. I don’t think the answer is another ranking system. The answer might be simpler: • Let more voices in. • Accept more ambiguity. • Make the invisible visible. Just have more ideas to be heard, no matter who they come from. Maybe we create different ways to communicate become more acceptable? Maybe we explore and play. Be silly. I do see many positive things happening. We need to figure out how to get people to continue to show up in science, and not give up. Because science isn’t only about truth. It’s about listening to others’ realities. It is about not giving up in the face of the difficult uphill climb. It’s about letting your voice sing in a way the shares truth, and what you love to explore. Because it is so more than about truth. It is about what is beautiful.

    9 min

  6. 20 SEPT.

    The Myth of Motivation: Why Most People Don’t Care About Big Change

    After years in academia, I’ve realized something few people admit: most people don’t actually want to change the world. They just want to live their lives, stay comfortable, and avoid risk. Innovation, entrepreneurship, and research only attract a rare few who are willing to keep going despite rejection and ambiguity.

    4 min

  7. 18 SEPT.

    PhD-Level Science Isn’t About Efficiency Hacks — It’s About Kindergarten-Level Guidance

    You’ve been fed lies about productivity. “Do more, faster, smarter.” But in real research careers, that ratchet-up mindset breaks labs and burns people out. Most “efficiency gurus” overlook the truth: productivity doesn’t come from hacks—it comes from culture. I used to believe I had to optimize everything—every minute, every task, every thought. But all that pressure to “ratchet up” only made me feel like I was falling behind. The truth? Most of what’s sold as productivity in science is just noise. It doesn’t reflect how real progress happens. The best research careers aren’t built on hacks. They’re built like kindergartens—with guidance, patience, messy days, and small wins. What actually matters is creating the space where people feel safe enough to try, fail, and grow over years—not just days. I’ve stopped chasing the illusion of perfect efficiency. Now I ask: how can I build a meaningful environment where people want to show up? Where I want to show up? That’s the real work. Share if you’ve felt this tension too.

    9 min

  8. 16 SEPT.

    Can a Non-Top-Tier PhD Still Land a Top-Tier Career?

    Can a non‑top‑tier doctorate program get you into a job or career within the academic or research world that is top tier? I used to think that if you did everything right—you were producing more papers, asking profound questions, and had the “nod”—you could eventually land that rare job at Stanford or Princeton. But after years in the profession, I’ve come to realize there are tremendous headwinds, especially around market efficiency, sorting mechanisms, and even bias against geography or resources. These institutions are looking to make the biggest bang for their buck—they invest in uncertain resources and often reinforce existing hierarchies. So what do you do? As I’ve learned, you have to play those forces—get the scores, network, aim high. But equally important is to reframe your identity. You can’t move up rankings if the market engine is too strong. Instead, love yourself where you’re at and build a meaningful life doing the best you possibly can given your reality. You can define success on your own terms—creating impact, enjoying your work, and living an enjoyable life—without chasing a permanently unreachable “top.”

    26 min
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Professor David Maslach talks about graduate school, research, science, Innovation, and entrepreneurship. The R3ciprocity project is my way to give back as much as I possibly can. I seek to provide insights and tools to change how we understand science, and make it more democratic.

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