People straddling the realms of economics and computer science have a fascinating way of thinking. I used to believe I was the sole individual who viewed my surroundings through a “math” filter. However, it appears that everyone in this field has their unique quirks.
Take, for instance, one of the professors I work with. He genuinely “calculates” his academic networking social distance. Our recent discussion about a paper left him in awe of the mathematical techniques employed, and here’s the conversation:
Him: Good on them… This is incredibly impressive.
Me: Oh, do you happen to know the authors?
Him: Not in person, but they’re not too far away either.
Me: So, you mean when you’re back in North America? But UBC is in Canada, and USC is in California, right…
Him: Nah, in terms of academia networking, we haven’t met in person, but we’ve likely attended the same conferences, possibly connecting with a distance of 2.
It’s like they have mutual academic friends, an intriguing way to gauge proximity in the academic world. So, the existence of one hyper-active scholar can significantly diminish social distance and collaboration friction within the academic network of a group of researchers.
I may aspire to become someone like this; it sounds fun.