I think to be successful, we need to back off on being a perfectionist on everything. We need to realise how much time is really needed to get certain things done. And the fact that you don't have more time and you have these other things to do too. Sometimes you need to say "that's good enough for today" and move on because otherwise you will find it a challenge to move on to the next thing and get anything done.
- Katherine Demuth
Katherine Demuth
ARC Laureate Fellow
Professor of Linguistics, Macquarie University
The acquisition of language for a child is a fascinating process which Katherine has been researching as part of her Laureate. Much of her work is cross-linguistic, using insights from the structure of different languages to better understand how children learn how to talk.
Having children as research participants has its challenges and in the podcast, Katherine talks about how the Laureate enables her to have resources to recruit participants.
To get to where she is today, Katherine had to stand up for herself and prioritise what mattered to her. In the podcast, Katherine shares how her discipline in time management and saying 'no' are key factors to her success in academia. Some mentors, being curious and the desire to understand have also been motivating drivers in her career.
Katherine's enthusiasm for her career is obvious and in the video, she shares why she loves her job but also some lessons she's learned along the way. Some advice she has for early-career researchers include the importance of persevering to cope with a challenging career punctuated with trials and errors as well as rejection. Katherine urges young academics to do what's fun and
to work with people who are fun to work with.
Katherine Demuth on unlocking child language acquisition, self-discipline and keys to succeed
Video
A snapshot of our conversation with Katherine Demuth
