agonist/antigonist

 For context: I applied for assistant professor positions in Europe, Canada, and the United States of America in 2023. That year, I got two Zoom interviews (one went well, and one went very poorly to the extent that it was unclear to me why I was being interviewed), no on-site interviews, and no offers. I skipped the 2024-2025 cycle and am in the middle (well, closer to the tail end) of the 2025-2026 application cycle. As I write this (16 January 2026), I have had four Zoom interviews, one on-site interview, and no offers (update 24 Febrauary 2026: I had my second-ever on-site interview last week). This cycle I have applied to universities in the United States of America and in Europe (a total of 16 applications submitted so far). I received my bachelors degree in chemical physics from Centre College in 2015 and my PhD in physical chemistry (advisor: Marina Guenza) from the University of Oregon in 2021. I was a postdoctoral associate in the Institute of Physical Science and Technol...

When one door closes, another one opens...as the men's race is wrapping up, the women's race is winding up. Previously... Kasia Niewiadoma took the overall title over Demi Vollering after a nail-biting finale up Alpe d' Huez. The victory was assisted a bit by Vollering's late crash on stage 5, were only one teammate fell back to assist in the finale. The 2024 overall podium Le map avec Zwift Nine stages in total, starting in Brittany...it would be nice if the race were two weeks long with a rest day, but oh well. The first two stages are punchy, then two sprint stages, then another lumpy stages, and finally, the last four stages are proper mountain stages, although there is only one HC finish. My Key Stages Stage 1 profile Stage 2 profile The first two stages are tailor-made for someone like Marianne Vos, but other punchuers should feature...I am thinking of Liane Lippert or Puck Pieterse or Mischa Bredewold. But it will be interesting to see who SD Worx prioritizes for...

 Christmas in July? Maybe for a certain Slovenian...it's been another orbit around the celestial body at the center of our solar system, meaning it's once again Tour time. Previously... France won the first two stages (including a very nice yellow jersey for the soon-to-be-retired Romain Bardet) before Tadej Pogacar went on a 19-day barnstorming tour of France, swiping five stages and eviscerating all-comers, including his two closest rivals, both still on the mend from a horror crash in El País Vasco. Regardless, it was likely the most dominant performance in over a decade, since the glory days of the mechanical Team Sky GC juggernaut. In short, UAE and Pogacar put everyone to the sword early and once again ascended to men's professional cycling's throne on the legendary boulevard of...erm, in Nice. UAE once again bring a murder's row of support riders and all three of Pogacar's biggest rivals have once again faced major setbacks in their preparations for the w...

 It looks like Cyclingmole  is doing stage-by-stage previews for this race, so I'll just content myself with an overall preview. It's the first stage race of the season and, being the middle of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, those from the South will surely have a massive advantage. Historically, only three GC champions have come from the North, and well over half of all stages have been taken by Southern riders; I don't see that changing this year, although more and more teams are having winter training camps in better climes (such as Spain), but it's hard to replace full-time training in nice weather with a few weeks at altitude, then a return to cold and dark further North. Here are the stages...all profiles from procyclingstats.com, as usual. Stage 1 profile The first stage is lumpy, but will likely end in a sprint...I don't see a break that gets away in the first half of the stage staying there. Stage 2 profile Classic queen stage with two climbs up Willung...

Only rainbows after rain?...we'll see about that. Profile from procyclingstats.com Long...I would expect the winner's finishing time to be north of six hours. With over 4000m of climbing, the race will be hugely selective as well, but there are several nations capable of bossing the race. No rain in the forecast, but it will still be cold. Only one of the best Ardennes classics riders or the fittest GC climbers have a shot. While none of the climbs are long or particularly punchy, there are so many they will gradually strain the peloton until ~15 riders are left in the front group going into the final circuit of town. Contenders TADEJ POGACAR -- Looking to become the third man to pull rainbows over yellow over pink, and he has the form to do it following a masterclass in Montreal, which came after mucking up the finale in Quebec. He's a class apart right now, especially on these parcours, and he can go it alone without needing help from someone like van der Poel to get and ...

 The big dance...this year it's a waltz on the Zürichsee. Profile from procyclingstats.com Long-ish, but not the marathon grind (270+ km) that is the men's race. However, the length with the circuit climb will make it selective -- only one of top five riders in the peloton will win on the day. The startlist is absolute quality, there's at least ten riders with a legitimate shot at winning...it should be a smashing race. Finishing circuit Circuit climb It looks like the finishing circuit plus the embedded climb is tackled four times on the day...there's also a 0.7 km longer kicker at 8.4% on each lap. To be honest, the winning move could be launched there with a follow-up on the ultimate climb. The climb is short and shallow enough that a classics rider could very well take the win, but, with the amount of total vertical, all the sprinters should have folded by the final ascent of the circuit climb. IBut, with ~20 km of downhill/flat after the final climb, the winner wil...