The Nobel Prize is NOT about h-indexes or citations.
It is about the emergence of big new fields.
So many posts discuss Nobel awardees.
And so many misunderstand the Nobel Prize.
📍 A bit of clarification from my side:
1⃣ Nobel Prize is NOT about how useful your work is.
It’s about how useful it will be.
Science is not about real-world impact.
It is about new knowledge, new understanding.
It’s about nucleating new ways of thinking.
Applications can come decades after the discovery.
2⃣ The Nobel Prize is NOT about just doing risky research.
Many of us take on risky projects. But most stay as niche studies that could have been done by others.
It’s about doing what others are afraid to do.
It’s about looking like a reckless scientist.
It’s about succeeding where others have failed (despite numerous attempts).
3⃣ Nobel Prize is NOT about a small study.
It’s about nucleating a BIG research direction.
It’s about “OMG, I didn’t know it’s even possible!”
Yes, sometimes it takes decades to recognize a scientist. But in many cases, the prize was given to those who published the “nucleating studies” and pushed hard to grow the new field.
4⃣ Nobel Prize NOT about a lot of citations.
Metrics doesn’t matter.
Forget this “Stanford top-2% ranking”.
Your peers’ opinion is what really matters.
Are you recognized by your peers SO MUCH that they want to see you as a Nobel Laureate?
Do they see you as someone who created their field and made their research possible?
Do they see you as their thought leader?
▫️
My HUGE congratulations to all Laureates.
AI has changed science a lot.
Those who made it possible deserve this recognition.
#science #AcademicChatter