Dr Daniel Lende - Neuroanthropology

This post is part of our series profiling individuals who have successfully used social media as a platform for science communication. These individuals cover a broad range of academic disciplines, and we hope that they will be a useful source of info and motivation for others who are considering moving into social media, or for those who are already online but simply looking for some new ideas.

Today we interview with Dr Daniel Lende of Neuroanthropology. Daniel is Associate Professor in Anthropology at the University of South Florida. He trained in medical, psychological, and biological anthropology and public health at Emory University. His main research interests are substance use and abuse, the intersection of anthropology and neuroscience, behavioral health, community-based research, and public and applied anthropology. He has done fieldwork in both Colombia and the United States. You can reach him at daniel . lende @ gmail . com, or follow him on twitter at daniel_lende (bio from PLoS Blogs).

What is the general subject of your blog? What is a “typical” post for you, both in terms of length and in terms of the topic.
Neuroanthropology covers the intersection of anthropology and neuroscience, with an additional focus on developments in the sciences of the mind and in important news and controversies within anthropology. We generally write three types of post, shorter post that focus more on “news” and might be 500-750 words, a medium post from 800-2000 words (including our weekly round ups), and a long post, which goes from 2000 words and well on up.

 

What was your primary reason for starting/joining your blog?
My colleague Greg Downey and I founded Neuroanthropology.net as a way to discuss research and develop ideas based on our interests in neuroscience and anthropology, which proved useful since we were living on separate continents that point after several years of being colleagues in the same department.

 

How often do you post, and roughly how much time goes into each post?
We post several times a week. A typical post (short or medium) can take from 1-3 hours to craft, sometimes longer depending on the length of the post.

 

How do you fit in time for blogging and social media?
I often do social media in “down time” - early in the morning, right after lunch, if I need a break from writing or teaching. For blogging, writing is writing - so I generally fit it into my schedule whenever some topic catches my eye and I decide to write a post.

 

Have there been any benefits to blogging, either personally or professionally?