Dr Xiangkun (Elvis) Cao awarded seed funding for Imperial Professors Who Failed initiative

Dr Xiangkun (Elvis) Cao, Assistant Professor in Imperial College London’s Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Grantham Institute for Climate Change and the Environment, has been awarded support from the Faculty of Natural Sciences EDI Seed Fund to launch a new pilot initiative, “Imperial Professors Who Failed.”

The initiative aims to create a space for constructive conversations about academic and professional failure. Through a Cornell-inspired interview series, followed by a hybrid panel event, it will bring together established academics and senior researchers to share honest accounts of setbacks, including rejected papers, unsuccessful grant applications, failed experiments, difficult career transitions and periods of uncertainty.

The pilot is designed as a first step towards a broader “Imperial Professors Who Failed Series”, supporting students, early-career researchers and staff who may experience imposter syndrome, isolation or pressure to always appear successful.

Making failure discussable

Failure is a routine part of scientific research, but it is often hidden behind polished CVs, publication lists and grant successes.

“Research is full of failure, but our institutions often celebrate only the final success,” said Dr Cao. “When early-career researchers see only the polished version of academic life, it can be easy to believe that they are the only ones struggling. I hope this series can help normalise failure, reduce isolation and show that setbacks are not evidence that someone does not belong in science.”

The project will also consider the experiences of students and researchers from underrepresented, first-generation, international and other minority backgrounds, who may have fewer relatable role models or informal support networks.

From interviews to a live panel

Dr Cao plans to interview Imperial academics and senior researchers about moments when their careers did not go according to plan. The interviews will explore what went wrong, and what participants learned, what support helped them, and how institutions can respond more constructively to failure.

The interviews may be shared as written profiles, short videos or both. Selected speakers will then contribute to a 90-minute hybrid panel and discussion, with opportunities for participants to submit anonymous questions and reflections.

Building a wider culture of openness

The pilot builds on Dr Cao’s previous work advocating for more open conversations about failure in science. In 2023, he co-authored a Nature Reviews Chemistry article, “The need to normalise failure,” reflecting on academic and career setbacks and how institutions can better support researchers. Dr Cao has also written about his own non-linear career path, from rural China to a permanent academic role at Imperial, through academia, policy, entrepreneurship and industry consulting.

Initially focused on the Faculty of Natural Sciences, the pilot has ambitions to expand across departments, faculties and research communities at Imperial. It will particularly support undergraduate research students, MSc students, PhD candidates, postdoctoral researchers, new fellows, early-career academics and those involved in supervision, mentoring and research culture.

Contact: Dr Xiangkun (Elvis) Cao, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Grantham Institute for Climate Change and the Environment, Imperial College London.