Should We Ban Brilliance?

Published at Chronicle Vitae on February 26, 2015.

I feel squeamish about the label of brilliance. The juxtaposition of bossy and brilliant sets my teeth on edge. Maybe, that is because I’m unsure that I’ve ever been called brilliant as a student, researcher, or as a teacher. (Nor did I necessarily expect to be.) I’m troubled by the fact that I can remember the many times I’ve been called bossy, assertive, hard-working, or bitchy, but not brilliant.