Balancing Teaching and Research Careers: Insights and Strategies

An academic career is multifaceted. Academics combine research and teaching with mentoring, grant-writing, publishing, community service, and administrative roles. One of the first questions aspiring academics must ask themselves is how much time they want to devote to teaching versus research, alongside everything else their position demands. For some, the answer to this question shifts over time; for others, it stays relatively consistent. Without clear strategies and boundaries, one aspect of the job can easily eclipse the other, especially for those passionate about both teaching and research.  

In academia, teaching and research go hand-in-hand. A teacher must engage with current literature to maintain subject expertise, and a researcher must learn to communicate their work to diverse audiences. Still, the demands of each position can be quite different. Teaching-focused academics often spend their time developing and delivering course content, with minimal or no expectations for research output. In contrast, research-focused academics often carry heavy grant-writing, publishing, and laboratory and field management responsibilities. Many academic positions fall somewhere in between, with expectations split by percentage. For example, a 60% teaching appointment might involve teaching multiple courses each semester, while a 75% research position would involve lab or field work, and a course or two per academic year. Understanding these requirements is just the start. The real challenge lies in managing both responsibilities effectively while building a fulfilling academic career. 

 

Collaboration over competition 

One way to balance teaching and research is through collaboration. Collaborating is a wider road than competition. Working with others not only builds professional networks, but also helps academics manage time and resources more efficiently. As interdisciplinary research becomes the norm, rather than independently learning a new technique, research-focused academics can collaborate with other labs that already have the expertise and resources for that technique. These labs can then share projects, co-supervise students and take on joint grant proposals. This way, more results are met with research requirements, and time can be spent on other important aspects of the job such as teaching, enhancing the quality of both research and teaching. 

 

Integrating components of research into teaching 

One of the most effective ways to balance teaching and research responsibilities is by weaving research directly into the classroom. This approach not only improves the quality of course content but also creates an overlap between the teaching and research roles. Since assigned courses are often aligned with an academic’s area of expertise, integrating research into course content can aid in addressing research questions while teaching (Khan 2017). Strategies for doing this include designing research-based assignments and integrating ongoing research questions into course discussions. Incorporating research into curricula benefits both students and faculty as it makes research experiences more accessible (Hall et al. 2024). This can also spark interest in research topics for the students. For faculty, it offers an opportunity to present (teach) their work to a fresh audience, receive feedback, and potentially recruit future mentees.  

 

Involve mentees in teaching 

In universities or departments where teaching is not strongly emphasized, academics can take initiative by designing and proposing new courses, particularly ones that align with their research interests. This also provides an opportunity to involve graduate students or postdocs who are considering teaching careers as teaching assistants or lab instructors. Including these mentees in course planning, guest lecturing, and classroom instruction helps them build valuable experience while lightening the instructional load for the faculty member. 

 

Balancing time is everything 

 Time management is often the toughest boundary to establish in academia. 78% of higher education instructors report that normal work hours are insufficient to complete their duties (Lin et al. 2024). To address this, consider designating “teaching days” where time is blocked out for tasks such as grading and reviewing teaching materials. This can conveniently be scheduled for a day before or on the days when the class meets. Office hours can also be included in these teaching days. If your university or department prioritizes research over teaching, but your interest leans toward teaching, explore guest lectures or speaking engagements as alternative outlets. You can also plan and prioritize responsibilities each week or semester around teaching and research goals. If funding permits, hiring a lab manager or postdoctoral researchers can significantly reduce lab administrative responsibilities, improve graduate student mentoring, and free up time to dedicate to teaching or research. Research in higher education consistently shows that poor work-life balance negatively impacts productivity and long-term career success (Bartlett et al. 2021). One very important aspect of time management is to set boundaries between work and personal life, as this sets the tone for everything else! 

While these insights and strategies look relatively easy to implement, it might take a lot of work to get them in place. Try to figure out what strategies are a good fit for you and apply them. If you are still figuring out if you want to focus more on research or teaching in academia, talk to other more experienced academics and get their perspectives, and hopefully, it all works out. 

 

References 

Bartlett, M.J., Arslan, F.N., Bankston, A., and Sarabipour, S. 2021. “Ten Simple Rules to Improve Academic Work-Life Balance.” PLoS Computational Biology 17 (7): e1009124. 

Hall, E., Xu, Q., and Hamel, J. 2024. “Integrating Research into Undergraduate Courses: A Review of Two Essential Books.” Center for Engaged Learning (blog), Elon University. https://www.centerforengagedlearning.org/integrating-research-into-undergraduate-courses-a-review-of-two-essential-books/. Accessed June 9, 2025. 

Khan, M. A. 2017. “Achieving an Appropriate Balance between Teaching and Research in Institutions of Higher Education: An Exploratory Study.” International Journal of Information and Education Technology (IJIET) 7 (5): 341–49. 

Lin, L., Parker, K., and Horowitz, J.M. 2024. “How Teachers Manage Their Workload.” Pew Research Center. 2024. https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2024/04/04/how-teachers-manage-their-workload/. Accessed May 12, 2025.