Smith or Autzen?

I recently took my wife’s last name. While it might be a bit unusual for a husband to take their wife’s name, it is very unusual for scientists to change their name.

A scientist’s name is a big part of building their brand in academia. It is on papers, and used by peers find their work, before and after they are established in their field. Changing ones name means creating confusion, so most continue to publish with their original name, in case they change their name for whatever reason.

So why did I change my name? When we got married, we each stuck to our own name, for the reasons mentioned above. Recently, we were fortunate enough to get a son, and this brought the question as of whose last name he should have. My wife’s name matters a lot to her, and my last name does not matter to me. I have two middle names, both more unique than Smith. So our son was given her last name, and one of my middle names.

However, our son was hospitalized shortly after birth, and upon admittance, he was addressed as Mr. Autzen. He was admitted for jaundice, caused by a blood type incompatibility. In hindsight, not a big deal, but the whole situation was emotional, and I realized I wanted to share the last name of our kid. Therefore, I took the last name of my wife and son.

Thanks to digitization, author IDs makes it easier to change your name, while not throwing a wrench in the citation systems. It might be a bit of an inconvenience for a while, but that will pass. I don’t want to be juggling two names, so my future publications will also be under Anton A. A. Autzen.

I think changing ones name should be a non-issue for scientists, regardless of gender, since the technical issues have been overcome. Search engine confusion is easily fixed with a website, and having a bit of a public profile.

The research group name will remain Nanosmithery. I like it, even if the pun is lost.