I tend to refer to myself as Collis at times rather than Anne or Dr Collis. I thought I’d explain what is caught up in that decision. It isn’t as simple as being an academic affectation; it relates to identity, belonging and being known.
I went to a boys’ school where your last name was your only name. [I’m not trans, being at a boys' school is a long story for another day]Later, the term ‘You’ve been Collised’ got used as a short hand for someone having had a whirlwind landing in their lives, enthusing, inspiring and moving on leaving people in a state of shock. [Usually used as a friendly term, but I’m sure you can see the downsides…]
In Crossfit circles, I became used to ‘Oi, Collis’ aimed at whichever members of the Collis family were training that day.
Now it’s used by a few people as a term of affection and respect. To them, I am the phenomenon known as The Collis.
There is an academic context too.
I will never forget Inger Mewburn, the Thesis Whisperer, coming to Bangor University to talk about academic writing. At some point, she used the phrase ‘academics are known by their writings’. It stuck with me. I'm still musing on it (and using my notes from her sessions) some nine years later.
Some academics will only ever know me as Collis because they will never meet or interact with me except as I am visible in what I write.
It is an odd feeling that people I have never met, who do not know Anne Collis, can know something of who I am through my writing. It is even more peculiar to think that, somewhere, there is a disembodied identity called 'Collis' that is not-me but also me.
It is going to get even stranger later in 2026 when Collis and Collis start writing short monographs together under the banner 'Lessons from a Botanist'. The identity work involved in that is going to be fun. Both Collis' did undergraduate degrees in botany. From there, their paths diverged.
One continued in plant science research before moving to researching third sector organisations, leading a research team with colleagues with learning disabilites (oh, wait, both Collis' did that but not at the same time!) and through all that developing insights into sociology.
One shifted rapidly to sociology and accidentally found themself academically involved with organisational management, knowledge mobilisation and autism research.
We've been talking about our frustration that organisational and sociological academic work doesn't learn from botany.
2026 is the year we will begin to be 'known through our writings'.
