> When I started my Ph.D., I knew that if I wanted to pursue an academic career, I would likely have to move someday

> In the end, I decided I needed to find a way to stay in Minnesota.

> The instructions clearly stated that applicants who proposed to remain in their current location had to justify their choice. I interpreted that to mean the research needed to be distinctly different from my dissertation

So the author knew how the game is played, had a plan to not have to relocate, then got cute at executing that plan, knowing what the question likely meant, but ignoring it.