Don’t know the specifics about this particular case

However, this is a typical dichotomy in academic/research settings

The interplay between the practical (like “calculate” or “build”); and searching for meaning (like coming up with a new model for some phenomenon)

My impression is that the majority in a particular field, usually focus on the practical, applying known “tried and true” models to novel things

And then, there are only a few who are successful at convincing others of using their models

There are a lot of people who are technically capable of creating new models. But it is incredibly difficult to make them go mainstream