career options gordon emslie oklahoma state university
TRANSCRIPT
Career Options
Gordon EmslieOklahoma State University
OutlineCareer Path Options
• Company• University
Getting Hired
Making Progress – Role of Research
Tenure – Concept and Reality
• Government
General Discussion
Graduate Student
Graduate Student
Company
Graduate Student
CompanyFaculty Member
Graduate Student
CompanyFaculty Member
Postdoc
Graduate Student
Government Laboratory
CompanyFaculty Member
Postdoc
Graduate Student
Government Laboratory
CompanyFaculty Member
Postdoc
Graduate Student
Government Laboratory
CompanyFaculty Member
Administration
Postdoc
Graduate Student
Government Laboratory
CompanyFaculty Member
Administration
Retire
Postdoc
Graduate Student
Government Laboratory
CompanyFaculty Member
Administration
Retire
Postdoc
Graduate Student
Government Laboratory
CompanyFaculty Member
Administration
Retire
Play Golf
Postdoc
Graduate Student
Postdoc
Government Laboratory
CompanyFaculty Member
Administration
Retire
Play Golf
“Post-Doc”• Also known as
– Research associate– NRC Fellow– Postdoctoral Fellow
• Midway between being a student and working with students
• Not common in other fields (engineering, humanities), but
• Golden opportunity to identify yourself
Career Contrast
Company/University/Government
Company
• Can hire “spontaneously” in response to applicant availability
• Generally pays quite well!BUT• No tenure!• Often doing “other people’s work”• Job generally split between centrally and
externally funded tasks
University• Typically hire in response to
department/university needs– Teaching– Growth– Research initiatives
• Opportunities not necessarily well-timed to your availability
Universities (US)• Research I
• Research II
• 4-Year
• Community College
• 9-month vs. 12-month; summer salary
• Tenure!
University Positions• Research Scientist (affiliated with
Research Center)
• Research Faculty
• Tenure-track faculty (“professor”)
• Administration (solving other people’s problems)
Steps to Getting Hired at a University
• Graduate (no ABD!!)• Post-doc• Attend (and be noticed at) meetings• Visit institutions in advance (e.g., seminars)• Talk to colleagues; let them know you are/will be available• Try for institutions in the “family”; use advisor’s
connections• Review announcements (Physics Today, SolarNews,
Chronicle of Higher Education, other)• Secure reference commitments• Prepare “teaching philosophy” and “research goals”• Write thoughtful, institution specific, cover letter (2-3
pages is fine)
The InterviewThey are in charge!
• Seminar – substance and pedagogy
• Conversations with future colleagues
• Interviews with students
• Interviews with administrators
• The Department Head
Finalizing the HireYou are in charge!!
• Salary• Research Support (students, facilities,…)• Colleagues• Startup Package• Understand the periodic review process• Graduated Teaching Load?• Define expectations clearly
Starting Out as a Faculty Member
• Teaching (preparation!)• Graduate student supervision• Seek mentoring by senior faculty• Research
– papers– proposals (PI or CoI?)
• Accept offers from journal editors, agency directors
• Gauge service role (science, university, public)• Time management• Stress management
Tenure• Academic Freedom!
• 6-year clock – “eigenstate forcing”
• Preparation– Keep comprehensive file updated– Maintain “uniform” productivity
• Life after tenure
University Administration• Department Committees• Graduate Coordinator• Department Chair/Head• Dean (College, Graduate)• Center Director• Vice President for Research• Provost• President• Chancellor
Government Laboratory• NASA (GSFC, MSFC, ….)
• NRL
• NOAO
• NOAA
• Typically more “project-driven” than university
Government Laboratory (GS)• Hiring by announcement• No salary negotiation!• 1-2 year “probation period” – almost instant
tenure!• May have to perform other tasks related to lab
operations:– Proposal administration– Mission management
• New – Full-Cost Accounting!
The InterviewThey are in charge!
• Seminar – substance, relation to mission of group
• Your long-range research plans
• Conversations with future colleagues
• Interviews with administrators
• The Branch Head
Finalizing the HireYou are in charge!!
• Salary• Research Support (students, facilities,…)• Startup Package• Understand the periodic review process• Graduated Teaching Load?• Define expectations clearly
Finalizing the HireYou are in charge!!
• Salary• Research Support (students, facilities,…)• Startup Package• Understand the periodic review process• Graduated Teaching Load?• Define expectations clearly
Finalizing the HireYou are in charge!!
• Salary• Research Support (students, facilities,…)• Startup Package• Understand the periodic review process• Graduated Teaching Load?• Define expectations clearly
Government Laboratory (Contractor)
• Most hires are in this category– Company– University affiliate
• Hired by/working for company/university • Perform tasks related to mission objectives:
– Hardware development– Software development– Subcontract work
• Tasks originate/assigned by Government civil servant
→→Interesting employer/employee relationship!Interesting employer/employee relationship!
Government Laboratory Administration
• Branch Head
• Laboratory Chief (SES)
• Science Director
• Set goals and direction for laboratory
• Still solving other people’s problems
Other Roles in the Community• Government Agency
– permanent– “rotator”
• Observatory Director• Education & Outreach• Societies & Divisions
– Committee member– Officer– Executive Director
Serving Many Masters• Your institution
– Teaching– Helping institution realize its goals
• Supervision of Graduate Students and Postdocs • Your community
– Paper review– Proposal review– Hosting meetings– Forming collaborations– Mission development– Service on Advisory Committees (MOWG, Universe
Working Group, Roadmap, Decadal Review,…)• Yourself
Role of Research
• Varies by career type
• In some fields, not always gauged by funding rate, but…
• In Solar Physics, it is!– University
• Summer salary
• Tenure (and post-tenure support for others)
– Government – job assignment– Company – job security
Funding Research• With full-cost accounting, now necessary in
virtually all career options• Required $$
~2 gross salary
~1.5 other• Travel
• Publication
• Equipment
• Subcontracts
• Supplies, materials
• Requires steady diet of grant-writing activity!
AGE – a timeline/case study
Graduate Student
Postdoc
Government Laboratory
CompanyFaculty Member
Administration
Retire
Play GolfGlasgow, Harvard1976-79
Graduate Student
Postdoc
Government Laboratory
CompanyFaculty Member
Administration
Retire
Play Golf1979
Stanford
Graduate Student
Postdoc
Government Laboratory
CompanyFaculty Member
Administration
Retire
Play Golf1981UAH
Graduate Student
Postdoc
Government Laboratory
CompanyFaculty Member
Administration
Retire
Play Golf1991UAH
Graduate Student
Postdoc
Government Laboratory
CompanyFaculty Member
Administration
Retire
Play Golf2004UAH
Graduate Student
Postdoc
Government Laboratory
CompanyFaculty Member
Administration
Retire
Play Golf2004OSU
Graduate Student
Postdoc
Government Laboratory
CompanyFaculty Member
Administration
Retire
Play Golf????
Graduate StudentGraduate Student
Postdoc
Government Laboratory
CompanyFaculty Member
Administration
Retire
Play Golf????
Points to Remember
• Your professional goals are largely self-motivated
However,….
• Paid employment usually entails service beyond your personal and professional goals
• Weighing these “extra” obligations is paramount in deciding on a career path
• “It’s a wonderful life”