POV: The life of an academic

Undergraduate Incubation

You start your journey as a bright-eyed undergraduate, choosing to embark on the journey of a scientific academic. At the beginning, you’re unbeknownst of what happens in the weeds of research — tackling the hardest challenges and attempting to answer humanity’s toughest questions. 

A striking realization hits you: as a scientist, you will wear many hats. 

The role of a researcher is to be an expert on your preferred subject matter, usually in a topic that is ever-developing with new knowledge getting added on the daily. You act as a statistician, computer scientist, builder and writer (those are just a few of the roles you step into as an expert). 

But beyond the skills you learn and the roles you fulfill, you learn that science is a human endeavor, and that’s what makes it a collaborative one. 

Soon, you pass through your second and third years of college, progressing through undergraduate research while tackling rigorous classwork and summer research experiences. You might spend a summer working on a groundbreaking project under a new advisor, immersing yourself in new words and techniques that end up eventually becoming ordinary. 

Time doing research is one of exponential growth. 

Does everyone know what these new words mean? Is it obvious that I don’t? 

The trenches of imposter syndrome may become increasingly familiar, but with each visit, you accumulate slightly more knowledge of this messy labyrinth. 

Expertise does not come without hardships. You learn to draw on support and communicate with your peers and your mentors. They have all felt what you so vividly believe to be a unique experience. Still, though, in a room full of experts, it is hard not to feel like an outsider. Do I belong?

Yet, the warmth of your mentors and colleagues guides you. The good ones make it their job to make you believe that science is meant to be a welcoming place. It’s imperative that when you’re stuck, you utilize the community that helps you look back and see how far you’ve come. 

It has been an arduous journey, and it will continue to be so — but remember: you can now explain the same concepts that were once so foreign to you. 

Howard Chen (2nd year undergraduate student): 

About undergraduate research: 

“I reached out to several professors before I really came to USC…There's no rule saying that, okay, you cannot email professors. I just did it because I know this is like a rolling basis thing — you do it early, you get more advantages.” 

Lena Fiala (4th year undergraduate student): 

Advice on imposter syndrome and graduate school applications: 

“Don’t be intimidated too much by the process, because it seems like this huge thing that you have to do. I never would have thought I would have a shot at getting into the school I ended up getting into. So don't let imposter syndrome stop you from applying — just try.”

Andrew Benson (Staff Scientist, Carnegie Observatories):

Advice on success in academia:

“There's a thing that I always remember [my undergraduate advisor] saying, which I think has been very good advice. He was basically telling me if you want a successful career in academia, then you're gonna have to make it yourself. You're gonna have to work for it, and not sit at the back of the room. You're gonna have to push yourself forward and make a name for yourself.”

Graduate Metamorphosis

You’ve come so far. Now, you are faced with a choice: Is graduate school something you want to do? 

You could get a job — which, with the training of a researcher and your degree, will pay enormous amounts in the industry — or you could continue down the path of academia and dedicate just a little bit more of your life to answering the questions that a little-you was curious about. 

You choose the latter, and soon after, the tenuous cycle of graduate school applications are upon you. Now, you’re sure that graduate school is something you want to do.

It's the start of your senior year, and while graduate applications are due in November or December, the prep work starts early. You brainstorm with your advisor which school is truly right for you. You must remember: the science is not the only thing that fuels you throughout graduate school. You need to think about the essentials that you need to thrive. 

Is the place right for me? Are the potential advisors people that could mentor you the way you need them to? Is the environment of the department a friendly one that invites you to grow? 

There’s a lot you can tell by talking to potential advisors and their students beforehand. Advisor alignment is the single most important part of graduate school — a facet that can make or break your experience. 

Once you have everything you need, you ask your advisor and two others to write your letters of recommendation for graduate school. You work on a compelling statement of purpose to share your fundamental truths and what fuels you. And before each interview, you remind yourself that you’re searching for the correct fit, not trying to impress your potential PI. 

Once April 15 arrives, you decide which graduate school you’re going to attend. The last leg of your undergraduate studies is over and you can finally breathe. You’ve accomplished so much in these years. The friends you’ve made will last a lifetime, and the memories for longer. You’re finally resting before the beginning of what’s probably the most intense part of your life. 

Your first year in graduate school will be one of the most challenging. You’re taking significantly less courses than you were in undergrad, but the difficulty has exponentially increased. You now spend all of your time going to classes, doing homework for those classes and working on studying for those classes. What little time you have left is spent teaching courses and attending research meetings. (If you still get some extra left over you might start doing research with one of the advisors you wrote about in your statement of purpose).

That’s a lot. You don’t have the time to break down. Your peers become your team. You manage to get to winter break only to have to do it again in the spring. You might even have a qualifying exam at the end of your first year to prove a deep understanding in your area of expertise! 

Stacy Kim (Nashman Postdoctoral Fellow, Carnegie Observatories):

About how to decide on grad schools:

“One thing I thought a lot about when I was going to grad school, trying to decide where to go, was where would I be most productive? But that isn't just where they are doing the best science or where they have the best scientists — it's where you will be happy.”

Summer Conditioning

Finally, when summer arrives, you sigh in relief. 

Passing your first year is an accomplishment. It took a lot and now you’re back to the questions that led you here. But disclaimer: research during your first summer will feel like you know a lot — but also nothing. You’re starting out with a project where you alone will take responsibility for the outcome. 

As time passes you get in a groove. It feels like this is what you’re meant to be doing. You’re sitting at the edge of knowledge in your field of study everyday, looking out at the chasm of the unknown with your peers. You learn from each other, but gain the most from your advisor. 

One day, you look up from the cliff; you see a rainbow. You have results! It’s now time to let the world know about this cool new thing you discovered. 

As the years pass by, it's hard to even imagine there was a time you didn’t know something that’s automatic now. But, don’t forget your progress — let it fuel you and form you into the scientist you want to be. 

You’re now ready to go from graduate student to graduate candidate. You’re the expert now. You did it. 

Even though you’ve answered some of the scientific questions that first led you here, you are filled with new ones. What kind of researcher do you want to be? Where should your expertise lie? What comes next? 

You’re back to where you started. Should you stay in academia or go to industry? You have a lot more experience now. There’s still that voice. If I could continue to ponder about the universe at the forefront of human knowledge and get paid to do it, would I? 

Sasha Mintz (2nd year graduate student): 

About perseverance in research: 

“I had the willpower to keep going when things got hard. That's super underrated and not talked about enough. Because when everyone tells you it's a marathon, not a sprint, they're not saying it for fun — you literally cannot go from idea to published results in anywhere less than 2 to 3 months, and I'm being super generous. So much of it is just trying to hammer the problem in different ways. You're not always thinking about the glorified big picture thing. You are in the weeds of it…. You're not always thinking immediately of the science, but you are thinking about it in the broad picture. I look at my day and I'm like, why am I doing this? And then I'm like, ‘Oh yeah, because I want to figure out dark matter.’” 

Stephan Haas (Department Chair of USC Physics and Astronomy):

About imposter syndrome and our role in science:

“I think there is a certain confidence you acquire over time. That's part of growing academically — to acquire that confidence. But, we are imposters, right? We're looking at new science. Because we're such habitual imposters in the sciences, maybe that gives you a little bit more confidence and comfort.”

Postdoctoral Summit

You consider the postdoctoral programs. Once again, the possibilities are limitless. 

Postdocs take you all over the world. Some let you do independent research at an institute of your choice, others offer postdocs for a specific type of research at national laboratories and there are even postdocs that individual professors offer with grant money that require you to work on a specific project. 

You’re once again at a crossroads to make your decision of what your life for the next few years will be. The life of a postdoc can be freeing without any extra commitments of a professor or a research scientist but it has its own cons. 

But remember your support system: your fellow postdocs and professors have been here and want to help you. 

Also, be excited: this is the time that you start making a name for yourself. Carve a niche that you are known for. As the leading expert in this area, people will approach you to collaborate. You spend your time at conferences to spread your work. You will write grant applications and papers on research that will be truly yours. 

Stacy Kim (Nashman Postdoctoral Fellow, Carnegie Observatories):

About applying for postdoc positions:

“A lot of the postdoc applications will look at the number of publications you have. So that, for better or for worse, is something that is important to keep in mind. Once you become a postdoc, that still is super important — getting your faculty job, that is super important. But this is a point where you might want to start thinking about your legacy. So, what do you want people to know you for?”

About choosing academia:

“If you are a student who loves just learning non-stop, academia is perfect.” 

Andrew Benson (Staff Scientist, Carnegie Observatories):

Advice on applying to post-doc positions:

”When we're looking at postdoc positions, talk to the people who've worked in that group before, especially ones who have left recently, because they're more likely to be just completely honest about their experience.”

“[A former postdoc] basically said that at every stage of her career, she tried to act like the next career stage. So as a grad student, she said her goal was to learn how to act like a postdoc. And as a postdoc, her goal was to learn to act as, you know, junior faculty. And I thought, yeah, that's actually really smart, because at the end of each of those phases, you're trying to apply for a job in the next phase, and if you've already picked up a lot of the skills or positions of that next stage, you're already doing the things that that new position should be doing.”

A Professor's Legacy

In the meantime, the faculty job market creeps up on you. The job market is tough; you might choose to do another postdoc, not as a reflection of your expertise, but of the circumstances in academia. Still though, you are doing the best research you possibly can. 

You might consider a research scientist position at institutes, national laboratories and industry, all unique in their own ways. But these are different from the university environment you have called home for almost a decade now. At university, the sudden teaching and administrative responsibilities, and your role as primary investigator in your own research group, are all parts of what is new to you as an assistant professor. 

Research, at times, is a small part of your routine. The undergraduates, graduate students and even other post-docs in your group report to you. 

You recall how you looked up to your advisor and do your best to embody the role model you want to be. This job is an imperative one. You are in charge of creating a new generation of scientists that will become experts themselves with your guidance. In ways, you are shaping the path that you wished was laid out to you. 

As you get more familiar with the professorship, you start working towards achieving tenure. 

The committee that decides whether your research output in the last years as a professor has been satisfactory will be in charge of declaring you a tenured professor. This is a huge milestone that you’ve been working incredibly hard for. Once you surpass it, there’s a sigh of relief. You’re established now! 

All those years of incredible struggle and growth have caught up to you. You’ve grown so much. But that hard work will continue. With the freedom of your academic life, you can focus on the same driving questions that brought you to the foothills of Mt. Academia in the first place: science in its truest and brightest form. 

Andrew Benson (Staff Scientist, Carnegie Observatories):

About the best part of being a scientist:

”You never stop having to learn new stuff, and I like learning new things, so that's really kind of a fun part of the job. The other big factor for me is just getting to be around like-minded people. A bunch of nerds with similar interests, similar outlooks, and you feel like you do actually belong to that community.”

Stephan Haas (Department Chair of USC Physics and Astronomy):

About his role as Department Chair:

”Sometimes when you are in a position of power, you realize how little power you actually have to do certain things. But you actually have the power of appreciating people, and the power of pointing out what is really fantastic, and how people are doing a great job. And that is not nothing — it's actually a lot.”

Kris Pardo (Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy):

About the limitations of academia:

“Academia is great, but it's also not the end-all be-all. There is so much more out there.”

About what he enjoys the most about academia: 

“Freedom is number one in everything. I can choose whatever research direction I want right now. There are better research directions to choose, and part of the game is finding the good research direction that's going to have interesting results and get good funding, but I like that. And I like just not having to think about how to make a company money — it's more like, ‘Oh yes, I get to think about the universe and do these things and get paid for it.’ That's crazy, right?”