INS 4 - First Year on the Job: Tips and Traps

Tuesday, August 13, 2019: 10:00 AM-11:30 AM
M108, Kentucky International Convention Center
Organizer:
Angee Doerr
Co-organizer:
Nathan Emery
Moderator:
Angee Doerr
Despite the standard aphorisms regarding scientific professions -- PhD to post-doc to faculty position -- career paths in ecology can be quite variable. Additionally, many jobs are temporary, particularly at the beginning of a career, requiring ecologists to continuously apply for new jobs that likely have unfamiliar opportunities as well as obstacles. Despite this, the mentoring that ecologists receive during school may not adequately prepare them for the diversity of careers ahead. This session will explore a variety of experiences from the “first year on the job.” There is no manual for how to put your best foot forward in a given career, but a great way to learn is to listen to the experiences of others and discuss strategies for success. The speakers in this session come from a variety of career paths in ecology and have a wealth of knowledge and life experiences to share with the ESA community. Each speaker will present tips and traps, organized around the themes of funding, teaching, work/life balance, research, outreach/service, and career advancement opportunities, therefore highlighting similarities and differences amongst these disparate pathways. Following the Inspire talks there will be an open question & answer discussion to engage and share ideas from across the ecological spectrum, encouraging a deeper dive into this topic and allowing attendees to build their professional networks. This session is part of the Early Career Ecologists Section mission to organize professional development programming and connect ecologists with each other to help ESA members succeed in their careers.
Finding joy in the journey
Z. Carter Berry, Chapman University
The long way around to the tenure track
Ginger R.H. Allington, George Washington University
Cancelled
INS 4-4
Tips and traps - U.S. government postdoc (widthdrawn)
Dustin Herrmann, University of California, Riverside; Fushcia Hoover, Independent
See more of: Inspire