Alumni Spotlight: Academic Careers
Humanities
Aránzazu (Arantxa) Ascunce (PhD Spanish, ’07)
Aránzazu (Arantxa) Ascunce (PhD Spanish, ’07) is Assistant Professor of Spanish at the University of Hawaii. After working in the “real world” for several years following college – first in television production then at a public relations firm – she decided to pursue her PhD in Spanish at U.Va. In addition to four years of graduate coursework, she taught a wide range of undergraduate courses, including Spanish language, literature and composition for which she won several teaching awards. She was the In-Residence Director of the Casa Bolívar (Spanish language residence) for three years for which she founded a series of educational and cultural programs. Arantxa was also Assistant Director of the U.Va. Spanish Theater Group for five years and a resident of the Range community in the Academical Village for two. She received a Fulbright Fellowship to conduct her dissertation research in Spain followed by a Mellon Pre-Doctoral Workshop and the Faculty Senate Fellowship. Her dissertation is about the relationship between Barcelona and Madrid during the Historical Avant-Garde in Spain from Futurism (1909) to Surrealism (1929) as seen in poetry, politics, art and the press. She received her BA in English and Spanish literatures at Duke University.
Career Advice
When the list of available jobs is released at the beginning of the academic year the process can continue for almost an entire year with or without a job offer. I would recommend that the job seeker have basic documents prepared before the list of jobs opens, especially the curriculum vitae. The reason why I highly recommend this is because once the list of 300 plus jobs is released, you will find yourself devoting many hours to researching all of the schools where you think you may want to apply; preparing separate cover letters and dossiers (since every school seems to ask for different documents); while you are teaching; and, perhaps, finishing your dissertation (which was my case). I would also recommend that you have several people (not just academics) look over your CV before sending it any where. I applied to thirty jobs, received fifteen interviews at the MLA, landed six on-campus visits and received one offer. In hindsight, I think that having my dissertation complete before attending the MLA Conference would have given me much more of a competitive edge. It seems to me that most Departments would prefer to hire someone who has the dissertation completed. Much of this job seeking process requires knowing what you want (professionally and personally) before you begin. If you are not sure as to whether you really want to pursue a job in academia or not; whether you want to teach at a liberal arts school or a research university – going on the market is definitely one way to find out. I applied to both types of schools since I think that I could be happy and challenged in both environments. The entire process from beginning to end is enlightening. You learn a lot about the profession and yourself. In the end, you have nothing to lose, and everything to gain.
Winnie Chan (PhD, English '04)
Winnie Chan (PhD, English '04) has been teaching post/colonial Anglophone literatures at Virginia Commonwealth University since 2006, when she joined its faculty as Assistant Professor. Before returning to Virginia, she taught as a Visiting Assistant Professor at Rhodes College in Memphis, TN, and Lawrence University in Appleton, WI. She is currently working on a book called Imperial Gastronomy, which examines the relationships among gastronomic consumption, imperial power, and post/colonial identity in Anglophone literatures from the East Indies to the West Indies. Her dissertation was revised as The Economy of the Short Story in British Periodicals of the 1890s and published by Routledge in January 2007.
Career Advice
At the risk of sounding like a Pollyanna, I feel compelled to remind doctoral students to cherish their time in graduate school. Though you may feel overwhelmed by so many new responsibilities and ideas, you also have the tremendous privilege of immersing yourself in ideas that excite you—among people who are as excited by them as you are. I am of course not suggesting that anyone linger in grad school; rather, remind yourself often of what you love about your work. And make no mistake: you should love your work, even if it sometimes frustrates you, and even if you don't always love your job, which is distinct from your work. If you don't love your work, there are lots of easier ways to earn a much more lucrative living; however, I can't imagine a gig that could beat sharing my favorite books and ideas with a limitless (in all senses of the word) procession of young people. In ruthlessly practical terms, I've found that academic employers tend to prefer the enthusiastic colleague, and it's a lot easier to be that colleague if you don't have to fake it.
Valerie L. Garver (PhD History, '03)
Valerie L. Garver (PhD History, '03) has served as Assistant Professor of History at Northern Illinois University since August 2003. NIU is located in DeKalb on the western outskirts of the Chicago area. In addition to teaching graduate courses and advising graduate students specializing in medieval history, Garver offers courses in medieval history and medieval studies, as well as one on early Islamic history. She is also Co-Director of the Medieval Studies Program. In addition to some recently published essays, she is currently revising her book Women and Aristocratic Culture in the Carolingian World for publication. Before attending U.Va. she earned a BA in History from the University of Kansas and an MA in Medieval Studies from the University of York, UK. (Photo courtesy of NIU Media Services.)
Career Advice
The best advice I could give graduate students is to be patient and persistent - don't let any setbacks get you too down as they're a part of academic life and do not mean you won't have other successes. Just because you were not chosen for a major fellowship at one point in graduate school does not mean you will not get a good job or other fellowships later so long as you continue to do good work you believe in. Also, while your adviser should be your most important ally in graduate school, it is important to cultivate relationships with other professors in your department, at U.Va., and elsewhere.
Caroline E. Janney (BA Government, '98; PhD History, '05)
Caroline E. Janney (BA Government, '98; PhD History, '05) is Assistant Professor of History at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. Purdue is a Research I, engineering-based university with nearly 40,000 students. Janney's research focuses on the ways in which the American Civil War has been remembered and memorialized. Her first book, Burying the Dead But Not the Past: Ladies’ Memorial Associations and the Lost Cause, will be published by the University of North Carolina Press and available in the spring of 2008. Her primary teaching responsibilities include US Women's history, the Civil War in memory, southern women, and the survey of US history to 1877. Her classes range in size from twelve to two hundred students.
Career Advice
My advice to graduate students on the job market: be sure to thoroughly research each school and department to which you apply. For example, you should know if the school is focused on teaching or research, what types of courses the department offers (and therefore what gaps you might fill), and the general make-up of the student body. Be prepared to ask questions in your interview. And finally - try to relax in your interview and enjoy the opportunity.
Heather Love (PhD English, ’01)
Heather Love (PhD English, ’01) is the M. Mark and Esther K. Watkins Assistant Professor in the Humanities at the University of Pennsylvania. She teaches courses in twentieth-century literature, gender studies, and cultural theory in the English Department and was the recipient of the 2006 Dean's Award for Innovation in Teaching. Before coming to Penn, she taught in the Literature Concentration at Harvard for two years as a Woodrow Wilson Postdoctoral Fellow. Her first book, Feeling Backward: Loss and the Politics of Queer History, is due out from Harvard University Press in September 2007. The book rethinks the foundations of contemporary queer historiography by exploring dark or negative “structures of feeling” in several late-nineteenth and twentieth-century literary texts. While at U.Va. she co-edited a special issue of New Literary History called "Is There Life after Identity Politics?” She has published articles in GLQ, Feminist Theory, Grey Room, New Literary History, Postmodern Culture, Rhizomes, The Women’s Review of Books, Bad Modernisms (Duke), Sapphic Modernities (Palgrave), and The Transgender Reader (Routledge); she has essays forthcoming in Gay Shame (Chicago), New Formations, and The Cambridge History of Feminist Criticism. She is currently at work on a book-length project (“Marked for Life: Modernity and Its Others”) that traces the concept of stigma in literature and the social sciences since the mid-nineteenth century.
Career Advice
I think the most important thing in pursuing an academic career is to stay committed to your primary driving interests. There is a lot of pressure these days to try to tailor what you are doing to the market, and of course it is impossible to ignore those kinds of demands altogether. In the end, though, the best work comes out of passionate commitments: it’s important to find a way to bring those forward as you get deeper into your field and into the profession.
Hun Lye (PhD Religious Studies, '03)
Hun Lye (PhD Religious Studies, '03) is teaching full-time at Warren Wilson College (where faculty are unranked), in Asheville NC, a private liberal-arts college that offers a unique educational approach of integrating the three components of academics, work, and service-learning. Although Lye's primary area of expertise is in East Asian Buddhism, he also offers courses on Islam and Hinduism. He received his BA in Buddhist Studies and Communication Arts from Allegheny College, PA, and his MA in Religious Studies from U.Va.
Career Advice
It is entirely reasonable for you to expect your department to shield you from being overburdened with “service” expectations in your first year. Don’t waste away this first year - wherever you end up teaching, find your own niche. If there isn’t one apparent yet to either you and/or your institution, work on identifying it and offer to fill it yourself. If you don’t, you’ll be saddled with drudgery no later than your second year. Guaranteed.
Megan Raymond (PhD English, '05)
Megan Raymond (PhD English, '05), Acting Director of University Outreach at U.Va., did her BA at McGill University, MA at the University of Montreal, and PhD at U.Va. All of her degrees are in English Literature. She started working full-time for the Vice President for Research and Public Service office in 2000 as their Outreach Webmaster. In 2001, she was promoted to University Outreach Officer, and in 2003 was hired as the Assistant Director for University Outreach. She was promoted to Associate Director of University Outreach when she earned her PhD, and is now Acting Director of University Outreach. She directs the University's academic outreach efforts which include collaborating with faculty and students to connect teaching and research to public life. She also directs the University's educational outreach to alumni, parents, and friends.
Career Advice
While you're a graduate student, take advantage of opportunities to explore your options within academe. Universities are mini cities with almost all the same functions, systems, and infrastructures (police departments, health departments, financial offices, public relations, fundraising, legal offices, libraries, hospitals, etc.). Find people whose jobs seem intriguing to you and invite them for informational coffees. People are generally happy to talk about what they do and how they got there. Above all, finish your PhD and become a passionate advocate for public higher education.
Peter V. Swendsen (PhD Music, '08)
Peter V. Swendsen (PhD Music, '08) is currently Assistant Professor of Computer Music and Digital Arts at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. He attended U.Va. as a Jefferson Scholars Graduate Fellow from 2002-06, then spent a year as a Fulbright Fellow at the NoTAM computer music studios in Oslo, Norway. His creative and research work is regularly presented on concerts, festivals, and conferences throughout the US and Europe. His writing appears in the Computer Music Journal and Journal SEAMUS, which he serves as Assistant Editor. Recordings of his music can be found on the Arsenal, Quiet Design, and Vox Novus labels. His work often involves interpretations of real-world soundscapes, and he works extensively in collaboration with choreographers.
Career Advice
I found the process much friendlier than I expected it would be. Phone interviews, and especially on-campus interviews, were enjoyable experiences. Students, faculty, and administrators alike were eager to meet me, hear about my work, and share what their schools and departments had to offer. Never was I shown anything but genuine interest, respect, and support by those I met. You get so used to hearing about how awfully competitive the job market is that it's easy to lose sight of the fact that the academic world is full of many friendly and engaging people who are eager to find enthusiastic colleagues. It is worth keeping this in mind and maintaining a sense of optimism throughout the job search; such a positive attitude will inevitably exhibit itself at key moments in the process.
Life, Physical, Mathematical Sciences
Ryan Emanuel (MS Environmental Sciences, ’03; PhD Environmental Sciences, ’07)
Ryan Emanuel (MS Environmental Sciences, ’03; PhD Environmental Sciences, ’07) accepted a position as Assistant Professor and Faculty Fellow in the Geology Department at Appalachian State University during his last semester of graduate study at U.Va. Appalachian is a comprehensive regional university located in Boone, NC with total enrollment of nearly 15,000. The Geology Department serves undergraduate students and emphasizes student and faculty research. This fall Emanuel joins their faculty to teach an upper-level course in hydrology and to begin research on water and carbon fluxes in the southern Appalachian Mountains. After graduating from U.Va. and prior to beginning work at Appalachian, he analyzed airborne remote sensing data during a short-term postdoc at Duke University’s Center on Global Change. As a Faculty Fellow, Emanuel will work on projects to increase and promote Diversity at Appalachian. He received a BS from Duke University and worked in the manufacturing industry prior to graduate study at U.Va.
Career Advice
Before you send off the first application or even browse the job listings, think long and hard about the type of academic, social and geographic environments in which you would love to work, in which you could tolerate working for a few years, and in which you would rather not work under any circumstances. Also think about who you want to be personally and professionally five years after you graduate. If you take the time to reflect honestly on these things before the onslaught of cover letters, teaching statements and deadlines you will be better equipped to evaluate how well hiring institutions meet your expectations, and not simply vice versa.
Kristi Kneas (PhD Chemistry, '00)
Kristi Kneas (PhD Chemistry, '00) is Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Elizabethtown College, a comprehensive college in central PA. Her teaching responsibilities include introductory and analytical chemistry courses, and presently she is a member of the college's Core Commitments team, a participating group of the AAC&U's initiative to educate students for personal and social responsibility. Her research with undergraduate students is directed toward the development of luminescence-based sensors for environmental applications. Prior to Elizabethtown, Kneas served from 2000-2006 as assistant professor of chemistry at Maryville College, a small liberal arts college in east TN. There her teaching responsibilities included introductory and analytical chemistry, college orientation, and first year seminars focused on research paper writing, civic engagement, and the environment. At MC, she founded the Summer Science Academy, an intensive week-long program for rising 5th-7th graders, and conducted collaborative research with students and auto part manufacturer, DENSO International to "green up" chemical cleaners used in production. Kneas received her AB from Randolph-Macon Woman's College in 1995.
Career Advice
Take the time to determine your vocation--that which you feel called to do. As Dimitri Mendeleev, Father of the Periodic Table, was quoted, "Look for peace and calm in work, you will find it nowhere else. Pleasures flit by, they are only for yourself. Work leaves a mark of lasting joy for others."
A suggested process toward vocational discernment:
- Assessment. Who are you? Take inventory of your values, skills, personality, and interests in order that you can determine the best fit for you.
- Discernment. What do you wish to become? This may involve listening, dreaming, participating in career expositions, workshops, and experiences, and talking with the experts and people who know and respect you.
- Planning & Implementation. What is your strategy? Take advantage of opportunities to gain experience, develop your communication skills, and network. Seek out good mentors and teachers, and surround yourself by those who will be supportive.
Michael Reiter (PhD Environmental Sciences, '88)
Michael Reiter (PhD Environmental Sciences, '88) has received university and national awards for his teaching. He is Associate Professor of Environmental Science at Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida, where he is developing new Bachelors and Masters programs in integrated environmental science. Reiter has directed several service-learning relationships in Florida, Delaware, and Indiana that provide research opportunities and field courses for students and data for managers. He is the past President and current Chair of the Advisory Board of the Interdisciplinary Environmental Association as well as Editor for the journal Interdisciplinary Environmental Review. He has received grants from NOAA, the USDA, and The Nature Conservancy, and is also a member of the Ecological Society of America and the Union of Concerned Scientists. Reiter also served on the initial Executive Board of the Mid-Atlantic Region Ecological Observatory and has been approved as a Fulbright Senior Specialist in Environmental Science/Education. He has received university service awards, has been nominated for regional awards for his research, and has been invited to speak on his work in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, and Africa. Reiter holds a B.S. in Biology from Muskingum College, an M.S. in Biology from Kent State University, and a Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences from U.Va.
Career Advice
Based on my experience, the most important single piece of advice I can give newly-minted PhD's is to prepare to be flexible. We all leave our doctoral and/or post-doctoral work with expectations and plans for what we will be researching, where we will be working, what we will (or won't) be teaching, what kind of college or university is the best and only type for us, what family life we will (or won't) have, etc.; but that is not how The Academic World works! Colleges and universities have their own plans and requirements, and in order to be part of a program that you can be proud of you may have to work on things (teach courses, live in a place, travel with a frequency) that the program requires instead of what you personally prefer. Thus for every one of you who gets exactly what you expected, there will be many, many more who find themselves in very different situations, and the choice becomes to either be miserable and grumpy (thus guaranteeing that you will never get anywhere else or enjoy your career) or work hard to build something you can respect in case you never do end up where you had planned. Thus my advice to you is to never stop striving to reach your goals, but along the way to be open to possibilities, remain flexible and willing to try new things, prepare for the possibility that you may not ever complete your original plans, and consider the real possibility that you may not yet know what will fit you best or make you most comfortable/happy until you experience it.
Raina Robeva (PhD Mathematics, '97)
Raina Robeva (PhD Mathematics, '97) is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Mathematical Sciences at Sweet Briar College. At Sweet Briar, a selective liberal arts and sciences college for women in Central Virginia, Robeva teaches a wide variety of mathematics and computer science courses. She has received funding for her research and educational projects from federal and private sources including the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the Mathematical Association of America, the Jeffress Memorial Trust, and the Commonwealth Health Research Board. Robeva is the lead author for the book An Invitation to Biomathematics, published by Academic Press.
Career Advice
Once you land that coveted tenure-track job, don't stress too much. Find something that you really like to do professionally and do it for the fun and pleasure it will bring you. The funding, publications, recognition, and (yes!) tenure will follow.
Webster Santos (BS Chemistry, '97; PhD Chemistry, '02)
Webster Santos (BS Chemistry, '97; PhD Chemistry, '02) is currently Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Virginia Tech and Research Assistant Professor at the Virginia College of Ostheopathic Medicine in Blacksburg, Virginia. Prior to joining the faculty at VA Tech, he was an NIH postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA. His research interests lie at the interface between chemistry and biology. His primary focus is the synthesis of novel molecular entities that can be used as probes in studying the biological functions of proteins involved in the Malarial parasite plasmodium falciparum. In addition, he is developing new strategies and embarking on the unconventional approach of targeting the mRNA of proteins implicated in neurological disease states such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases with small molecules. In organic chemistry, he is employing a chemical biology approach in evolving nucleic acid polymers, such as RNA, to discover molecular scaffolds that can catalyze chemical reactions. One of his goals is to use modular RNA to perform the total synthesis of natural products, where one product can arise from a complex pool of starting materials.
Career Advice
The best advice I can give to graduate students pursuing academic careers is to first be absolutely sure that they love to teach and do research, before embarking on an academic career. Secondly, they should strive to make significant contributions in their field as graduate students so that they will stand out on the job market.
Social Sciences
Bill Craighead (PhD Economics, '06)
Bill Craighead (PhD Economics, '06) is Assistant Professor of Economics at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where he teaches courses in macroeconomics and international economics and is an advisor to the economics club. His research is focused on exchange rate behavior. Prior to graduate study at Virginia, he earned a BA from Carleton College and worked for a financial information company in New York.
Career Advice
I found the hardest part to be waiting for the phone to ring -- my office mate and I actually checked to make sure our phone was working. Schools can take a long time to make decisions, and they may not do a good job keeping you posted on the process. That period of silence after a campus visit was really miserable -- in retrospect, I wish I had taken the initiative to follow up more instead of waiting for calls. I doubt it would have affected any outcomes, but it would have helped my sanity.
Ufuk Devrim Demirel (PhD Economics, '06)
Ufuk Devrim Demirel (PhD Economics, '06) is currently serving as an Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Colorado at Boulder. His research interests are in the fields of Macroeconomics, Monetary Economics, and International Finance with a particular emphasis on the design and implementation of macroeconomic policies in emerging markets. His current teaching responsibilities include undergraduate and graduate level macroeconomic theory courses. In addition he serves as a dissertation adviser for graduate students and is a member of the graduate student admission committee. Demirel received his BA in Economics in 2000 from Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey and started his graduate studies at U.Va. in the same year.
Career Advice
Regardless of whether you are teaching-oriented or research-oriented, absolute passion for what you are doing is, I believe, key to success in the job market and beyond.
Mark L. Haas (PhD Political Science, '00)
Mark L. Haas (PhD Political Science, '00) is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His primary teaching responsibilities include American Foreign Policies, Introduction to International Relations, and Ethics and International Relations. He has received research support from the Olin Institute for Strategic Studies and the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, both at Harvard University, the Institute for the Study of World Politics, and the Earhart Foundation.
Career Advice
If possible, have an article accepted for publication before you are on the market. This will not only help to separate you from other candidates, but will potentially open up post-doctoral research opportunities.
Dustin Kidd (MA American Studies/English, '99; PhD Sociology, '04)
Dustin Kidd (MA American Studies/English, '99; PhD Sociology, '04) is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Temple University in Philadelphia where he also serves as affiliated faculty with Women's Studies and American Studies. His primary teaching responsibilities include an upper level seminar in popular culture as well as undergraduate and graduate courses on social theory. He is a faculty fellow of the Center for the Humanities at Temple and he serves on the board of directors with the Spiral Q Community Puppet Theater. His research focuses on inequalities within the realms of art and popular culture and includes articles on Harry Potter and Robert Mapplethorpe. Working with a Temple undergradutate through a mentoring program sponsored by the National Science Foundation, he recently completed a year of research examining WEB DuBois's writings on the arts. He is currently at work on a book manuscript entitled Legislating Creativity: The Intersections of Art and Politics. He received a BA in Religious Studies at James Madison University before beginning his PhD at U.Va.
Career Advice
When you negotiate with potential employers, rather than asking them what you need to do to succeed, tell them what you want to accomplish in the next five years and ask them to work with you in developing that into a career plan that will succeed at that institution. Be realistic about what you can accomplish and willing to make small compromises, but know for yourself what you need to do to stay satisfied and excited about your career. And don't compare yourself to others because everyone's career goals and overall life path is going to be different.
Markella Rutherford (PhD Sociology, '04)
Markella Rutherford (PhD Sociology, '04) is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Wellesley College, in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Wellesley College is a liberal arts college for women and is consistently ranked among the top liberal arts colleges in the nation. Rutherford's primary teaching responsibilities include courses in sociological theory and social inequality, as well as introductory courses. Her qualitative research in cultural sociology has focused on contemporary rites of passage and tracking the dominance of ideals of individual autonomy in American culture. At Wellesley, Rutherford has been able to involve undergraduate students in her research through initiatives such as the National Science Foundation's Research Experiences for Undergraduates summer program. Before pursuing a PhD at U.Va. Rutherford received a BA from Mississippi College and an MA from the University of Memphis.
Career Advice
My advice for graduate students is to begin to think of themselves as professionals now. Part of this professional stance is to be actively involved in your discipline and extend your networks beyond your own department. Attend regional or national meetings, present papers, publish, and--most importantly--meet people. Being networked beyond U.Va. will not only help when you are on the job market, but it will also help when you are facing a tenure review after getting that job.
Karen Tinsley (PhD Psychology, '91)
Karen Tinsley (PhD Psychology, '91) is Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychology at Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina, a small college that draws on Quaker and liberal arts traditions to prepare men and women for a lifetime of learning, work, and constructive action dedicated to the betterment of the world. Half of the Guilford student body is adult (23 years and older). Tinsley formerly served as Chair of African-American Studies at Guilford from 2001-2005. She earned her BA in Psychology and Sociology from Sweet Briar College and her MS in Psychology from Pennsylvania State University.
Career Advice
I have found a career in academia to be very rewarding. My advice for those pursuing such careers: as a new professor, seek out a mentor to work with, be flexible, creative and open-minded, try to maintain a balance with your career and personal life, stay focused on your short and long-term goals, and take advantage of any available resources to help with your professional development.