Non-Academic Astronomers Network by Career Type
Career Types (which may or may not be populated) = Education/Public Outreach | Industry | Journalism | Law | Medicine | Private Consultant | Science Center | Science Policy | Other
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Education/Public Outreach
- Name:
Dana E. Backman, Ph.D.
Title: Associate Director for SOFIA for Education and Public Outreach
Phone: 650-604-2128
Company: NASA Ames Research Center
Career Path: Post-doc and infrared observer support, Kitt Peak National Observatory; NRC post-doc, NASA-Ames; Professor of physics and astronomy, Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster PA (received tenure). Present job description: lead of education and public outreach group and public affairs / press office for Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) based at NASA-Ames; I am a contractor, not a NASA civil servant, hired through SOFIA E/PO subcontract at the SETI Institute. - Name:
Anita Krishnamurthi, Ph.D.
Title: Education and Public Outreach Lead
Phone: 301-286-2597
Company: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
After my postdoc, I decided I wanted to switch trajectories and went to work at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, DC. I was a Program Officer in the Office on Public Understanding of Science (OPUS) for nearly two years, designing and implementing science outreach programs targeted at adults. After a brief stint at the National Academies Press, I moved on to a position at NASA Headquarters with the space science education and public outreach group. I got a lot of exposure to the intricacies of managing large programs and initiatives, setting policy and how large government bureaucracies really work! I had a very diverse set of responsibilities at HQ - from managing a variety of education-related programs to reviewing EPO programs of different scales to coordinating a variety of communication efforts. I am now the EPO lead for the Astrophysics Division at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. I am responsible for co-ordinating the EPO programs for the division and am also the EPO lead for two exciting NASA programs (Beyond Einstein and JWST). I enjoy being at this interface between the science and the public and it has been an interesting career path thus far. - Name:
Timothy A. Livengood, Ph.D.
Title: Astrophysicist/Science Educator
Phone: 703-683-9740
Company: Challenger Center for Space Science Education
The Challnger Center for Space Science Education is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization founded in 1986 by the families of the astronauts tragically lost in the Challenger 51-L mission. Dedicated to the educational spirit of that mission, Challenger Center programs continue the crew's mission of engaging students in science, math and technology and foster in them an interest to pursue careers in those fields. - Name:
Irene Porro, Ph.D.
Title: EPO Scientist
Phone:
Company: MIT
- Name:
Christine Pulliam, M.A.
Title: Public Affairs Specialist
Phone:
Company: Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
I am a public affairs specialist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) in Cambridge, Mass. One of my main tasks is writing and distributing press releases about CfA research. I also help coordinate and conduct many public events such as lectures and star parties, where we open the public's eyes to the many wonders of the night sky. Prior to joining CfA, I was a community relations coordinator at Brookhaven National Laboratory, a Department of Energy facility on Long Island, NY. I obtained my M.A. in Astronomy from the University of Texas at Austin in 1997. - Name:
Christine Shupla, B.A.
Title: Education Outreach Specialist
Phone: (281) 486-2135
Company: Lunar and Planetary Institute
While pursuing my bachelor's, I realized I wanted a career that involved a wider variety of activities and allowed me to interact more with people. I went on to get an MA in Education (Curriculum & Instruction). I decided to go into the planetarium field, where I've been for many years. I enjoyed the interactions with the public and school groups, and the variety of tasks involved in creating original shows. Eventually, I was drawn to the slightly different field of working in both formal and informal space science education. - Name:
Denise Smith, Ph.D.
Title: Origins Education Forum Manager
Phone: 410-338-4434
Company: Space Telescope Science Institute
Industry
- Name:
Blake Bullock, M.S.
Title: Mission Integration Manager, Civil Space Development
Phone: 310-813-8410
Company: Northrop Grumman Space Technology
Blake Bullock is mission integration manager, Civil Space Business Development, for Northrop Grumman Space Technology. In this role, she is responsible for leading and supporting business development efforts to build, maintain, and strengthen relationships with customers and the science user communities and to identify and create new business opportunities within Environmental Sensing, Space Science, and Exploration areas. Prior to her current assignment, Ms. Bullock served as Risk Manager and Systems Engineer for the James Webb Space Telescope Program at Northrop Grumman Space Technology. Ms. Bullock holds a Masters degree in Astronomy from Wesleyan University and a Bachelor’s degree in Astrophysics from the University of California, Berkeley. She is a member of the American Astronomical Society and served as a Mass Media Fellow for the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2000. As a Presidential Management Fellow from 2000 to 2002, Ms. Bullock served at NASA Headquarters, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Strategic and Space Programs Directorate. Northrop Grumman Corporation is a $30 billion global defense and technology company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in information and services, electronics, aerospace and shipbuilding to government and commercial customers worldwide. - Name:
Blaise Canzian, Ph.D.
Title: Systems Engineer
Phone: (412) 967-7553
Company: L-3 Communications/Brashear
Career path - Postdoc at STScI (3 years) - 1.5 years of pure research and 1.5 years of combined research and functional (support) duties. Then 12 years as an astronomer at the U.S. Naval Observatory (Flagstaff), first under contract to USRA and then as a civil servant employee of the U.S. Navy. Now at L-3/Brashear in my home town using knowledge and skills in optics, computing systems, and telescope systems. - Name:
Lawrence Chernin, Ph.D.
Title: Senior Manager
Phone:
Company: Cadence Design Systems (San Jose)
- Name:
Rolf Danner, Ph.D.
Title: Senior Scientist Civil Space Business Development
Phone: 310-812-0093
Company: Northrop Grumman Space Technology
While I've spent the bulk of my professional life as an employee first at a NASA center (JPL) and now at Northrop Grumman, I've always had a desire to engage in a broad range of projects. This has led me most recently to starting my own company that publishes an online magazine for gay men interested in personal growth: "http://www.lifepowernow.com" Not unlike many in the international field of astronomy, I had to face the dual challenge of choosing a career and my country of residence. Though starting with such a wide open range of choices was confusing at times, today I'm glad that I made the first step. I hope to share what I have learned to make this process at least a little less mysterious for others. Please contact me, if you think I might be able to help. - Name:
Nicholas M. Elias II, Ph.D.
Title: Senior Systems Engineer
Phone: 303-939-5152
Company: Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.
I've done most of my work in Civil New Business, doing applied research for advanced interferometric instrumentation such as TPF and SPECS. Recently, I've been reducing CCD images for an ozone-mapping satellite called OMPS (part of NPOESS). - Name:
Chris Gottbrath, M.S.
Title: Product Manager
Phone: 662-324-4048
Company: Etnus, LLC
My role at Etnus is to manage the product related aspects of software development for two products: TotalView and MemoryScape. I've been with Etnus for six years. Product management involves talking regularly with customers many of whom are scientists (some of them astronomers), engineers, and software developers. I do a lot of training and explaining and an equal amount of listening and analysis in order to develop an understanding of users experiences. I use this information to try to guide a detailed strategy for developing and enhancing my company's products. Then I get to work with colleagues in all parts of the company from engineering and management to marketing and sales in order to see that the products are successful. - Name:
Gregory J. Hartke, Ph.D.
Title: Fellow Engineer
Phone:
Company: Northrop Grumman
- Name:
Gary M. Heiligman, Ph.D.
Title: Senior Professional Staff
Phone: 443-778-7931
Company: Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab.
- Name:
Nicole Homeier, Ph.D.
Title: Actuarial Analyst
Phone:
Company: Towers Perrin - Tillinghast
Near the end of my first post-doc I knew I did not want a career in astronomy. It took me about a year to go from deciding to pursue a career as an actuary to accepting my first job. There are 9 exams to become a fully credentialed actuary (a "Fellow", which takes 4-10 years), and companies support you in studying for them. Typically one needs to pass 1-2 exams to get a job. I passed 1 exam before applying for jobs (Exam P/1). Through contacts, I had 4 interviews within a month. Without those contacts, it would have taken longer, but I still had some bites. The main actuarial career fairs are in Sept-Nov, which I was unaware of, and that is probably a good way to get interviews. After just a couple months on the job (as of mid-2007) I am enjoying myself and very glad I made the change. Feel free to contact me with any questions. - Name:
Scott Horner, Ph.D.
Title: Instrument Scientist
Phone: 650-424-2570
Company: Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center
I am the Instrument Scientist for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam). My job is to ensure that the instrument that is being built will be able to achieve its scientific objectives when on orbit. This job is similar to being a systems engineer, but from a broader perspective of being active on the science team and addressing the science objectives. The programs and missions of the Advanced Technology Center can be found at http://www.lockheedmartin.com/ssc/AdvancedTechnologyCtr/index.html The Lockheed Martin career website can be found at http://www.lockheedmartinjobs.com/ - Name:
Kriten Joshi, Ph.D.
Title: Senior Strategist, Global Sales & Distribution
Phone:
Company: IBM
After my Ph.D. at MIT, I worked for McKinsey as a strategy consultant for three years. I then joined IBM to do strategy for their Healthcare and Life Sciences business before moving into a global corporate strategy role. - Name:
Alan Karp, Ph.D.
Title: Principal Scientist
Phone:
Company: Hewlett-Packard Laboratories
After a post-doc at IBM Research, I spent a year as an assistant professor at Dartmouth College. I then joined the IBM Scientific Center in Palo Alto, CA, where I worked in atmospheric radiative transport, oil reservoir modeling, and parallel computation. I joined HP Labs in 1992 where I worked on tools for debugging parallel programs, was one of the architects of Intel's Itanium processor, developed a secure distributed computing environment, and worked on automated negotiation. I am currently heading a group developing a virus safe computing environment for Microsoft Windows. As you can see from my checkered career, industrial research requires a great deal flexibility and the ability to learn new subjects quickly. - Name:
Anthony Kaye, Ph.D.
Title: Senior Principal Scientist
Phone: 505 298 7366
Company: ITT Industries, Inc.
I've gone from a national laboratory (straight from graduate school) at which I was first a post-doc and then full-time staff to industry. I maintain tenuous links to academia through my current job position and by appointments as adjunct professor at two universities. - Name:
Steven Kilston, Ph.D.
Title: Manager of Extrasolar Planet Advanced Missions
Phone: 303-939-4998
Company: Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.
Career path: 4 years as a high school teacher, 1 year as a junior college professor, 25 years in aerospace industry, culminating in developing IKONOS commercial high-resolution remote sensing satellite and managing Terrestrial Planet Finder design efforts. - Name:
John G. Kirk, Ph.D.
Title: Deputy Manager, System and Simulation Engineering
Phone: 805-692-2333 x219
Company: Northrop Grumman Simulation Technologies
- Name:
Vincent Lee, Ph.D.
Title: Professor of Management (Adjunct)
Phone:
Company: St. Francis College, Brooklyn Heights, NY
Brief Description of Responsibilities: As Director of Corporate Strategy, Industry and Competitive Assessment (Retired) Verizon Communications, New York, NY, my job funtions were: -Directed a team of researchers in developing telecom industry financial and competitive analyses for use by the Corporate Chairman and Board of Directors of a $70B communications company. -Created the annual telecom industry competitive environment analysis which enabled Directors to quickly gain understanding changes in a rapidly evolving industry. -Provided financial oversight and recommendations for multi-discipline teams developing major investment business cases by creating detailed long-term cash flow valuation models of investment opportunities. -Researched and wrote proprietary analysis and recommendation white papers on topics such as growth prospects of new industry technologies, cash flow positions of major industry players and potential acquisitions, and in-depth corporate profiles of major competitors. - Name:
Larry Lesyna, Ph.D.
Title: Technical Consultant
Phone: 702-492-9946
Company: LXL Technology
- Name:
Robert Link, Ph.D.
Title: Senior Scientist
Phone:
Company: IET, Inc.
PhD in astrophysics, Indiana University, 1999. - Name:
Sarah Lipscy, Ph.D.
Title: Systems Engineer
Phone:
Company: Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.
- Name:
James Marshall , Ph.D.
Title: Software Engineer
Phone:
Company:
I originally intended to follow the usual academic path, because I wanted to do research, and being able to teach as well seemed like a good option. However, when I started looking for post-docs and fellowships in the year before I finished my Ph.D., I was unable to get an offer. Around that time, I decided that I would like a change from the research work I had been doing, and started looking for teaching or tutoring jobs. I continued to look for jobs after graduation, and was contacted by Innovim about a software engineering position. I was concerned that I didn't have enough of a computer science background for the job, but they told me that they were more interested in bringing in someone with a science background then. Shortly after my interview, I received and accepted their employment offer. My current work is at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in the Earth science area, particularly with data systems. While this is a change of area, it gives me a chance to expand my skills. For example, I'm doing more web development, computer programming, and helping to run the activities of a working group. However, I would still like to get back into astronomy work, and I hope that as Innovim grows, they will expand into space science. I believe this is their plan, so hopefully in the future I will be able to do astronomy work again. - Name:
Sean J. McKenna, Ph.D.
Title: Associate Department Head
Phone: 603-893-9311
Company: Mitre Corporation, Bedford, MA
I am senior principal scientist in the broad area of sensor systems development for Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems. My primary sponsor is the US Air Force. I have convinced my sponsors that personnel with advanced degrees in physics, astronomy, chemical physics, etc. have demonstrated their ability to tackle complex and difficult problems. This is the dominant skill needed to advise DOD and OSD. - Name:
Wellesley Pereira, Ph.D.
Title: Principal Investigator / Senior Research Engineer
Phone:
Company: ThermoAnalytics, Inc.
- Name:
Joseph Pesce, Ph.D.
Title: President
Phone: 703.790.0612
Company: Omnis, Inc.
Career path: Postdoc, Space Telescope Science Institute; Research Associate, Penn State University, State College; In 1998 I went to work for the U.S. Government as an analyst, and in late 2005, started my own science and technology consulting and training company in Northern Virginia, where I am President. I am also an Associate Professor in the Physics & Astronomy Department at George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia. Job experience in academia (teaching and research), government, and private industry. - Name:
Rachel Pildis, Ph.D.
Title: Development Consultant, re:Sources USA IT
Phone:
Company: Publicis Groupe
My confusing title and employer convert to my being a web programmer and technical lead for Publicis Groupe, the parent company for several advertising agencies (Leo Burnett and Saatchi & Saatchi, among others). I've helped design intranets and client extranets for several of the agencies beneath the Publicis Groupe umbrella. Perhaps surprisingly, having a Ph.D. really impresses people - the harder sell was explaining how astronomy started using the web early on, and how much computer programming is required to be an astronomer. - Name:
Ronald Polidan, Ph.D.
Title: Chief Architect, Civil Space Systems, Business Development
Phone: 310-812-0199
Company: Northrop Grumman Space Technology
- Name:
Bruce Popp, Ph.D.
Title: Patent Translation Specialist
Phone: 508-624-9767
Company: Bien Fait Translations
Although my career trajectory has taken some sharp turns, it has always been propelled by a significant need for intellectual challenge. I have in general done quite well in satisfying that need with work that requires learning, research, sorting out what is important, and rigor. See www.bien-fait.com/en for more information. - Name:
Doug Ratay, Ph.D.
Title: Research Analyst
Phone: (352) 262-3538
Company: Cortana Corporation
I work for a small defense contractor in the DC area, with a focus on naval applications. I generally do program management, technical writing, and a bit of programming, but there’s a lot of flexibility. - Name:
Harold Reitsema, Ph.D.
Title: Deputy for Civil Space Systems
Phone:
Company: Ball Aerospace
My work in industry has involved teamwork for developing concepts for astronomical instrumentation for space missions and participating in getting scientific results. My astronomical training was also valuable for the analytical, software, communication and proposal tools that I developed thru my research work. I have been a co-investigator on a number of space missions, with primary responsibilities for assisting in the interface between scientific objectives and hardware implementation approaches. I have been involved in many proposal and space program activities and now am responsible for ensuring that Ball Aerospace is able to work productively with the space science community to maximize the return from NASA missions. - Name:
Eric Rubenstein, Ph.D.
Title: Senior Physicist
Phone: 860-528-9806 x112
Company: Advanced Fuel Research Inc.
As PI on several gov't.-funded projects, I have a fast-paced, research position. AFR, has a track-record of entrepreneurial spin-offs, with an emphasis on innovative technology R&D. In addition to tech. projects, we do basic research in chemistry, and, since my hire, astronomy and imaging sciences. Many projects are SBIR funded, an excellent means of getting support without loosing intellectual property rights (just don't disclose proprietary data in the abstract!). When I left academia, it would have been nice know which skills were most important to industrial R&D employers. The skills most important in my transition were intellectual flexibility (applying astronomy tools and techniques to non-astronomy problems), oral/written presentation skills, and the ability/desire to be able to quickly obtain a critical-mass of knowledge in a new field (knowing HOW to learn). Astronomers are well positioned to take on roles in corporate R&D--even in dramatically different fields. - Name:
Irfan Siddiqui, B.S.
Title: Sr. UNIX Administrator
Phone: 682-605-6632
Company: Electronic Data Systems (EDS)
I have a BS in Physics/Astronomy and Computer Science. During my student years, I tried to get jobs which were more technical oriented on a part-time basis, such as working at a Flight Safety institute or a local PC shop fixing computers, or debugging C programs. This brought up my technical skills and a working resume along with the educational background. I was also working as a volunteer at my school's observatory and participated in some of the public projects and such. All of these activities brought me experience with good communication skills and paved the path for better employment. I still love Astronomy and every now and then attend/arrange star parties with my personal telescopes. I also take Astronomy lectures into libraries and elementary schools and other non-profit organizations to enthuse young minds towards the field. My Physics and Astronomy background trained me for critical thinking and trained me to ask questions, which helped me shape my career in the corporate world. Other than having been exposed to technology and its challenges, I also got the opportunity to participate in creating Security Policies and Standards (for the technology usages), and teach others as to how to compute securely and responsibly. Needless to say that my teaching background in school always come in handy. - Name:
Joseph C. Wang, Ph.D.
Title: Software Developer
Phone: 512 964 6086
Company: QuantLib
My career path is that I went from my Ph.D. in 1998 into petroleum exploration working at Halliburton for almost seven years until I was laid off, and my day job currently involves working for a small Austin-based software company that does dispatching. However, I'm currently in the process of moving into academic quantitative finance and trying to specialize in understanding Chinese deriviatives. I'm also working on Wikiversity and Wikipedia which I hope to use as an academic support network.
Journalism
- Name:
Leila Belkor, Ph.D.
Title: Science Writer, Project Supervisor
Phone: 949-559-8815
Company: Self-employed
After completing my Ph.D. I was employed as an editor at a national physics lab--this involved writing for the public as well as for more technically informed audiences. Then I was the science public information officer (PIO) for a state university, and I also taught physics and astronomy there. Then I took a year off to write a popular level book, which turned into a couple years. (The book came out in 2003.) During this writing time I also taught technical writing to engineers at a private university. Now I'm staying home with a preschool age child, but supervising the writing projects of astronomy students through Swinburne University. I am also working on freelance writing projects which are extremely interesting and personally (though not always financially) rewarding to me. - Name:
Richard Fienberg, Ph.D.
Title: Editor in Chief
Phone: 617-864-7360 x144
Company: Sky Publishing Corp.
B.A., physics, 1978 (Rice University), M.A./Ph.D., astronomy, 1980/1985 (Harvard University). I discovered during my graduate training that I enjoyed teaching and writing more than I enjoyed doing astrophysics research. When an opportunity opened up at Sky & Telescope magazine in 1986, I jumped on it. I've been with Sky Publishing ever since, in a variety of editorial and management capacities, thriving at the nexus of the amateur and professional astronomical communities and working on magazines, books, software, Web sites, eclipse tours, and other projects.
Law
- Name:
Erin-Michael Gill, B.S.
Title: IP Specialist
Phone: 804-383-2829
Company: DuPont Intellectual Property Management
I received a BS in Astronomy and a BA in Physics as a presidential scholar from Benedictine College in 2001. After graduation, I was an RA at NASA-Goddard's LASP, then a grad student TA in Catholic University's physics PhD program. I left astrophysics after a patent judge from the USPTO encouraged me to apply to the US Patent and Trademark Office to be a patent examiner. Astronomy requires exceptional attention to technical detail and excellent communication skills. Understanding invention and patents requires the same. I joined the Office reviewing patent applications in "Radiant Energy Systems" and enrolled in the part-time Applied Physics masters program at Johns Hopkins University. I left the Office to take a position doing patent strategy for a billion dollar division of DuPont. I am now a registered patent agent in Richmond, VA, still managing their IP, while researching and publishing work on innovation and patent strategies. I am still taking classes at JHU for enrichment, but I will likely never discover what causes the changing Blazhko effect in XZ Cyg or learn anything from the Wolf Rayet stars in 30 Dor. For more info check out http://www.usptocareers.gov/home.asp. - Name:
Mark Sincell, Ph.D.
Title: Patent Agent
Phone: (713) 934-4052
Company: Williams, Morgan & Amerson, PC
I received my PhD from Johns Hopkins in 1994 and spent a few years postdoc-ing before realizing that research was not the job for me. I began science writing and eventually established myself as a freelance writer for Science, Astronomy, Sky&Telescope, Discover, Physics World, and other publications. A number of my clients suffered in the tech collapse, which dramatically reduced my workload, leading me to look into patent law. I discovered that it shared many characteristics with journalism (such as interviewing, writing, cutting edge science/engineering) and also had several advantages, like the chance to do more analysis/advocacy/strategy and substantially higher pay. So I made the jump to being a patent agent and have been happily toiling away for the last several years.
Medicine
- Name:
Alicia Oshlack, Ph.D.
Title: Postdoc
Phone: +61(0)393452631
Company: Walter & Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research
I completed my Ph.D. in astronomy at the end of 2002. I have now shifted research feilds and am working in the growing field of bioinformatics where I do research into the statistics and analysis of biological data. I have a post-doc position at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institue of Medical Research the premier medical research institute in Australia, and work on a variety of projects including cancer, malaria and evolution of primates.
Other
- Name:
Glenn Cooper, Ph.D.
Title: System Administrator
Phone: 630-840-8254
Company: Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
- Name:
James Deane, Ph.D.+
Title: Technology Development Associate
Phone: 919-966-3929
Company: Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Ph.D. in Astrophysics, U. Hawaii, 2000. MBA Cornell's Johnson Graduate School of Management, 2002. Working in "technology transfer" the patenting and licensing of university inventions for commercialization. This is a growing field centered at universities but providing a career path to business development roles in companies. Requirements include advanced degrees/training in physical or life sciences, plus some business experience and/or MBA. We work with faculty inventors to evaluate the commercial potentials of the products of their research, with patent attorneys to secure intellectual property protection, perform industry research and company outreach for technology marketing, negotiate business and financial terms of license agreements, and assemble management teams and business plans for startup companies around the highest-potential technologies. Two professional societies serve this industry: Assoc. of Univ. Tech. Managers (www.autm.net) and Licensing Executive Society (www.usa-canada.les.org). - Name:
Webster Ewell, Ph.D.
Title: Operations Research Analyst
Phone: 703-697-0063
Company: Department of Defense
After getting my Ph.D. I went to work as a Naval Operations Analyst, and I now work in Program Analysis and Evaluation for the Department of Defense. - Name:
Charles (Kip) King III, B.A.
Title: Special Consultant
Phone: 617.871.6900
Company: Greylock McKinnon Associates
I am an economic consultant for Greylock McKinnon Associates. I obtained my B.A. from Harvard in 1974 amd did 1 year of graduate study at CalTech. I obtained my J.D. from Yale Law School in 1979 and a Ph.D. in economics from MIT in 1997. - Name:
Andrea Leistra, Ph.D.
Title: Senior Data Analyst
Phone:
Company: Yahoo!
left astronomy immediately after my PhD. My advice for other astronomers in the same situation is that the skills employers are interested in may not be what you're used to thinking of, and the most challenging part of your job search may well be finding the employer who will recognize the transferability of your skills (in my case, working with very large datasets thanks to my thesis work mining the 2MASS catalog), as well as your demonstrated ability to think analytically and learn quickly, which will be useful anywhere! - Name:
Pete Newman, Ph.D.
Title: Higher Scientific Officer
Phone: +44(7952)910184
Company: Government Operational Research Service (UK)
At the time of writing (2005 Feb.), I am about to start my first job in a new career with the UK Civil Service, working as an Operational Research specialist (www.operational-research.gov.uk) with an initial posting to the Home Office Immigration and Nationality Directorate's Operational Modelling team (www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk). I spent twenty years in the computer industry, mostly on business systems projects and spent the last twelve years in astronomy, most recently working as one of the observers at Apache Point Observatory (www.apo.nmsu.edu) on the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (www.sdss.org). You might still find some personal links from that time at http://galileo.apo.nmsu.edu/~prn. Operational research makes good use of my backgrounds in business and organisations (from my career in computer systems) and numerical methods (from astronomy). There are many organisations beside government that employ OR staff, most notably airlines. - Name:
Guus Oonincx, M.S.
Title: VP in Equity Derivatives Products (trader)
Phone:
Company: ING Financial Markets
- Name:
Heidi J. Tebbe, M.A.
Title: Media Developer
Phone:
Company: Option Six
Working on MS in Telecommunications
Private Consultant
- Name:
Andrea Schweitzer, Ph.D.
Title: Freelance Consultant
Phone: 970-691-4747
Company:
After completing my Ph.D., I went into industry and found I liked it much more than I ever would have expected! I received excellent training in engineering project management, got my student loans paid off quickly, and was able to live in the region of the country that I chose. More background about my transition into industry is posted in the article, "Living the Dilbert Life," at http://www.astrosociety.org/pubs/mercury/9705/dilbert.html. I have worked as a project manager for R&D and as an international trade analyst for high-tech goods. I also chaired the Employment Committee for the AAS. Since taking a layoff package in 2002, I have been working for myself on NASA and aerospace projects. My clients have included NASA, Boeing, the Space Science Institute, Applied Design Corp., and the Southwest Research Institute. I enjoy working as an independent consultant, but it is rarely possible to do this early in your career; you need a significant professional network first. I am happy to talk with early-career astronomers about the choice to go into industry, or with established-career astronomers about how to work as a consultant, which is an excellent option if you would like to be semi-retired.
Science Center
- Name:
C. Aaron Price, M.S.
Title: Technical Assistant
Phone: 617-354-0484
Company: AAVSO
I also run an Astronomy Podcast with other non-academic astronomers at www.slackerastronomy.org. At the AAVSO I get a mixture of science and technical computing duties, which is nice because I keep all my skillsets up to date. Being able to work with both professional and amateur astronomers is a real treat and keeps the astronomy passion burning. I hope to move from a doctoral program to the PhD program at James Cook University. I'm doing that for personal development as I see my career continuing indefinitely at the AAVSO. - Name:
David Sprayberry, Ph.D.
Title: Associate Director for Instrumentation
Phone: 520-318-8372
Company: National Optical Astronomy Observatory
I started out in engineering school, then switched to political science and law to combine an interest in government with a viable career path. After practicing law for eight years, and growing increasingly less satisfied with the nature of the intellectual challenges I was facing, I went back to school to study Astronomy. This required me first to get another Bachelor's degree, this time in Physics, before pursuing my PhD. Since getting my PhD, I have found myself more and more strongly "pushed" in the direction of program management. I say "pushed" because it's largely been a result of which jobs I was able to get. My previous work in law and business has equipped me with skills that not every astronomer has, and so the movement into program management has seemed to fit my background. The drawback it has taken me out of doing research as part of my work.
Science Policy
- Name:
Kevin B. Marvel, Ph.D.
Title: Deputy Executive Officer
Phone: 202-328-2010 x114
Company: American Astronomical Society
I began following a standard trajectory after receiving my doctorate, landing a postdoc position at a well-known radio observatory. In my second year I noticed an ad for the AAAS Congressional Science fellow positions and considered applying. About the same time, the AAS advertised an Associate Executive Officer position focused on public policy. I figured that the AAS job is what I would like after completing the AAAS fellowship, so I opted to try for the AAS job first. I did a lot of research ahead of the application process by calling active public policy/government relations staff in DC and speaking with them about their normal activities. I learned a lot and it came in handy during the application and interviewing process. I also received good advice and support from two senior astronomer mentors, both of whom are actively involved in the public policy arena, which encouraged me to "go for it." I'm very glad I did. - Name:
Robert McCutcheon, M.A.
Title: Nuclear Non-Proliferation Officer
Phone: +7 (495) 728-5156 (w)
Company: Dept. of State;
MS in astronomy (Yale, 1978); MA in Russian Affairs (Georgetown, 1985) After 25 years doing flight dynamics and attitude support for GSFC and STScI, I moved to the Foreign Service in 2004. I spent my first year on "The Russia Desk" at Main State in Foggy Bottom, where I handled the Russia external relations portfolio. Now at Embassy Moscow in the EST office, I am responsible for reporting and analysis on the Russian nuclear sector as well as providing support for teams that come to Moscow for ongoing negotiations on numerous U.S.-Russian bilateral agreements in the nuclear sector. In my spare time I keep up on astronomy through friends and contacts at the Space Research Institute (IKI), Pulkovo, and elsewhere. - Name:
Naomi Ridge, Ph.D.
Title: Vice-Consul, Science and Innovation
Phone: 617-245-4500
Company: UK Consulate-General, Boston
PhD In Astronomy, 2 postdoctoral positions before the two body problem led me to look outside of academia.