What is the highest degree in astronomy/physics you have received? PhD
What is/was your most recent academic position in astronomy/physics? Student
What has been your career path since you completed your degree? Data scientist –> Senior Data Scientist
What were the most important factors that led you to leave astronomy and/or academia? Wasn’t interested in academia
What is the job title for your current position? senior data scientist
What is the name of your company/organization/institution? TripAdvisor
What city and country do you live in and/or work in? Silicon Valley, USA
What is your social background? Are there any identifiers that you think are particularly relevant? No
What’s something you greatly miss about grad school? What about something you definitely don’t miss? I miss the people around me, don’t miss the competitiveness
What have been particularly valuable skills for your current job that you gained through completing your degree? Coding
What advice do you think advisors should be giving students regarding their career path? List the options and useful skills to learn during school for each
What, if any, additional training did you complete in order to meet the qualifications of your current position? None
What job hunting or networking resources or other advice/resources did you use to land your current position? None
Describe a typical day at work. Coding, meetings, brainstorming, building models, research
How many hours do you work in a week? 40
What is your level of satisfaction with your current job? Very satisfied
What are the most enjoyable aspects of your job? Least enjoyable? Most – brainstorming, immediate impact. Least – not important or exciting impact
How satisfied are you with your work-life balance in your current job? Very
How family-friendly is your current position? Very
What advice do you have for achieving work-life balance (including having a family)? Make it clear during the interview
Do you still interact with people who work (directly) in astronomy and/or are you still involved in astronomy in some way? Somewhat
ASA Early Career Researcher Chapter 