Organized Oral Session
Career Track
Hybrid Session
Tom Langen
Professor of Biology
Clarkson University
Potsdam, New York, United States
Graduate and postdoctoral training in ecology, for the most part, is designed to prepare one for a career at a research-intensive university that emphasizes graduate student education. However, most jobs for PhD ecologists are in colleges and universities that emphasize undergraduate education, in emerging fields like data science, government natural resource & environmental agencies, public outreach & environmental education, private-sector environmental service firms, or research & advocacy NGOs. ‘ESA is for all ecologists’ and in this session your will hear from six PhD ecologists who have successful careers that differ from the iconic big-university ecology professor academic job. Each will describe what their job entails, their career track from graduate school to now, the opportunities and challenges of working in their field, and what a graduate student or postdoc can do to best prepare for pursuing a career in this area. The session is intended for two audiences: graduate students & postdocs who are evaluating ecological career options, and mentors of graduate students and postdocs who want to be more effective at helping their mentees find fulfilling careers in ecology.
Presenting Author: Kinga Stryszowska-Hill – StormSensor Inc.
Presenting Author: Catherine E. Benson – Hartford Community College
Presenting Author: Paulette Bierzychudek, Ph.D. – Lewis & Clark College
Presenting Author: Ajay Sharma – Auburn University
Presenting Author: Dale Strickland – Western EcoSystems Technology, Inc.
Presenting Author: Jessie Rack, PhD – Natural History Institute