Continuing an annual tradition, Northwestern University’s CIERA Research Experience for Undergraduate (REU) program hosted a live, online Career Panel discussion in July for our summer undergraduate researchers, hosted by the director of the CIERA REU program, Aaron Geller.
View the archived panel discussion video.
Astronomers develop an incredibly useful (and employable!) set of skills while pursuing their degree and research interests. The latest stats indicate that while ~75% of recent astronomy Ph.D.s accepted a postdoc position, over 80% eventually pursue careers outside the tenure track faculty route.
Panelists:
Melissa Nysewander – Director of Data Science at Fidelity Investments
Leslie Sage – Senior Editor, Physical Sciences, Nature
Colette Salyk – Faculty, Vassar College
Francesca Valsecci – Data Scientist / Consultant at Clarity Solution Group
Eric Wilcots – Faculty/Dean University of Wisconsin – Madison
Aaron Geller is director of the Northwestern CIERA REU program and an NSF Astronomy & Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellow (AAPF) jointly appointed at Northwestern and the Adler Planetarium. Geller develops astronomy visualizations and researches star clusters and stellar evolution. His interests include dynamics in a star cluster environment and the binary and multiple stars and planetary systems that live inside, and how star clusters contribute to the production of exotic systems.