Career Profile: Myriam Telus
Earth & Planetary Sciences Department, University of California-Santa Cruz
University of California-Santa Cruz is a Public research university.
Click on a topic to read Myriam's answer to an individual question, or scroll down to read the entire profile: Educational background and career path * Early teaching challenges * Research transition * Balancing responsibilities * Advice for new faculty
Briefly describe your educational background and career path.
I received my bachelor's degree in Geology and Geophysics from the University of Chicago. I became interested in geochemistry and cosmochemistry in college. Then I went on to pursue a PhD at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. There I studied meteorites using various geochemical tools. My dissertation focused on determining the initial solar system abundance of 60Fe, a short-lived radionuclide, using secondary ion mass spectrometry of primitive meteorites. I received my PhD in 2015 and then had a 2-year postdoctoral fellowship from the Carnegie Institute for Science where I continued my research in cosmochemistry.
What were some of the challenges you faced in your early years of full-time teaching? Could you briefly describe how you overcame one of those challenges?
I was most anxious about teaching when I started at UCSC. I approached this by 1) co-teaching courses with more advanced faculty, 2) getting advice and course materials from individuals willing to share, and 3) reminding myself that it will get easier with time.
How did you make the transition from your Ph.D. research to your current research program?
Part of my strategic plan was submitting a research proposal very early on. This helped me develop a very detailed research plan so that I could hit the ground running. I would regularly revisit what I wrote in the proposal, and I would share the proposal with my students so that we are all on the same page about the motivation for the work we are doing. Another strategic plan was to reach out to potential collaborators and discuss mutual research interest and make it clear that I am interested in collaboration.
Many of the new faculty members in these workshops are interested in maintaining a modicum of balance while getting their careers off to a strong start. Please share a strategy or strategies that have helped you to balance teaching, research, and your other work responsibilities, OR balance work responsibilities with finding time for your personal life.
I am still figuring out how to manage my personal interests and responsibilities and all the demands of a professor. I find that it is important to identify short-term and long-term goals for all aspects of my life, including my personal well-being, my immediate family, my extended family, work (university, department, and professional societies). It is also helpful to discuss my goals with family, friends, my students and colleagues. I find it helpful to do this at least twice a year.
What advice do you have for faculty beginning academic careers in geoscience? What do you know now that you wish you had known as you started your career in academia?
A career in academia can be all-consuming. Work with your mentors and collaborators to develop a plan to define and achieve top priority goals (for research, teaching, and service) that are necessary for tenure and focus on these goals. Tenure requires letters from individuals in your field. For this reason, it is important to build a network of support and collaborators in your field.