The AAS Committee on the Status of Women in Astronomy and
the AAS Employment Committee have compiled dozens of
interviews highlighting the diversity of career trajectories available to
astronomers, planetary scientists, etc. The interviews share advice and lessons
learned from individuals on those paths.
Below is our interview with Justin
Filiberto, a planetary scientist/geologist working at Southern Illinois University and The Open University.
For access to all our Career Profile Project
interviews, please visit http://aas.org/jobs/career-profiles. New
Career Profiles are posted approximately every month.
What field do you currently work in?
Planetary Geology
What is the job title for your current position?
Associate Professor and Visiting Research Fellow
What is the name of your
company/organization/institution?
Southern Illinois University and The Open
University
What city, state, and country do you live in? Work
in?
Carbondale, Il 62901, USA
What is the highest degree in astronomy/physics you
have received?
PhD in Geology
What was your last academic position in astronomy/physics?
Current position
Describe job hunting and networking resources you
used and any other advice/resources.
AGU Career center website was vital when I was
looking for jobs.
What has been your career path since you completed
your degree?
My career path has not been a direct path towards
planetary geology. Instead, growing up on Long Island, NY, I developed an
interest in the oceans and decided to major in Marine Biology. I went to the
University of Miami because it is one of the best schools in the country for
Marine Biology. While I was there, I started taking classes in geology,
specifically in coastal processes, and realized that geology gave me more
opportunities that I enjoyed; so I switched my major to Marine Science and
Geologic Sciences. I was very fortunate that the geology program at University
of Miami ran week long field courses over spring break around the world. The
first one that I went on was to an active volcano in Mexico City, which started
my passion for igneous rocks. From there, I decided to purse my PhD in igneous
petrology and went to Stony Brook University, SUNY. At Stony Brook, I started
working on high pressure experiments to investigate the formation and evolution
of Hawaii-style magmas. While I was
working on this project, we received a NASA grant to investigate the magma
diversity on Mars, specifically the potential for alkali-rich magmas. This gave
me the background needed to go to the Lunar and Planetary Institute to work on
Planetary Materials as a postdoctoral fellow, to Rice University as a
postdoctoral fellow, and now a professor of petrology and planetary geology at
Southern Illinois University, USA and a research fellow at the Open University,
UK.
Describe a typical day at work.
I typically teach 1 or 2 classes a semester giving
me time to balance classroom teaching, mentoring graduate (MS and PhD) and
undergraduate students, running experiments, and writing manuscripts.
How many hours do you work in a week?
50+
What is your salary?
Average salary for an associate professor at SIU is
between 70k and 95k for a 9 month salary.
What are the most enjoyable aspects of your job?
Least enjoyable?
Going through my PhD, I always thought I wanted to
be a research scientist at a national laboratory or a NASA center, but my
current job is the ideal position for me. I love the balance that my position
gives me of training the next generation of scientists in the lab, teaching
undergraduates and watching as they deal with a challenging topic and finally understand
it, as well as doing cutting edge science in my lab.
The least enjoyable aspects of my job are similar
to many others: paperwork, administrative responsibilities, and in practice
anything that takes me away from doing research or training students.
What do you like most about your working
environment? Dislike most?
I am in a wonderful department. We get along
incredibly well, are very collegial, and come from diverse geologic
backgrounds. This has helped me branch out to fields beyond planetary geology.
I am currently working on projects focusing on the spectroscopy of coal,
terrestrial mantle mineralogy and the magnetic signature of xenoliths, and
fluid mobility and sulfur mineralogy at a Mars analog site, beyond my main
research focus.
The thing I like least is the dependence of our
stability on having a state budget. The state of Illinois does not have a state
budget and has not for a few years. Being a state school, our funding is
largely dependent on the economy of the state (both in terms of actual dollars,
as well as students); therefore without a state budget, things at SIU are
uncertain.
What opportunities does your job provide to be
creative and/or to take initiative?
Being a professor, with the security of having
tenure, gives me the freedom to be as creative with my research and teaching as
I would like. I have the resources in my laboratory and students in the
department to try a new research project and push current boundaries – even if
they may not amount to a publishable paper.
How family-friendly is your current position?
My position is very family-friendly and my
colleagues are incredibly supportive. My husband and I recently adopted a baby
and my department was very supportive covering my classes when we had to be
away and throwing us a baby shower. I have been able to balance my classes with
my time at home with her as much as possible. The university also has a great
paternity leave program with 4 weeks paid leave that does not have to be used
concurrently.
What advice do you have for achieving work-life
balance (including having a family)?
I have always made sure to take at least 1 full day
off of work a week. This means not checking work email, going to the office, or
grading papers. It is too easy to check email for 5 minutes, and be lost for
hours to work. So checking out of work completely for at least 24 consecutive
hours a week is vital for my family.
What do you do for fun (e.g., hobbies, pastimes,
etc.)?
Well this changed pretty drastically 3 months ago
when our daughter was born, but before that I enjoyed going to baseball games,
going to the theatre, and traveling. Now my life revolves around baby time when
I am not at work.
Can we include your email address for people who
may want to contact you directly about your specific career route?
Yup, Filiberto@siu.edu
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