Career Profile: Astronomer to Anthropometry Engineer

The AAS Committee on the Status of Women in Astronomy is compiling interviews highlighting the diversity of career trajectories available to astronomers. The interviews share advice and lessons learned from individuals on those paths.

Below is our interview with Liliana Keats. Liliana was born in Mexico City and immigrated to the United States when she was almost 10 years old. She was the first person in her family to graduate from a 4-year institution and the only one to hold an advanced degree. She earned a BA in Astrophysics from UC Berkeley and a MS in Physics from SFSU. Her astronomy research experience includes discovering new and unforeseen characteristics of Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flashes coming off the Earth’s surface (published in Science, 2005) and discovering over two dozen binary candidates in one of the closest globular clusters to Earth, NCG 6397. One of her most rewarding professional experiences was teaching high school physics and physiology for a low-income, predominantly African-American and Latina all-female student body in San Francisco for 3 years. Leveraging her analytical training, teaching experience and moving forward with a driven sense of adventure, she made a career change and is now an applied anthropometry engineer, contributing to design products that fit a diverse demographic on a global scale. She lives in California with her loving and supportive husband, Jason Keats and their 13-year old Pit-Lab mix puppy.

To access our previous Career Profiles, please go to http://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/search/label/career%20profiles

What field do you currently work in?

Human Factors - a branch of engineering that applies psychological and physiological principles to product design by studying the human product interaction.

What is the job title for your current position?

Anthropometry Engineer

What city, state, and country do you live in? Work in?

I live and work in Cupertino, CA, USA

What is the highest degree in astronomy/physics you have received?

Masters of Science

What was your last academic position in astronomy/physics?

Physics and Physiology High School Teacher

What were the most important factors that led you to leave astronomy and/or academia?

My daily routine was becoming monotonous and I wasn’t feeling challenged anymore. Furthermore, I didn’t feel supported in my career growth or appreciated by the administration.

If you have made a career change, what was your age at the time?

32 years old

What, if any, additional training did you complete in order to meet the qualifications?

Training on various engineering lab tools and metrology equipment

Describe job hunting and networking resources you used and/or any other advice/resources.

I made various revisions to improve my resume, asked professionals in the industry to provide feedback and I did a lot of research as well. I networked everywhere, including social events, online research and social media groups, personal friends, college friends, and with family.

What has been your career path since you completed your degree?

After completing the course work for a second MS in Physics at UCSD, I tutored privately for a few months, then I taught High School Physics and Physiology for 3 years —this marked the end of my academic career. After two summer internships while still teaching (one at Corning Inc and the second at SETI), I joined the private sector as a engineering laboratory technician. In this position, I made use of my academic and analytical background and my specialty became surface metrology and 3D scanning, but I also gained experience managing engineering labs and exposure to vendor relations. After 3 years, I moved within the company to a different department, Human Engineering. In my new position, I’ve had the opportunity to learn about applied anthropometry (human body measurements) and expand my skills to the field of human factors.

What have been particularly valuable skills for your current job that you gained through completing your degree?

Having been trained in an analytical field and being used to the rigor of a challenging environment has been imperative to my career growth. My teaching background has also served me greatly.

How many hours do you work in a week?

On average, 50hrs

What is your level of satisfaction with your current job?

I’m very satisfied with my job, I’m constantly being challenged and I’m given various opportunities to learn and master new skills.

What are the most enjoyable aspects of your job?

I love that I’m involved with the science portion of engineering and that I’m helping design products that fit a diverse population. Our team places the upmost attention on customer experience and comfort.

What do you like most about your working environment?

I’ve never worked with such an ethnically and gender diverse team. While there are challenges and frustrations like in any other job, I feel lucky to work with such a diverse, driven and caring group of people.

What opportunities does your job provide to be creative and/or to take initiative?

The stress and the workload are high but there are various opportunities for creativity, initiative and leadership.

How satisfied are you with your work-life balance in your current job?

I work long days and there are times work is heavier than others but I do prioritize family time when needed.

How family-friendly is your current position?

I work in a family-friendly work environment.

What advice do you have for achieving work-life balance (including having a family)?

Open communication with one’s partner and one’s manager/boss. Defining priorities and sticking to them. Being present, when it’s family or personal time, being there 100%. Having a hobby, personally, I find that a physical activity releases my stress and spending quality time with family and friends, makes me happy.

What do you do for fun (e.g., hobbies, pastimes, etc.)?

I’m been involved with Team in Training (TNT) for over 12 years and I love it. TNT is an athletic group that trains for endurance sports (half-marathons, triathlons, long-distance cycling) and simultaneously raises funds for cancer research, therapies and patient support. I also love hiking, crocheting, watching movies, and reading non-fiction stories.

Can we include your email address for people who may want to contact you directly about your specific career route?

Yes - astrolili at gmail.com