Career Profile: From Science Research to Science Education

The AAS Committee on the Status of Women in Astronomy has 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 Mallory Conlon, the Outreach Astronomer at Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay, Wisconsin. She earned her M.S. in astronomy at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and has been engaged in science education and outreach for most of her career. She describes her current position as a collaboration of science education, astronomy, public outreach, and event management.

What were the most important factors that led you to leave astronomy and/or academia? There were several factors - both internal and external - that led me to leave astronomy, and then eventually to leave academia. First, my reasons for leaving astronomy: My first semester as a graduate student was incredibly difficult. I was overwhelmed by my teaching duties, a too-high course load, and starting a new research project with a less-than-supportive advisor. I didn’t, at that time, feel comfortable setting boundaries or positively advocating for myself (in fact, I’m better but still struggle with that today). I found myself not enjoying the field anymore and wanting to finish my degree as quickly as possible. One positive of this time period is that I discovered how much I loved teaching and sharing science with others, as opposed to doing traditional research. My interests and skills were better aligned with the field of science education than astronomy, and I wanted to pursue that career path. I was incredibly lucky that the astronomy department I was in supported this exploration - this is not always the case. They agreed to me having an external advisor for my Master’s research (which focused on astronomy education). They also provided me with a teaching assistantship position focused on educational media design for an ASTRO 100 course, which ultimately led to my first job in instructional design after graduating. I can’t overstate how crucial that support was in transitioning from traditional science to science education. After graduating, I stayed in academia working in educational consulting for almost 7 years before deciding to return to science outreach and education as a career. Though my immediate colleagues were fantastic to work with, I was quickly reminded how toxic certain people in academia can be toward women in STEM and those without PhDs. These stories are for another day…but after an unpleasant start, I felt limited support and very little desire from others to work toward systemic change that would improve the work environment or change the culture. Hence, my reason for leaving academia after almost 10 years: the bureaucracy of R1 academia moved too slowly and was too resistant to changes that would support people like me (e.g., non-faculty, non-PhD, education-focused, women). I needed to work in a place that was willing to grow and change, and the idea of joining what was essentially a start-up non-profit where I could help shape the work environment was incredibly appealing. It also offered a return to astronomy that filled me with so much excitement. It’s not without its challenges, but the flexibility and willingness to grow and change offered by Yerkes is something I never quite found in

Yerkes at night, during a lunar eclipse in 2022.
Photo Credit Brian Finch,

academia. If you have made a career change, what was your age at the time? I’ve made two career changes. One was when I was 23 years old, and I transitioned almost completely away from science and astronomy and into general curriculum development and higher education consulting. During this time period, I did some consulting work for a publishing company focused on generating astronomy content for K-12 learners, but in general did not do any science education or outreach work until I transitioned into (or back into) science education and outreach at age 29. What have been particularly valuable skills for your current job that you gained through completing your degree? The skills from my astronomy degrees that have been especially valuable at my current job are: problem solving, time management, comfort using technology, setting up and using small telescopes, and writing and presenting about complex science concepts. Of course, as an astronomy educator, the astronomy content I learned is also incredibly valuable. Describe a typical day at work. One of my favorite things about my job is that there isn’t really a typical day. Some days I’m welcoming school groups for tours of the observatory, some days I’m working with interns on their

Mallory and students conduct an experiment
with lasers in 2021. Photo credit: Ebony Cox /
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

research presentations, some days I’m preparing to host an open house or other large scale event for the public. There’s also a lot of writing (emails, proposals, reports), coordinating, and planning that happens behind the scenes. How many hours do you work in a week? It depends on the week! Typically it is 35-40 hours, but there are occasional weeks with many events that end up closer to 50-60 hours. How family-friendly is your current position? The leadership at Yerkes are incredibly supportive and accommodating of the needs of people with families or other caretaking responsibilities. They provide very flexible work-from-home options so you can go to doctor appointments or on field trips without using vacation or sick days; no questions asked when you have to bring your child into work during holiday breaks or other random situations that come up when you are a parent; and just in general are supportive of the idea that work doesn’t always have to come first in a person’s life in order for great work to be done. What advice do you have for achieving work-life balance (including having a family)? Some workplaces are more open than others to providing options that improve work-life balance, and it comes from a place of privilege to be able to put up boundaries that protect your time. I’m incredibly lucky that I’m in a position where work-life balance is an option, and where I, for example, can turn down job offers that won’t provide me with the work-life balance I need. With that said, I’ll speak from my experience of navigating work-life balance in academic and academic-adjacent positions.

Yerkes staff, summer interns, and mentors (2024).

In general, I’ve found that roles within or adjacent to academia are surprisingly flexible, with two caveats. First, you have to ask. Seriously, just ask. Some jobs offer hybrid work options up front, but this isn’t quite the norm (yet). Any time I am negotiating a job offer, especially since having my son, I always inform them up front that I need flexible work hours and a set number of days I work from home. If they aren’t open to negotiation, then I move on (however hard that may be). Second, having work-life balance may lead to your career moving more slowly than those who value work more than their personal lives. Unfortunately, excessive work is still a virtue in the U.S., and while you may not be actively punished, you will not be rewarded for setting boundaries around how you work. This is something I’ve had to accept, which has not been impossible to navigate because I have a supportive partner and extended family. Ultimately, no one will protect your time but you. It's up to you to know what aspects of life are important to you and what you are willing to compromise, and then set those boundaries accordingly based on your needs, even if it means less money or rewards over time. What do you do for fun (e.g., hobbies, pastimes, etc.)? I have a 5-year-old son, and I love to spend time with him and my husband exploring our state and traveling. I enjoy running and ran my first half-marathon this year in Disney World, and I’m currently training for the Door County Fall 50 relay at the end of October. I also spend a lot of my free time volunteering as a foster and social media coordinator for Fetch Wisconsin Rescue, a local dog rescue non-profit based out of Madison, WI. Can we include your email address for people who may want to contact you directly about your specific career route? Yes! It is mconlon_at_yerkesobservatory.org (replace the _at_ with @).