Andrea Morris, PhD

Interview By Caelin Potts, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Dept. of Biology

 

Dr. Andrea Morris is the Director of Career and Professional Development at The Rockefeller University and has held multiple positions within academic universities ranging from a tenured professor to an academic administrator. Dr. Morris obtained her bachelor’s degree from Haverford College and her doctorate degree from Princeton University. She joined Emory University to conduct her postdoctoral studies in the laboratory of Dr. Kevin Moses and was a FIRST (Fellowships in Research and Science Teaching) fellow, giving her the opportunity to learn about pedagogy and teach at Morehouse College with her FIRST teaching mentor, Dr. JK Haynes.  She then joined the faculty at her alma mater Haverford College where she developed a very successful research program for undergraduate students studying retinal development. After 11 years, Dr. Morris decided to leave the bench and transition into academic administration. She served as the Assistant Dean for Academic Diversity at Columbia University and then obtained her current position at Rockefeller University in 2014. Dr. Morris graciously offered to share her experiences with me, which clearly demonstrate that a successful academic career does not have to take place on a predefined track.

What are your responsibilities as the Director of Career and Professional Development?

This is a brand new position at The Rockefeller University and my main objective is to help expand the career opportunities for biomedical trainees at all levels including graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and research associates. I do this both through the development of formal programs that address the needs of biomedical trainees as well as through one-on-one meetings, helping individuals through the job search process.

What is a typical day like in your job?

Each day is composed of both individual meetings and large scale program planning. As the word gets out that I am a resource for trainees, I am spending a growing amount of my time in one on one meetings. When talking to graduate students, we have conversations about all of the career options available to them and discuss how to manage the obstacles and successes of graduate school. When working with postdoctoral fellows and research associates, our conversations are much more focused on the job search and are tailored specifically to what that trainee is trying to achieve. Ideally, I build relationships with the trainees and we meet regularly to critique resumes, practice job seminar talks and discuss overall interview tips. I collaborate with campus organizations such as the postdoctoral association for my large scale programming efforts. We try to set up workshops that provide broad skills, such as written and oral communication, that are critical to successful scientists independent of what career path they choose.

Can you tell me about your postdoctoral experience here at Emory?

Being able to be part of the FIRST program was a big part of my decision to do my postdoctoral studies at Emory University.  I was in the first cohort of FIRST postdocs and my time was split between conducting scientific research as well as teaching. At the time, this was considered a “non-traditional” postdoc because it was unclear if taking time away from research to teach postdocs non-bench skills would benefit or hinder their careers. I knew that I wanted a career focused on both research and teaching, so the program was a great fit for me but turned out to be more challenging than I had envisioned. It was difficult to manage the expectations of both my teaching and research mentors and keep myself from getting distracted from the task at hand by my other responsibilities. I did not realize it at the time, but this experience was exceptional because balancing teaching and research is precisely what you have to do as a faculty member and FIRST prepared me for that.

Did you use any resources such as the Office of Postdoctoral Education at Emory University when you started looking for your first job?

As a FIRST fellow, I worked closely with the postdoctoral office, providing insight into how some of the concepts and skills we were learning through FIRST could be incorporated into the general postdoctoral education provided by Emory. I also attended various events and workshops offered by the office.

After you finished your postdoc, you went into a faculty position. What it is like to teach and manage a lab at a small liberal arts college?

I took a tenure track position at Haverford College right after my postdoc. When you are a researcher at a small college, there are expectations for you to be successful both in teaching and at managing a research program. I had to secure outside funding, so I spent my first three years predominantly writing grants and setting up an animal facility for my laboratory. When you join a small institution, you have to realize that you will be the only “microbiologist” or “neurobiologist” there, so you have to reach out to colleagues at neighboring institutions to establish a professional network. One thing I did not anticipate is that conducting research at a small university also means that you will stay active at the bench, designing experiments, teaching students to analyze data and design figures, and communicate your science through manuscripts and conferences. Finally, you are also responsible for designing and developing courses, which was challenging despite my teaching experiences at Morehouse because each institution is unique.

After so many successful years as a professor, what prompted you to switch into a career in education administration?

During the tenure review process, you are forced to think about what else you would like to do. I realized that I had a strong interest in curricular and higher education development but really had to decide if I was ready to leave the bench. Obtaining tenure meant that I would become the chair of the department and take on a lot of administration responsibilities. I realized that if I was going to have to shift away from the bench anyways, I would like to transition to a larger university where I would have the opportunity to work with graduate students and postdocs even if this wasn’t in a laboratory setting. So with all of these issues in mind, I decided to join Columbia University.

What were your responsibilities as the Assistant Dean for Academic Diversity at Columbia University?

My main responsibilities were to improve the recruitment and retention of a diverse student graduate population. I worked with graduate students from all across the university including students in the humanities as well as the sciences. I did a lot of one on one mentoring and enjoyed getting to work with students in diverse fields. Through this job, I learned that I enjoyed mentoring and advising the most and that this was something I wanted to continue to incorporate into my career. Because of my own professional background, I felt that I was particularly effective with students in the sciences, which is why I eventually took my current position at The Rockefeller University where I work exclusively biomedical trainees.

Now that you work in career development, do you have any general advice for postdocs who are trying to transition into their first job?

Do not view your career as a straight path. It will take many twists and turns. You have to look at your career in stages because there will be many other factors, including personal interests and obligations, that will affect your career choices. Although it can be challenging in scientific research, you don’t have to be afraid that if you leave, you cannot get back into science. I am now a grant reviewer for the NIH, HHMI, and other funding agencies, which I never had time for as a professor, and enjoy still having this direct connection to scientific research. Furthermore, if I ever wanted to go back to the laboratory, I could still collaborate with a lab and get back to the bench.   

Do you have any advice for postdocs who are specifically interested in getting into academic administration?

Although many academic administrators, like myself, are people who were initially tenure-track faculty, this is not the only path to get into administration. There are a growing number of administrative positions that are designed for PhDs with a few years of postdoctoral experience. To get these jobs, you need a different currency - not just publications. If you want to pursue administration, get involved in your postdoctoral organization or try to serve on departmental committees (such as summer research programs, graduate admissions recruitment, seminar series hosting, research conference planning, etc.) at your institution. Even if you can only commit a few hours per semester, the more “away from the bench” leadership experience you can get, the better. These experiences will help you learn if you enjoy working on committees and will help you understand the other side of academic institutions.

 

This interview was published in September 2015.