BALANCING RESEARCH AND TEACHING AT A LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGE (Invited Presentation)

The standard tenets of academia – research, teaching, and service – are considered integral to academic faculty positions. However, the academy consists of a variety of institutions ranging from teaching-focused community and liberal arts colleges to research-driven universities. The expectations with respect to research, teaching, and service vary by institution and even departments within said institutions. Early career researchers in graduate programs are trained primarily in research, with a secondary or tertiary emphasis on teaching or mentorship. However, some individuals may end up working at institutions with divisions of responsibility very different from their graduate programs – for example, with more emphasis on teaching, mentoring, or service to the institution. This division of labor can make it difficult to pursue research, author publications, and maintain connections with their respective communities. Balancing these interests, particularly at PUIs, is crucial to personal satisfaction and professional success. My academic career has spanned R1, R2, and PUI institutions. In my current role as a postdoc at a liberal arts college, my primary responsibility is teaching and mentorship, with a secondary focus on research. This is somewhat at odds with my field of specialty – planetary science – which places higher priority on research productivity and publication record. As a result, I have implemented strategies to maintain my research progress while also meeting the demands of teaching. These strategies include effective time management, better research project selection, and redefining personal and professional success. With a growing number of advanced degrees in STEM, various DEI initiatives, and a more competitive workforce, it is critical that early career scientists understand the variety of occupational settings in academia. The development of non-technical, transferrable skills (e.g., project management, personnel management, etc.) is also vital to success in a variety of academic positions.