“I Really Enjoy the Hectic Multitude of Jobs I Get to Complete in Any One Day”

Abstract

Gavin Buckingham tells us about his research and current academic position in his interview and shares some lessons he learned along the way. He suggests that getting experience with the academic roles beyond research, such as teaching and supervising, can be helpful in determining if academia will be a good fit. Gavin also moved after his first faculty position, and we discuss factors that contributed to this decision. PhD students do not need to define their career based on their doctoral research but rather consider that their environment and colleagues will change as they move along, and this can be used as an opportunity to change the research as well. Becoming involved in university-level committees early on can also be a useful way to gain a better understanding of university decision-making.