Current Job: Postdoc
Scientific Discipline/Field: Marine ecology, fisheries
Country: USA
Pick some letters (L,G,B,T,Q etc.): B
What does your job involve?
I use ecosystem models to understand ecological interactions, and trade-offs with fisheries. I also look at long-term change in ecosystem dynamics and structure.
How did you get to this job (education etc.)?
My network.
Do you feel being LGBT has affected your career decisions?
No – I’ve been very lucky, as well as the fact that my partner is male, so I enjoy a lot of straight privilege.
Have you had any reactions from colleagues about being LGBT, either good or bad?
I have only positive reactions – but it’s challenging finding ways to be out when you look straight. It doesn’t easily come up in conversations.
Did you have any role models growing up (LGBT, STEM, totally unrelated…)?
Most of my role models were women – Rachel Carson, Sylvia Earle.
What are your plans for the future?
My future is a little uncertain. My partner is a wildlife biologist, so we’re settled in Vermont, and I mainly work remotely. I’d like to continue to do so, but I need a job that is flexible – like my current (but short-term) position as a postdoc.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Thank you for developing these networks – visibility of LGBTQ+ scientists is critical! I was previously a postdoc at Princeton, and there were no out staff or faculty when I arrived – it had an impact on the graduate students.