Edition 27
Name: Alicia Foxx
Position: Conservation Scientist
Affiliation: Chicago Botanic Garden
Location: Glencoe, IL
Pronouns: She/Her
Please briefly describe your current role in your position.
I research applied ecology for restoration and urban agriculture and mentor graduate students in the Plant Biology and Conservation program at Northwestern.
What is your terminal and/or current position in academia?
PhD
How did you hear about your current position? Was it a career option that you were aware about during your educational process?
This is the department from my graduate studies and I am now a professional in it.
How did you end up working at your current affiliation?
I was invited to co-write an NSF grant as a Research Scientist on it to study root traits in native species.
How long have you been working at your current affiliation?
3+ years
What type of position is your current job?
Hybrid
Is your role more a managerial or individual contributor role?
Individual Contributor
What are the defined roles of your position?
I conduct research, mentor students, and conduct outreach and community engagement.
What are your day-to-day tasks that you perform in your position?
I have a lot of meetings — eight in one day is the busiest, but four is an average. These are team meetings or mentoring meetings. I conduct studies in the summer, do a bit of computer-based research (e.g., meta-analysis/data science) and write manuscripts or grants too. Administrative work is also a part of daily work (e.g., reports, forms).
What do you like best about your job?
There’s a tie between research and mentoring students. I have such wonderful students with great potential, and I look forward to what their future holds.
What do you dislike about your job?
Resources get tight at a non-profit, but that’s taught me a lot about being adaptable and creative in science.
If your job is outside of academia, what is similar and what is different about your current job and your terminal position in academia?
While I work at a non-profit, we still have some responsibilities similar to academia due to the adjunct position with Northwestern where we teach courses and advise students.
How did your microbial ecology (or academic) education prepare you for your current position?
My microbial ecology training began in my postdoc with the USDA and now I ask questions of plants in applied contexts with the goal of incorporating plant-microbe interactions to understand their contribution to patterns in restoration outcomes.
What skills do you wish you learned during your educational process that would better prepare you for your current role (e.g. machine learning, management skills, etc.)?
Command-line skills have been so important, but I am still gaining those skills and are key to many computational tools.
Do you have any recommendations and/or tips for early career microbial ecologists looking for jobs similar to yours?
Quantitative skills are becoming more non-negotiable in many fields and I recommend sharpening those skills.