CRA-W CAPP Workshop – November 2012

Career Success After Tenure

Kathryn S McKinley, MicrosoftCo-Chair CRA Women

CRA-W Computer Research Association Committee on the Status of Women in

Computing Research

Mission increase the participation and success of women in computing research

www.cra-w.org

What does CRA-W do?Individual & Group Research Mentoring

Graduate StudentsUndergraduates

Academic careers

Industry/government

Undergrads: Undergraduate Research ExperiencesUndergrads: Distinguished lecture role models Grad Cohort: group mentoring of grad studentsGrad Students: Discipline Specific Research workshops PhD Researchers: group mentoring of early & mid career @ CMW, CAPP, Hopper & Tapia

600+ students and PhD researchers a year

www.cra-w.org

Software for future hardware fast, portable, secure, error tolerant, energy efficient

Kathryn McKinleyPrincipal Research, Microsoft

Professor @ UT Austin & UMass

ACM Fellow, IEEE Fellow17 PhD studentsTestified to Congress

Elements of my Post Tenure Success 1. Initiated DaCapo multi-institution grant 2. Member of TRIPS project 3. Led “Best of PLDI, 20 years” from SIGPLAN EC Energy

What are we doing?

• Your success at the next level– 15 minutes of practical advice

• Make a plan– 30 minutes in 3 person groups

• 6 min (2 each), what got you tenure?• 8 min each

– 2 min, what’s next for you?– 6 min, group discusses strategies for succeeding @

what’s next

– 30 sec report outs (1) Name (2) What’s next? (3) Best strategy

Lots of Paths to Success & Full Professor

• You have tenure! Celebrate, you rock!• What’s next?• Follow your own path

– but we all know the basics:Leadership in ResearchExcellence in TeachingVisibility of Service

Make it the best job in the world …Do what you love and love what you do!

Promotion to Associate vs. Promotion to Full Professor

… take advantage of the freedom… mitigate the risksFind your passion! (if you haven’t already)

– Solving societal problems?make the world a better place!

– Curriculum innovation? improve student lives!– Science policy outreach?

tell the public how important we are!

External visibility and leadership are critical

Local Expectations

What’s important at your institution?– Balance what “counts”?

1. research2. teaching3. service

– Study recent cases (successful and unsuccessful)

⚠ caution: criteria change ⚠– Serve on academic personnel committee– You still need senior and peer mentors – find an advocate!

Service Teaching Research

Outstanding TeachingCarve out a leadership roleDon’t just keep teaching the same thing

– same course– same way, same content

Innovate a course that need it– Curriculum reform is essential

• our field changes rapidly– But… be strategic

• limit new preps• choose a course where you make a difference

Be visible … be present!

it gets boringfor everyone!

Research MaturityChoose important, challenging problemsPublish in top venuesFund your research through variety of sources

– need continuous funding in a changing world– explore options other than NSF

Balance a coherent research portfolio– continue successful directions– innovate, choose some new area– consider high-impact, potentially high-risk areas– start a new collaboration (without $$ first)– explore interdisciplinary work

Research LeadershipLead visible research efforts

– Collaborative grants, [new] workshops,

Say yes to important (not all) research service– program committees, grant review panels– editorial boards, ACM/CRA committees– mentor junior faculty in your discipline

Make your research visible– cultivate senior research leaders– give great talks at workshops, Universities, companies, labs– go to YOUR conference every year– place your students well – their success is yours!

Do an excellent job, Be visible … Be present!

Service is Leadership, Recognition, Impact

• Government• Professional &

Research Community

• University• Department

impacts leadership visibility

impacts leadershiplocal collegiality

}

}choose a focus/theme for your service

Choose Service that Matters!

Career Benefit

Journal EditorSIG Board CRA Women

AdmissionsCurriculum Reform

SpaceUndergradMentoring

HiringFaculty Eval

Somebody“should”

Time

Note: your institution may differ

Promotion to Full: When?Roughly six years, no fixed clock

– Typically self initiated: 4 years is fast, 8 is slow– some data shows women take longer

Plan your case before going forward– After 2 or 3 years, are you on track? – find your advocates

• Someone likes your work, you got tenure • Meet every year with the chair & 1 or 2 senior colleagues

– email CV before meeting• Solicit input from senior external discipline leaders

– Study recent successful cases– Perfect web page, CV, all the time!

• Record all talks, courses, students, etc. when you say yes

If the answer is not now, ask about weakness

Procedures @UT AustinYearly reviewFull timeframe is ~6 years, but self initiated!

– acceleration & deferment both frequentSame process, but higher standards

– established outstanding research leader• PI of large grant, PC Chair, best paper, awards, etc.

– Famous external letters: Fellows, Turing Award, ..– extensive curriculum vitae– teaching evaluations– personal statements

→ Department → Chair → Dean → CAP → Provost

Make a Plan

30 minutes in 3 person groups– 6 min (2 each), what got you tenure?– 8 min each

• 2 min, what’s next for you?• 6 min, group discusses strategies for

succeeding @ what’s next

30 second report out each person1. Name & institution2. What’s next? 3. Best strategy

REPORT OUTS30 seconds each

1. Name & institution

2. What’s next?

3. Best strategy

The best job in the world!

• Do what you love and love what you do!• Maintain a positive attitude

– learn from your mistakes, there will be many!

– don’t lose heart or face if denied– all your efforts at your institution increases

your marketability • Maintain perspective

– make sure you enjoy your job!

CRA-W Wants Your Feedback

• Please give us your feedback about this session and any other CRA-W mentoring sessions you attend!– http://alturl.com/z4gp9