Dr. Vonhoff, Assistant Professor teaching Neuroscience at UMBC
Published 06 Apr 2020
Tags: research, science, teachingWhy did you choose to pursue this career? What made you certain this was the right path?
I love the combination of teaching and doing scientific research. I tried a few different jobs and for some reason academic research was more rewarding for me and I received appreciation for my work done.
What events, prior employment, or educational experiences led you to your current job?
I discovered academic research when I first went to college. I volunteered at research labs with different types of research until I found one that I liked the most. In general, I liked the lab environment and my own curiosity to make discoveries and create new knowledge.
What schooling, education, and/or certifications did you complete to prepare you for this career?
I have been following the “traditional” academic path: Bachelor, PhD, postdoc, and now faculty.
How did you make the best use of your time in both your education and career?
I was exploring and testing different options at early career stages to be able to make decisions on time. For example, for the transition High school - Bachelor I prepared to make a decision on time and I decided to study biology; between Bachelor - PhD I decided on Neuroscience; after my PhD I decided not to go to industry, but stay in academia, which is why I accepted a postdoctoral position.
What advice would you give to a high school or college student interested in pursuing this field of work?
Talk to different people in all areas or jobs that you may be interested in. Volunteer and get some hands-on experience to see how in reality that job is. Explore different areas until your heart and brain tell you which one is the one that you can be working on for the rest of your life. Do not do it to make others happy as you will be the one doing the work for the rest of your life, so you better love it.
What opportunities would you suggest high school students participate in?
Any fellowship or other opportunity in your area of interest. Go to events from companies or places that may be related to your future work. Just talk to people so you start creating a realistic picture of what the job needs.
What opportunities did you take as a student that helped advance your career (research, internships, etc.)
Summer research courses and internships with students in my same career stage and experts in my area of interest. That helped to exchange ideas and concerns to confirm that I was doing the right thing for me.
What do you wish you had done differently with regards to your career/education?
I’m happy with the way things have worked out, but it was a lot of trial and error. I think I would have searched for more information at earlier stages.
What does a typical day at your job look like?
As a faculty member I have a lot of meetings with a lot of different people (faculty, vendors, external people, students, etc) and with my own lab members. I try to be in the lab every day and help my lab members set up experiments, trouble shoot, prepare animals, discuss ideas, etc. If I am teaching, I have to prepare for classes and discuss class material with students. If not, I would read scientific papers, write grant proposals, career development materials, news about scientific discoveries, plan my own projects and experiments.
What was a surprising aspect of your job?
The little time that a faculty member has to be in the lab actually running experiments. What qualities are necessary to be successful in your field of work, and why?
Resilience, patience, creativity, passion, curiosity, communication. Science requires a lot of time and careful work to repeat and repeat experiments until you make an interesting discovery.
Do you have any additional advice?
As I mentioned above, everyone is different, so each of us has to figure out what we would enjoy doing for the rest of our lives based on our capabilities and opportunities.