Zoe Fonseca-Kelly – RUA PI, Harvard University
Zoe Fonseca-Kelly, Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, Harvard University
RUA Affiliation: Principal Investigator (PI) of the Harvard RUA National Science Foundation (NSF) AGEP grant
What is your field of study and why did you choose it?
I work in faculty affairs. I was previously a postdoc but realized academic life in that sense wasn’t for me. I really wanted a more 9-5 job – even though it definitely isn’t 9-5! It was a bit of a chance arrival in the field but I thoroughly enjoy supporting faculty, problem solving for them and developing policies to help support their academic life.
Why did you choose to participate in RUA activities?
A huge part of faculty affairs is faculty searching and recruitment. It is a priority to increase the diversity of our faculty and RUA provides an opportunity to be part of developing a pipeline of diverse faculty and supporting individuals in their future academic careers.
What advice do you have for graduate students or postdocs?
Don’t leave job hunting until the last minute – even to find your next postdoc. Do your research on different careers be it academic or something else. Talk to people and find out what is involved and explore lots of different options before making final decisions.
