https://engineering.purdue.edu/Engr/Trailblazers

Summary of Purdue TBE Morning Session – July 29, 2025

Why Choose Academia?

• Research is fun – no need for a grand reason.
• Sense of reward: ‘Student success’, ‘life-long friendship’, ‘friends to grab lunch with wherever you go’.
• Advantages: Flexibility in research topics and time, never boring, constant challenges.
• One professor returned to academia after finding industry work too repetitive.
• Becoming a professor is like a low-risk startup.

Preparation During PhD/Postdoc for Faculty Applications

• Gain experience in grant writing – scientific writing is essential.
• Plan strategically for programs like the NSF CAREER (up to 3 applications allowed).
• Gain diverse mentoring experience to evaluate students’ learning curves.
• Attend workshops and network actively. Share proposals with program managers and ask for feedback.
• Lower your expectations for students – few will match your own dedication.
• If unsure about academia vs. industry, try a summer internship to experience it firsthand.

If I Could Do It Over Again

• Write more proposals early on.
• Reach out to peers and program managers more often for feedback.
• Join grant review panels – great way to learn from others’ writing.
• Build collaborations during postdoc – they often lead to joint grant submissions.

Developing Research Vision & Lab Management

• Formulating a research vision is one of the most challenging tasks.
• When evaluating potential students, ask them to summarize two-three papers.
• It’s getting harder to assess students due to AI-generated work.
• Lab culture affects tenure – set it thoughtfully.
• Avoid emotional responses when students don’t perform – ‘It is what it is’.

Zoom Interview Tips

• Think practically about funding – be specific.
• Identify top three funding agencies and programs.
• Have a clear plan combining high-risk and low-risk research projects.

Tips for Life as a Professor

• You’ll write many applications – often only one paragraph needs tailoring.
• Collaboration often leads to insights – others may suggest applying your system to new areas.
• Learn to delegate – don’t try to do everything yourself. Set deadlines and trust others.

Additional Resources

• NCFDD: Faculty Success Program – learn time management, how to say no, and how to plan your research.
• Attend university-level grant writing workshops – very helpful for faculty.

Summary of Purdue TBE Morning Session – July 29, 2025 (10:00 AM, Dr. Andrew Alleyne, Dean of Minnesota)

Career Philosophy & Tenure

• Opportunities come from movement – ‘Opportunities have legs’. You have to walk around to find them.
• Tenure is not the end, it is a milestone.
• If you chase tenure without a ‘why’, you risk declining after reaching it – don’t peak and fall.

University Finance & Teaching Importance

• Ratio of tuition-based revenue to grant overhead revenue is 4:1.
• This highlights why teaching is important – student tuition is a major financial support for the institution.

Listening for Impactful Research

• ‘Listen hard’ – great research comes from deeply listening to needs.
• Listen to frustrations from industry professionals and medical doctors.
• After a year or two of attentive listening, patterns and problems to solve will emerge.
• Don’t offer quick solutions – just listen first.

Purpose of Grant Writing

• Question: ‘Why do I need to write grants?’
• Typical answer: ‘Because you need tenure.’
• But if tenure isn’t your primary goal, then why?
• Answer: Grant money is a tool for exchange – it empowers you to build a successful team.
• This mindset should be reflected in fellowship applications: how funding enables your career growth and impact.

Saying No to Service Requests

• Don’t say ‘No’ – say ‘Not now.’
• Offer alternatives: e.g., ‘Can we revisit this in a year?’ or ‘If I take this on, I need to drop something else.’
• Balance two main types of service: Department service and Professional society service.

Mindset & Quotes

• ‘Pressure is a privilege’ – Doc Rivers. It means people care about what you do.
• ‘You succeed or you learn – that’s it. No failure.’ 
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Purdue TBE Afternoon Session Summary – July 29, 2025 (2 PM, Strong Faculty Applications)

Department Heads Present

• ⋅ Rao S. Govindaraju – Civil Engineering
• ⋅ Nathan Mosier – Agricultural and Biological Engineering
• ⋅ Young-Jun Son – Industrial Engineering
• ⋅ Lia Stanciu – Materials Engineering
• ⋅ Eckhard Groll – Mechanical Engineering
• ⋅ SeungJin Kim – Nuclear Engineering

Faculty Application Preparation Tips

• Cover letter must be specific and tailored to the position.
• CV should highlight publications and achievements – make first-author papers easily visible.
• Research statement should resemble a small grant proposal – include a specific funding plan.
• Read the job description carefully and reflect it in your documents, including CV.
• Think of the department as a sports team – how will you fill the gap or make it more competitive?
• Highlight your potential contributions across research, teaching, mentoring, and service.
• Be specific on how your expertise aligns with the department’s research and teaching needs.

Differentiation Strategies

• Top priority: strong publication record.
• Awards, presentations, mentoring, and fellowships also help you stand out.
• Graphics can be powerful – even the Dean noted the impact of visual elements in documents.

Recommendation Letters

• It’s helpful if your advisor knows someone on the Search Committee or Department Head.
• An email from your advisor recommending you to the chair or committee can have significant impact.
• Recognition by NAE/NAM/AAAS or similar visibility in the field is also important.

Q&A and Additional Tips

• First two paragraphs of the cover letter must emphasize area match and unique contributions.
• Focus on what you will do in the future – not just what you’ve done in the past.
• Demonstrate strength in all aspects: research, funding, communication, mentoring, service, outreach.
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Purdue TBE Morning Session Summary – July 30, 2025 (Success Strategies for New Faculty)

Session Overview

• Session: Success Strategies for New Faculty Members
• Speakers: Richard M. Felder & Rebecca Brent (North Carolina State University, Education Designs LLC)
• Use this in your cover letter to explain why you’re unique, likely to succeed as a faculty member, and a strong fit for the department.

Faculty Productivity Insights

• 95% of faculty reach full productivity in research and teaching within 4–5 years.
• 5% are quick starters who achieve full productivity within 1–2 years – the secret is avoiding 4 common mistakes.

Mistake #1: Working without Clear Goals and Plans

• Avoid overcommitting – only say yes to committee work relevant to tenure (department and professional society).
• Good activities: NSF grant review panels, graduate student selection committees.
• Ask mentors or department heads before accepting commitments.
• Practice saying ‘No’ with polite phrases like:
• ‘That sounds interesting, but may I call you back tomorrow?’
• ‘I’m overcommitted right now’ or ‘Maybe just an informal conversation?’

Mistake #2: Working Non-Stop and Alone

• Don’t isolate yourself – get support and learn the faculty culture.
• Schedule 1:1 meetings with all faculty in your department during your first semester.
• Attend meals and social events – building relationships is key.
• Observe departmental dynamics to identify influential faculty and seek their advice.

Mistake #3: Spending Too Little Time on Big Writing Projects

• Urgent tasks like teaching prep overshadow long-term writing goals.
• Solution: Brief Daily Writing Sessions (BDS) – 30 to 60 minutes daily writing.
• Separate creating and editing – free write first, revise later.
• Use Pomodoro timers to focus and batch writing into manageable chunks.

Mistake #4: Overpreparing for Classes

• Don’t spend 7–9 hours preparing for a 1-hour class.
• Teach only the most important content.
• If you don’t know something, promise to follow up and share later – builds credibility and accountability.
• Prepare some extra discussion activities in case class ends early.
• Clearly communicate expectations and assessment criteria to students.
• Differentiate between ‘need-to-know’ and ‘nice-to-know’ content.

Teaching Strategies

• Active learning restores attention that declines exponentially.
• Call on students instead of relying on volunteers – instills readiness.
• Use midterm evaluations to anonymously gather feedback and improve.
• Praise and recognition matter – students are human too.
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