Life in a University Crystallography Service Facility

TL;DR

The author discusses their unexpected career path into crystallography and their experiences running a university service facility.

Contribution

Shares personal insights and decision-making factors for those considering a career in service crystallography.

Findings

Career paths in crystallography can evolve unexpectedly.

Service crystallography involves diverse job responsibilities.

Long-term commitment to a university role can lead to personal and professional growth.

Abstract

I was introduced to crystallography during my PhD research where I studied the structure-function relationship of biomimetic porphyrin complexes at Northwestern. Although crystallography was a tool that I used constantly, I had absolutely no plans to become a crystallographer. I was going to be a chemist! So, for the next stage of my career I completed a postdoc at the University of Michigan working on a project that focused mainly on inorganic synthesis, kinetic studies, and heteronuclear NMR, with absolutely no crystallography. But, life happens - dual careers and job offers from Virginia Tech, where I was hired to establish a crystallography service center in the Chemistry Department. Now, 27 years later, I am still at Virginia Tech and, although my job description is technically the same, much has changed. But, I can say that I proudly call myself a crystallographer. For my short presentation, I will cover factors that I considered when making career decisions and give an overview of my life and job responsibilities as a service crystallographer.