Nonlinear career path to astronomy (a smoothie of passion for astronomy, failures, and achievements)

 

Astronomy books and Astronomy Club activities inspired me growing up. My interest in astronomy begins from my childhood (cliché?), inspired from reading books about science which I found in my rich home library (my mom loved to read and collected books). I read over and over again the biographies of astronomers in a voluminous encyclopedia for children. I was inspired by how the discoveries of astronomers (in pursuit of truth and often to their detriment) expanded the horizons for all of humankind – think Aristotle, Giordano Bruno, Copernicus, Galileo. I also made some observations, for example, that the Sun would rise from different spots from behind the mountain which I saw through our window, and also with make-shift lenses I observed the imperfections of the surface of the Moon. My high school experience was in Shirakatsi Lyceum (Armenia) with emphasis on physics and mathematics. I got lucky that an outstanding educator in Astronomy advertised during the Orientation the activities of the Astronomy Club. Note, that I grew up in a culture where girls don’t speak, especially in public. So, I remember in an auditorium of ~300 teachers, parents, and students, when Paron Oskanyan finished introducing the Astronomy Club opportunity, I dared to raise my hand, stood up, and expressed my interest. Paron Oskanyan accepted me to join the Club, and I learned about stellar magnitudes, celestial coordinates, logarithms, and even got to visit the Byurakan Observatory several times. I remember when we toured the 2.6m telescope, I was surprised that the astronomers did not look through the eyepiece but used computers to perform their observations. However, I did not apply myself nor focus my abilities. I also had some challenges which turned me away from the world of astronomy. A competing interest in biology won over my goals by the time the high school graduation came about; I thought it was wonderful (as one of the reasons) to learn about the unique phenomenon of life, and my undergraduate degree started in biology in Armenia. 

 

I blossomed as an individual at the SJSU, where connection with astrobiology sparked again my interest in astronomy. In 2003, I was suddenly moved from Armenia to the USA to live with my father (again, my parents a month before departure announced the trip and I followed, as is the custom in my heritage). About a year later, in 2004, I was accepted to attend the San Jose State University (SJSU) and continue my education. SJSU had a very diverse and friendly campus. While it was not a PhD granting institution, the vast majority of professors there were amazing educators who made classes engaging. I remember I struggled at the Yerevan State University with the concept of the 3D structure of the carbon molecule, but the Chemistry class at SJSU allowed me to conquer that concept and do it easily, I even got an A-. So it was a joy to study at SJSU and I felt like the education was giving me the sword to overcome life’s challenges, including shaping my own voice. I started as a remedial student in English, breaking down and crying over the public speaking class presentations, and gradually developed into a self-motivated and very active campus representative with a competitive GPA (despite sometimes working 4 jobs to cover the expensive tuition or breaks in attendance due to financial hardship). As my immigration status fluctuated towards becoming a permanent resident, I was able to engage even more, holding numerous student assistant positions, as well as serving as a tutor, peer advisor, and teaching assistant throughout the years there. I also worked on finding research opportunities. That’s how I stumbled into the field of astrobiology, first by volunteering at the Astrobiology Conference in 2008. It sparked again my interest in Astronomy, and I ended up doing research in astrobiology labs for several years after that, first at SJSU, then at PSU. 

 

I enjoyed being active in the extracurricular activities both at the University and in my community. During my undergraduate studies, I served in several leadership roles. First, at the Yerevan State University, I was the lead student, helping in coordinating activities for three groups of students in the biochemistry cohort (about 20 students per group). At the SJSU, I served in leadership roles in science and humanities organizations. As the President of the Biology Student Association, I raised the number of members from around 30 to several hundred, in collaboration with my team. I led the organization of two trips: CA Science Academy and San Diego Wild Park. The next ‘generations’ of students in this organization continued as an annual tradition the trip to the CA Science Academy. Additionally, I served 2 years as a peer advisor to help students navigate coursework and undergraduate life. I tutored science and humanities subjects for 3+ years, including to students with disabilities.

 

After failing my first PhD attempt, I pivoted little by little to study galaxies. I was very excited to start a Dual Title in Astrobiology and Ecology PhD program at Penn State in 2010, where I worked on the microbial ecology of extreme environments (e.g., similar to Mars). But after an okay first year, my journey there suddenly took a wrong turn, a large fiasco. First, they have cancelled the Astrobiology dual title for my track. Second, some challenges arrived which at the end resulted in me leaving the program, which also cut funding to my housing, etc, in addition to being a ‘kiss of death’ for my career in academia, or so it seemed. Perhaps it was indeed a blessing in disguise.

See, I really enjoyed the Astronomy courses that I took during that one year, and realized that it was really the astronomy that I would like to do for the rest of my life. I thought that perhaps I can try to pivot into that arena, and thankfully my Astronomy professor from Penn State was very encouraging based on his knowledge of my abilities in physics and math. He encouraged me to pursue a PhD in Astronomy right away, but I was too distrustful of being able to succeed again. So I took some time off. I worked full time, including in real estate and in biotech. Then, I decided to improve my foreign language proficiency in French. I was accepted to pursue a Master’s program in French at SJSU, where I applied and was selected to spend one full year in France. I did a summer program at the Institut Catholique, and two semesters at the University of Pierre and Marie Curie and Sorbonne (with a partial scholarship). The study of French was very inspirational. I remember studying and getting inspired to continue carving my own path, when I would read biographies of Balzac, Marcel Proust, and other amazing writers and artists. Another amazing thing was that shortly before leaving for Paris, I applied and was accepted to do a Dual Masters in Physics at SJSU. So my first graduate physics courses were mécanique quantique (in French). I decided that I would take baby steps towards astronomy, i.e. do a Masters first and catch up on my math and physics and then see how it goes from there. My studies in France, on the other hand, motivated me to consider PhD programs later on abroad. Interestingly, the two years in Pennsylvania as a Californian, helped me to have an easier time integrating into European life.

 

At SJSU, I studied the enigmatic ultra-diffuse galaxies, which were discovered to be prevalent in the well-known Coma Cluster, at the same time learning what a career in astronomy was really like. The SJSU Physics program was just amazing, again mostly due to the fact that the teachers were absolutely fantastic. I was successful catching up and excelling in the coursework. Plus, our department had many astronomers with wide research interests. I took Astronomy courses, and through the Astrophysics course met Dr. Aaron Romanowsky. Unique to SJSU (it is not a research institution but a teaching institute), Dr. Romanowsky had an active research group with ongoing research projects. That’s where I got the extragalactic bug. I got to participate in science discussions, started learning python programming, and later was invited to do a Master’s thesis research project with Dr. Romanowsky. He was a very patient, supportive, and welcoming advisor to students’ interests regardless of their background. His group gave me the flavor of what a career in astronomy may be like (in contrast to a childhood interest). I studied the ultra-diffuse galaxies in Coma Cluster. I also got to participate in conferences (PyCon, AAS). Furthermore, as a cherry on top of the cake, after 3 years of unsuccessful applications, on the 4th attempt I got accepted to do a summer internship at NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center, which was an exceptional experience with exceptional mentorship, aka I got the ‘NASA halo’ :D. Through this experience, I was inspired to attempt pursuing a doctoral program again, this time a PhD in Astronomy. Attending the AAS conference in 2017 solidified my passion for quasar research. I found my way then to a PhD program in a far north country of Finland (homeland of Santa Claus). Among other things, I thought that if I fail at least I would have the reward of having lived in another country. The PhD experience transformed not only into a rich academic path but also became a second home, where both of my children have been born and where we continue to reside now. I had my share of challenges as a doctoral student, but institutional support was one of the factors in overcoming them. For example, I could voice my concerns and usually a solution would be found. Then, the program’s focus was on supporting each student to graduate, not to try and get rid of some fraction each year. Plus, my main supervisor (until 2023), Jari Kotilainen, advocated that any person could do a PhD if they worked normal working hours and used normal common sense (so the atmosphere was not exclusionary).

I have a rich and diverse record of working in various fields. I have been working since my teen years in Armenia to support my life expenses and to help support my family. Since the undergrad I also led a tutoring business as an entrepreneur, serving K-12 and adult learners in piano, English, Russian, sciences. From my rich work experience, I bring a can-do attitude, self-motivation, critical thinking, creativity, ability to work in a fast-paced and diverse environment, teamwork, and leadership skills. Even my doctoral program did not have continuous funding, which ate away from research, so I look forward to having uninterrupted funding for several years to focus full time on research.

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