The Life of a Professor!

Dr. Conrad Tucker

Assistant Professor : Engineering Design and Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Background:
Conrad has his undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering.  After receiving this degree he went to work as a Process Engineer in a large manufacturing plant in Georgia. Here he learned that industry was not for him and that he wanted more in his life.  He decided to go back to graduate school to pursue his Masters and eventually Doctorate degree.  He received both his masters and PhD in Industrial Engineering from the University of Illinois. While getting his PhD he worked as a research scientist with a National Lab and earned his MBA.  During his work as a research scientist learned that his calling was in Academia, where he would have the ability to work in a dynamic area and have the creative freedom to pursue his passion.

 

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What was your resume like when you starting applying for an academic appointment?
It took a good 3-4 months to organize everything needed.  I actually ended up making a portfolio to help keep everything in order. This portfolio consisted of my research statement, teaching plans and also a 4-5 page CV. You will be surprised of the types of experiences that you forget to put in.  For example:  I had to opportunity to travel to Japan for 3 months as part of the NSF East Asia Pacific Summer Institute (EAPSI)I did this right after my masters, it was actually the first grant that I had ever written and been awarded.

It was an amazing experience; I was able to see how research varies with culture.  I was in a city of about 1 million, Kanazawa. In the city you would swear that they never saw a black man before.  I would be at the gym and I would have these soccer moms coming up to me with a soccer ball for my autograph.  Assuming that since I was a black man I played some sort of sport with ball.  Since my last name is Tucker, I would say hi I’m Conrad Tucker, they would think I’m Chris Tucker.  So I just went with it and signed my autograph C. Tucker!


From a research perspective the Faculty-student relationship is very hierarchical. In the United States, I would ask my student their opinion on a certain research topic.  My experience in Japan was that the faculty gives the student the tools to implement from more of a top down approach.  Creative freedom is ingrained in the American culture, which fosters new ideas, that is very difficult for other countries to replicate.


In Japan, Advisors would be very strict during the day but then they would all go out with their graduate students for drinks after work, joking around and such would take place while they were out.  But the next day it was like that never happened.  Their personal and professional lives are very separate.  I never realized how relevant this experience was and how much I truly learned from it.  That is something simple that I should have added to my materials when applying for an academic position.

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What has the tenure process been like for you so far?
Wow, you think when you are getting your PhD that you are busy but when I compare it to what I’m doing now there is no comparison.  But I think the PhD process does gives you the foundation to build upon and the tools to be successful.  I am doing so many different things now, managing more than one grant, graduate students, research and classes.  I feel like I am constantly working, even on the weekends you can find me at Starbucks on Atherton….it is my weekend office!

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Do you feel like your work experience in industry has helped you with what you are doing now?

Yes, my work experience in industry allows me to relate theoretical course concepts to real life engineering applications. Everything is a learning experience and while academia is where my passion lies, I do not regret my time in industry and in fact, work closely with industry now as we move to foster stronger industry-research relationships within my research group.

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Is this anything you wish you had known before you started this process?
How much paperwork I have to do as a professor.  For example: filling out conference receipts, managing student files, etc. just things to distract you from your research.  As a grad student you get shielded from a lot of the administrative work, which is beautiful.  If you want to go into academia, cherish these years because this is the time where you can do research at a purely uninterrupted level.

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What is your professional goal going forward, in the next 5 years? I always want to have some type of involvement with research.  I learned with my MBA that I aspire to something more than management.  But I do have a goal of winning a Noble Prize.  That may seem a little farfetched at this point but I believe you have to set these global visions for yourself. I feel like I’ve been provided the tools to be successful but I don’t want to settle with just having the tools. I don’t ever want to feel like I’m just sitting in the past.

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 Why did you come to Penn State? I had a couple of academic interviews back to back, one at Penn State and another highly reputable institution.  There was such a contrast in the collaborative work ethic between Penn State and the other school.  I knew immediately that this was the place where I wanted to be.  If you aren’t surround by people who share your passion and you can work with easily you won’t be able to grow.  

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What is the academic interview process like? The academic interview process is grueling, it’s a 3 day process and bathroom breaks are few and far between!  Back to back to back interviews over the 3 days.
They pick you up from the airport on Day 1 and immediately the interview starts, drop your stuff off at the hotel and then go to dinner. The dinner is also an interview where they ask you to tell them about yourself etc.  There are these nuances that they are looking for because the university is making a huge investment and they want to make sure that this person has a vision that is consistent with the university.  It’s gets to a certain point where everyone being interviewed has a great resume but do you fit personally with everyone you will be working with.
So the dinner ends at midnight, then at 6am they pick you up for breakfast and then everything continues, from there it’s just a day full of interviews.  You meet with each faculty member over the course of the 3 days, then their opinion is weighed when making the decision of who to hire because you are going to be working very closely with these people and it has to be a good fit both professionally and personally.  This is different than in industry where a manager will interview but then you have to work and get along with everyone else.
The academic interviewers  ask questions about big pictures , where you see yourself etc.  As opposed to industry interviews which are basically behavioral questions, what would you do in this situation?
With the academic interview you also give a job talk, which is basically in front of the classroom giving a presentation.  They are observing your ability to communicate and your scientific depth.

 

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 Did they expect you to extend the research that you were already working on? How does it work on terms of your research direction?

What graduate school provides to you is the foundation.  I have been out for less than 2 years and the path that my research is taking is completely different than what I was doing for my PhD.  You have the tools, and whatever direction you take your research is up to you.  During an interview process they will ask you how you plan to differentiate yourself from your advisor and it’s good to have an idea of the path you want to take.

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Do you have to find places where your research matches the ground work that is already in place at an institution?
The most important thing is to be yourself.  You can’t tell people what they want to hear; you have to be yourself.  If you tell them what they want to hear and you end up there not doing something you want to do then you will be unhappy and the people you are working for will be unhappy.  If you interview for a place and you don’t like it, don’t go there and it’s best for both.  Be yourself and go somewhere that you are wanted and you will feel supported.