RResearchers rely on state-of-the-art equipment to complete their studies. Many institutions create dedicated core facilities with teams that provide the expertise to operate and maintain these machines and train users. Molecular biologist Jotam Austin leads one such facility as director of the Advanced Electron Microscopy Facility at the University of Chicago.
What do you do as the facility director of this facility?
Jotam Austin transitioned to the Core Facility career track to take advantage of more educational opportunities and develop new skills. He currently serves as director of the Advanced Electron Microscopy Core at the University of Chicago.
jennifer mayo
When I moved into this role, I was making strategic plans to expand our electron microscopy (EM) core and acquire and build new space and equipment to provide researchers with more tools for their projects. I did. I am on a non-tenure track so I can write equipment grants to obtain additional equipment and research center grants. I supervise the staff on a daily basis and assist them with questions and technical issues. I work with researchers to provide EM expertise directly and through consulting to scientists interested in incorporating EM in their research. When a problem occurs with equipment, I often diagnose the cause or work with a service engineer. I participate in meetings with government agencies to discuss plans for new facilities and renovation plans for new spaces, and I also provide consultation on the development of new core facilities based on my experience in expanding core facilities.
How did you secure this role?
I took a course in EM during my Botany graduate program at Arizona State University and enjoyed it so much that I incorporated the techniques into my own projects. Toward the end of my PhD, one of my committee members commented that the field did not have crystal structures for some of the photosynthetic components I was working on, so I decided I should at least try to answer this question. So I reached out to Andrew Staehelin, a molecular biologist using EM at the University of Colorado Boulder, who offered me the job of studying the structure of these components. I learned that the quickest way to graduate from graduate school is to get a job.
When I started as a postdoctoral researcher, I was still interested in pursuing an academic position or in industry. I publish regularly, including articles on the elucidation of the structures of photosynthetic components, which led me to Stahelin’s lab and immersed myself in the field and technology of EM . In the process, I remembered my interest in science support. After talking with Staehelin, I realized it might be difficult to fit that into a regular tenure-track position. However, because I was interested in training people and staying on top of new EM technologies and methodologies, he suggested I work in a core facility.
Resonating with this idea, I applied to work at the university’s core facility, believing that an urban area would provide opportunities for outreach. In addition to my publications, the University of Chicago hired me to join their EM core staff because I had experience using EM equipment and training others. Shortly thereafter, I moved to a non-tenure track position, which gave me more opportunities to write grants and serve on committees. In retrospect, this was a bit of a risk as many institutions were decommissioning their EM facilities, but a few years later there was a huge boom in resolution capabilities in the field. So there was a strong incentive to expand the core and invest in a lot of this new equipment, which I helped plan and acquire. By communicating that vision, I was able to secure my current position as facility director when I applied.
What advice would you give to trainees interested in this career?
As facility manager, Austin is responsible for routine equipment maintenance and often performs minor repairs on broken facility equipment.
Jotam Austin
As you move from being just a core user to a core person, you’ll want to become more proficient at operating equipment and collaborating with other users. Taking the opportunity to train others and learn how equipment works will help you stand out in your application. Additionally, these positions require you to communicate with many people, so soft skills are very important. However, you can also read the literature to learn about how these techniques were developed and what’s new, and build your knowledge by attending workshops and conferences. Doing so also gives you the opportunity to participate in networking conversations. If you are considering a career at a core facility, talk to the staff at that facility and ask about the job and opportunities.
However, when you look at the requirements, working in the core is much more flexible than a faculty position. A postdoctoral position will help give you more time to become familiar with this equipment, but you are not required to complete a postdoctoral position before you begin your application. After being primarily a user, you can enter the core as a technician and build that knowledge through your work. Once you get to the core, you can also decide what you want. If you’re happy with a tech-type role where you do a lot of research and user training and less administrative work, that’s fine. Or you can move up to a director position like I did and get more involved in administrative and administrative tasks.
What do you like most about working in this position?
You get to do a lot of interesting research that you wouldn’t have done if you had your own lab. I like thinking about how to answer questions about a project. Even with increased management responsibilities, I still work on many problem-solving tasks to grow and manage this facility.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
