Episode Highlights:

• The surprising power of knocking on a professor’s door (even if you’re an introvert)

• How to return to your career after 10+ years away—and still thrive

• This one mindset shift that will change how you see career paths and options in science

Timestamps:

0:22 - What is an Astrophysicist?

5:11 - What does a typical day look like?

9:59 - What do you enjoy?

11:29 - What do you dislike?

13:28 - How does your career compare to your initial aspirations?

15:56 - What were your career milestones?

21:18 - What advice would you give an aspiring professional?

About Our Guest:

Nicole Lloyd-Ronning is an astrophysicist at Los Alamos National Lab and a physics and astronomy instructor at the University of New Mexico–Los Alamos. Her research focuses on the explosive deaths of massive stars, black holes, and their role in the evolution of the universe. A passionate science communicator, she leads outreach programs across Northern New Mexico, collaborates on global STEAM initiatives, and actively advocates for equity in STEM. After earning degrees from Cornell and Stanford and completing prestigious fellowships in Canada and at LANL, she returned to science following a decade-long career break, supported by the APS Blewett Fellowship. Nicole has received multiple awards for mentoring, teaching, and community impact, and enjoys running, cooking, dancing, and spending time with her family.

• Connect with Nicole on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-lloyd-ronning-488160a

• Extended Interview - ⁠patreon.com/diverseroutes ⁠

Looking for career support?

• Check out ⁠Success in Science Career Coaching⁠

Episode Highlights:

• Leveraging the interdisciplinary nature of the tech industry

• A surprisingly important softskill you will need as a data engineer

• Top AI ‘assistants’ for coders and programmers

Timestamps:

0:27 - What is a Data Engineer (Specialist Solutions Architect)?

4:49 - What does a typical day look like?

9:18 - What do you enjoy?

10:45 - What do you dislike?

11:38 - How does your career compare to your initial aspirations?

13:30 - What were your career milestones?

16:23 - What advice would you give an aspiring professional?

About Our Guest:

Ram Goli is a Specialist Solutions Architect at Databricks, where he helps organizations make Data and AI simple. Prior to joining Databricks, Ram worked as a Data Engineer at other large companies, including Spotify and Vanguard. And in his early career, he was a Business Intelligence Developer in various contract roles. By training, Ram is a Molecular Biologist with a Bachelor’s from Grove City College and a Masters from the University of Maryland - Baltimore.

• Connect with Ram on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ramgoli/

• Extended Interview - ⁠patreon.com/diverseroutes ⁠

Looking for career support?

• Check out ⁠Success in Science Career Coaching⁠

Episode Highlights:

• Creating your own job title, when the existing options don’t fit

• How one conversation can lead to your first job

• Unexpected benefits and drawbacks about entrepreneurship

Timestamps:

0:20 - What is an Earth and Space Educational Consultant?

2:27 - What does a typical day look like?

5:13 - What do you enjoy?

6:43 - What do you dislike?

9:55 - How does your career compare to your initial aspirations?

14:19 - What were your career milestones?

22:53 - What advice would you give an aspiring professional?

About Our Guest:

Dr. Kathryn Williamson earned a bachelor's degree in physics and astronomy from the University of Georgia and a doctorate in physics with an emphasis on physics education research from Montana State University. Her career includes roles as Public Education Specialist at Green Bank Observatory, and Teaching Professor and Planetarium Director at West Virginia University. Currently Kathryn operates her own business as an independent Earth and Space Science Educational Consultant and Project Evaluator.

• Kathryn’s website -https://www.kwilliamsonconsulting.com/

• Extended Interview - ⁠patreon.com/diverseroutes ⁠

Looking for career support?

Check out⁠Success in Science Career Coaching⁠