This Academic Life

In this episode, we invited Omid Saadati to talk about his experience working in Big Tech. Omid will share insights into his career journey, the challenges and opportunities he’s encountered, and his perspectives on innovation and growth in the tech industry.

Contact list: If you have any comments about our show or have suggestions for a future topic, please contact us at [email protected]. You can also find us on the webpage https://thisacademiclife.org and on Facebook group “This Academic Life”.

Cast list:

Guest: Omid Saadati is an accomplished entrepreneur, product leader and technologist with over a decade of experience in developing strategies and leading organizations. Omid's expertise lies in building and scaling developer platforms across various sectors including ad-tech, commerce, and cloud-based networking. He has had key positions at industry-leading companies such as Google, Meta, and Cisco.

Currently, Omid leverages his extensive experience to advise high-potential startups and mentors early-career individuals in the technology sector. He also serves as the chief product officer for an AI-based startup operating in the national security and open source intelligence (OSINT) domain.

Omid's core competencies encompass areas identifying product-market-fit, formulating go-to-market strategies, and managing products. His industry focus includes ad-tech, commerce, and developer platforms. His strategic insights and leadership have consistently driven growth and innovation in these areas.

Hosts:

• Prof. Kim Lewis (host) is a Professor of Physics and Associate Dean of Research in the College of Arts and Sciences at Howard University.
• Prof. Pania Newell (host) is an Associate Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at The University of Utah.

• Prof. Lucy Zhang (host) is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Nuclear Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)

Editing team:

• Music by RuthAnn Schallert-Wygal ([email protected])
• Edited by Angella Chen
• Artwork is created using Canva (canva.com)

Please join us for this episode that discusses the postdoctoral research experience. We discuss

expectations and reasons why some graduate students pursue a postdoc position after

completing a graduate program. We also share our personal experiences.

Contact list: If you have any comments about our show or have suggestions for a future topic, please contact us at [email protected]. You can also find us on the webpage https://thisacademiclife.org and on Facebook group “This Academic Life”.

Hosts:

• Prof. Kim Lewis (host) is a Professor of Physics and an associate professor of Research at Howard University
• Prof. Pania Newell (host) is an Associate Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at The University of Utah.

• Prof. Lucy Zhang (host) is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Nuclear Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)

Editing team:

• Music by RuthAnn Schallert-Wygal ([email protected])
• Edited by Angella Chen
• Artwork is created using Canva (canva.com)

Episode Notes:

In this episode, we discuss what is needed to get into your dream graduate school program.

Contact list: If you have any comments about our show or have suggestions for a future topic, please contact us at [email protected]. You can also find us on the webpage https://thisacademiclife.org and on Facebook group “This Academic Life”.

Hosts:

• Prof. Kim Lewis (host) is a Professor of Physics and an associate professor of Research at Howard University
• Prof. Pania Newell (host) is an Associate Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at The University of Utah.

• Prof. Lucy Zhang (host) is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Nuclear Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)

Editing team:

• Music by RuthAnn Schallert-Wygal ([email protected])
• Edited by Angella Chen
• Artwork is created using Canva (canva.com)

In this episode, we invited Dr. Lucy Zhang to the show to talk about her experience at the National Science Foundation as program director.

Contact list: If you have any comments about our show or have suggestions for a future topic, please contact us at [email protected]. You can also find us on the webpage https://thisacademiclife.org and on Facebook group “This Academic Life”.

Cast list:

Guest:

• Dr. Lucy Zhang is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Associate Dean for Research Innovations, Partnerships, and Workforce Development at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI).

Hosts:

• Prof. Pania Newell (host) is an Associate Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at The University of Utah.

• Prof. Lucy Zhang (host) is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Nuclear Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)

Editing team:

• Music by RuthAnn Schallert-Wygal ([email protected])
• Edited by Angella Chen
• Artwork is created using Canva (canva.com)

In this episode, we invited Dr. Lucy Zhang to the show to talk about her experience at the

National Science Foundation as program director.

Contact list: If you have any comments about our show or have suggestions for a future topic,

please contact us at [email protected]. You can also find us on the webpage

https://thisacademiclife.org and on Facebook group “This Academic Life”.

Cast list:

Guest:

● Dr. Lucy Zhang is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Associate Dean for

Research Innovations, Partnerships, and Workforce Development at Rensselaer

Polytechnic Institute (RPI).

●

Hosts:

● Prof. Pania Newell (host) is an Associate Professor in the Mechanical Engineering

Department at The University of Utah.

● Prof. Lucy Zhang (host) is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering in the Department of

Mechanical, Aerospace and Nuclear Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

(RPI)

Editing team:

● Music by RuthAnn Schallert-Wygal ([email protected])

● Edited by Angella Chen

● Artwork is created using Canva (canva.com)

In this episode, we share some personal experiences and stories near us on being implicitly biased during our academic journey.

Contact list: If you have any comments about our show or have suggestions for a future topic, please contact us at [email protected]. You can also find us on the webpage https://thisacademiclife.org and on Facebook group “This Academic Life”.

Hosts:

• Prof. Pania Newell (host) is currently an Associate Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at The University of Utah.

• Prof. Lucy Zhang (host) is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Nuclear Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)

Editing team:

• Music by RuthAnn Schallert-Wygal ([email protected])
• Edited by Angella Chen
• Artwork is created using Canva (canva.com)

Sponsorship:

• This episode is sponsored by the School of Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute: eng.rpi.edu

In our anniversary episode, we discuss faculty on “Side Track”: moving before tenure with Dr. Andre Clayborne who is an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and BioChemistry at George Mason University. Dr. Clayborne has successfully navigated the transition between universities while on the tenure track. He candidly shares with us his experiences, concerns, and challenges on his “train” to tenure.

Reference list:

• Music by RuthAnn Schallert-Wygal ([email protected])

• Artwork is created using Canva (canva.com)

Contact list:

If you have any comments about our show or have suggestions for a future topic, please contact us at [email protected]. You can also find us on the webpage https://thisacademiclife.org and on Facebook group “This Academic Life”.

Cast list:

• Prof. Andre Clayborne (guest) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry and BioChemistry at George Mason University. https://science.gmu.edu/directory/andre-clayborne

• Prof. Kim Michelle Lewis (host) is a Professor of Physics and Associate Dean of Research, Graduate Programs, and Natural Sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences at Howard University.

• Prof. Pania Newell (host) is currently an Assistant Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at The University of Utah.

• Prof. Lucy Zhang (host) is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Nuclear Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI).

In this episode, we discuss the taboo topic of a professor’s salary and the importance of academic salary transparency. We also discuss how administrators can work with junior faculty and help them ease the salary negotiation process.

Reference list:

• https://www.ccdaily.com/2021/04/a-look-at-faculty-presidents-salaries/
• https://www.lifeofaprofessor.com/post/are-professors-rich
• The Annual Report on the Economic Status of the Profession, 2018-19
• https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2014/07/02/327289264/episode-550-when-salaries-arent-secret
• Music by RuthAnn Schallert-Wygal ([email protected])

Contact list:

If you have any comments about our show or have suggestions for a future topic, please contact us at [email protected]. You can also find us on webpage https://thisacademiclife.org and on facebook group “This Academic Life”.

Cast list:

• Prof. Kim Michelle Lewis (host) is a Professor of Physics and Associate Dean of Research, Graduate Programs, and Natural Sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences at Howard University.

• Prof. Pania Newel (host) is currently an Assistant Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at The University of Utah.

• Prof. Lucy Zhang (host) is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Nuclear Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI).

In this episode, we talk about the faculty search process starting from creating the job posting to selecting a successful candidate.

Contact list: If you have any comments about our show or have suggestions for a future topic, please contact us at [email protected]. You can also find us on the webpage https://thisacademiclife.org and on Facebook group “This Academic Life”.

Cast list:

Hosts:

• Prof. Kim Michelle Lewis (host) is a Professor of Physics and Associate Dean of Research, Graduate Programs, and Natural Sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences at Howard University.
• Prof. Pania Newell (host) is currently an Assistant Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at The University of Utah.

• Prof. Lucy Zhang (host) is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Nuclear Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)

Editing team:

• Music by RuthAnn Schallert-Wygal ([email protected])
• Edited by Angella Chen
• Artwork is created using Canva (canva.com)