Hippocampus Stains - Yang J, Harte-Hargrove L et al., 2014 Cell Reports, Figure 2

Who: Lauren Harte-Hargrove, PhD

Job Title: Project Manager

Organization: AES/ILAE Translational Research Task Force

Job Focus: Advancing the goals of the Task Force in a managerial role

Years in the Game: Approx. 0.5 yrs

Education: PhD in Neuroscience

Whereabouts: Houston, TX

““There has been a learning curve in coming from an academic environment into this role””

— Dr. Lauren Harte-Hargrove

Q&A:

Q. What does your title mean?

A. At its core, its mission is to make research conducted in a preclinical setting more accessible to individuals who have been diagnosed with epilepsy, and to advance medical treatments. It is organized in a hierarchical manner, with six main 'TASKS', which are each responsible for a different aspect of this goal. Within each TASK are multiple workgroups, and each of these groups are made up of numerous senior and junior contributors from around the world.

As project manager, I am responsible for a number of different things, including: monitoring progress on manuscripts that are being written by each work group and setting deadlines, conducting online research and producing various Task Force-related documents and papers, scheduling conference calls and taking minutes, keeping members abreast of Task Force events, and aiding in the organization of conferences.

Q. What does a typical day look like?

A. My days are varied, and no two look the same. I will usually begin my day by answering emails, and then perhaps have a conference call or need to work out the details of an upcoming conference. Lately I have been working on a paper that will describe the aims and details of one of the TASKS within the Task Force.

Q. Why did you decide to obtain your PhD? Why did you choose Neuroscience?

A. I have always loved science, and was thinking about obtaining my MD until taking neuroscience and psychology classes in college. I also participated in lab research as an undergrad, and so I decided to combine all of these interests and pursue a PhD in neuroscience. I originally wanted to become a PI and have my own lab, but after having children I decided I wanted to transition away from a role that often requires doing research late at night or weekends, and constantly writing grants to support your research.

Q. Why did you choose the non-profit sector over academia? Which do you prefer?

A. This is a difficult question. There are certainly things I miss about being in an academic setting. While I was looking for a departure, I do miss the daily intellectual interactions with other researchers, seminars, conducting research and writing grants and papers. On the other hand, it has been really interesting to see how things work in a non-profit environment, and especially in a setting where there are so many moving parts and individuals to organize in order to reach our common goal. It has definitely been a learning experience, and I feel that I am gaining a whole new skill set that will aid me in future roles. I am also still working with my former boss, albeit in a different capacity, which I have also found to be really great.

Q. What do you like about your job?

A. This job enables me to work from home, part-time, which I really love. I have a good amount of flexibility in my schedule, which allows me to spend time during the day with my two-year-old and 5-month old. My husband and I moved to Houston a year before I gave birth to our oldest son. At the time, I was a postdoc at NYU. I continued to commute back to NY for about a year and a half after moving to Houston, but eventually it became too difficult. At that point, I wanted to transition out of a research setting, something that is not always easy with a PhD in neuroscience. When I was hired as project manager for the AES/ILAE Translational Research Task Force, I was excited to have a job that allows me the flexibility to focus more on my family, but also be a part of a very important movement in science and interact with many influential scientists. The mission of the Task Force is also one I have always believed to be very important and I am glad to contribute towards.

Q. What do you find most challenging?

A. On the flip side of a work-from-home position, there is no daily face-to-face interaction with co-workers or senior individuals, which can be a downside when you need to bounce ideas off of others or even just for social purposes. You also can't just walk down the hall to see your boss as you could in a real job. This can make things seem less personal, and building relationships can be difficult when most of your correspondence is via email. Also, when you work remotely and from home, I think it can be more difficult to separate yourself from work. I often check my email throughout the day and after-hours to see if any work emails have come through, and often do work at night.

Q. How do you cope with issues that may come your way?

A. There has been a learning curve in coming from an academic environment into this role, but I have a wide network of individuals that I can ask advice of, as well as my boss.

Q. Can you describe the learning curve?

A. By the statement that there is a learning curve coming from an academic environment to this role, I mean that my role as a postdoc/in academia didn't necessarily prepare me totally for transitioning into this role. It gave me the basic building blocks, like knowledge of the subject (epilepsy), organizational skills, time-management and writing skills; however, the role of project manager is completely different from my role as a postdoc. The AES/ILAE Translational Research Task Force is a large organization with many parts, and it requires managerial skills that I have had to pick up on the job - for example, how to manage all of these different work groups/projects/conferences/people, as well as do research and write papers for the group.

Q. What are your goals for career advancement?

A. The longer I stay in this role, the more I find myself given larger and more involved projects to complete. This position is also great in terms of networking with many prominent scientists. I plan on remaining project manager for at least another year, or until the main goals set forth by the Task Force are completed. I believe I can then use the skills I have learned to find a high-level administrative position at one of the many hospitals in Houston, or perhaps go into teaching, which is also one of my interests (and I am currently a private science tutor part-time).

Girl at the Window - Salvador Dali - 1925

Q. What differences, if any, have you seen between men and women in your work environment? Are these differences similar between the non-profit and academic environments?

A. In my current work environment, I have appreciated the fact that many of the leaders of the Task Force are accomplished women. These are women I can look to as mentors and who can offer advice and training. In the academic setting, I was also lucky to have an incredibly talented and supportive woman as a PI. I did notice some subtle differences between male and female scientists in the academic setting, however. Especially after I became pregnant with my eldest son, I felt I was often discounted in terms of my abilities by male scientists (and I witnessed this of others as well). I also noticed that men in general also tend to be more aggressive and self-laudatory, which can at times make them stand out more than equally capable women - something that women in science must be aware of and combat.

“There are many ways you can tailor your love for science into a career that fits your career goals and lifestyle.”

— Dr. Lauren Harte-Hargrove

Q. How do you balance work and life?

A. This position has been great for allowing me to spend time with my family, as it is a work-from-home job, but if an email comes through with an assignment late at night, I am often tempted to work late into the night to finish it. I have had to force myself to wait until the next day to answer such emails at times. Overall, however, I am very pleased with my work/life balance.

Q. Does your company provide support?

A. As this is a part-time position, I am not privy to the same types of support that you might find in full-time job. For example, as a postdoc I had backup care in case my children were sick or I needed help. This is not available to me right now, but I see it as a trade-off for the flexibility.

Q. Good boss/bad boss? How so?

A. My boss has been great about allowing me flexibility, and also training me in a project management role - something I had not previously done. It can be difficult that we don't have much face-to-face interaction, aside from conferences, but we are making it work.

Q. If you could do it all over again, what would you change?

A. I am actually not sure I would do anything differently. I enjoyed commuting back to NY as my family and friends live there, and I am also enjoying my transition out of research. I am currently thinking about my next move, but enjoying the flexibility I have right now.

Q. So what do you envision your “next” move to be?

A. That is a bit tough to say! I enjoy being out of the lab, working with the more flexible hours that this job affords, and so I think I would like to continue to pursue my options outside of a laboratory environment. I may stay in something more administrative such as the role I am in right now (which I plan on staying in). I really enjoy teaching, and I tutor college/medical students occasionally. I would like to continue teaching, at the very least through neuroscience outreach, and potentially as a professor at the collegiate level in the future. On the other hand, I do at times miss actually conducting research myself. So there is a lot to think about!

Q. What is your passion?

A. My passion is definitely teaching. I have taught, tutored and participated in science outreach since college. I really love teaching students of all ages, especially children (although if I were to pursue teaching as an actual career, I would choose a higher level).

Q. What advice would you give to students in STEM?

A. I would suggest that students in STEM consider the many different possibilities that a degree in a STEM-related field can offer. It isn't necessary to only follow the traditional path of entering an academic setting and trying to obtain tenure/become a senior researcher. There are many ways you can tailor your love for science into a career that fits your career goals and lifestyle.