Welcome JMM Attendees

What was the transition like from academia to working in industry? What did you or what would you have done to prepare?

Shifting from academic work in graduate school to industry work felt natural to me because I was able to directly use the skills in my applied math toolbox. Over my time with Metron, I have added to that toolbox more probability and statistics, and if I could do anything differently to prepare for the job it would be to take courses in those fields in college.

Were you initially looking for a role in academia or industry?

Initially I thought I wanted to be a professor, but over time I found that I was more drawn to problems that were already important to people and needed solutions.

What attracted you to a position at Metron?

I liked that Metron was a place where I would be working with many other mathematicians on real-world problems that were important, challenging, and interesting. Metron wanted PhD’s in mathematical fields and didn’t care if you had worked for a long time in a specific domain or not, but rather that you were sharp; good coding skills were a plus. Those requirements, despite being very short and general, aligned well with my experience. The lack of detail turned out to be a good thing because I wasn’t pigeon-holed into a specific type of work but rather was introduced to a variety of new problems and trusted with finding the solutions.

How did your academic and/or professional background lead you to working at Metron?
Early in grad school, a Metronite who was an alumnus from my university gave a talk at our applied math department, and I thought that the work sounded really cool. During my last year of grad school, I saw a position at Metron pop up in an applied math job board, I remembered that talk, and I applied.

What was the transition like from academia to working in industry? What did you or what would you have done to prepare?

Being more proficient at coding and having more experience with project management software would have been useful in making the transition from academia to this job. Coming from a pure math field and doing research primarily solo or with one collaborator (my advisor) meant that I did not come across these things naturally in my time as a graduate student.

Were you initially looking for a role in academia or industry?

I was almost exclusively looking for teaching positions.

What attracted you to a position at Metron?

It seemed like a change of pace from what I had been looking for

• Metron reached out to me first (this was probably the biggest factor)
• There was a specific project Metron had at the time (Cascade) that was looking to leverage my research area. I didn’t end up working on that project, but the fact that people at the company were doing that kind of work increased my interest in Metron.

How did your academic and/or professional background lead you to working at Metron?

Early in grad school, a Metronite who was an alumnus from my university gave a talk at our applied math department, and I thought that the work sounded really cool. During my last year of grad school, I saw a position at Metron pop up in an applied math job board, I remembered that talk, and I applied.

What was the transition like from academia to working in industry? What did you or what would you have done to prepare?

My prior active-duty military experience significantly smoothed the transition from academia to industry. Throughout my academic journey, I deliberately focused on developing skills that would be valuable in both academic and industry settings.

Were you initially looking for a role in academia or industry?

I approached my career search with equal interest in both academic and industry opportunities.

What attracted you to a position at Metron?

Meeting with Metron at JMM and learning about their real-world applications of advanced mathematics was genuinely compelling. Their work offered an ideal opportunity to pursue innovative research while creating meaningful real-world impact.

How did your academic and/or professional background lead you to working at Metron?

The combination of my military background and rigorous mathematical training through my PhD created a unique skill set that aligned perfectly with Metron’s needs. My experience bridging theoretical mathematics with practical applications made Metron feel like a natural fit.

What was the transition like from academia to working in industry? What did you or what would you have done to prepare?

My transition was challenging and interesting. My focus changed from working primarily on my own to produce publication-worthy pure math research to working in project teams to develop solutions for complex customer problems. I learned new (to me) programming languages and skills to collaborate to produce integrated software technologies, demos, reports, and presentations.

Were you initially looking for a role in academia or industry?

I was looking almost exclusively at jobs in academia as a professor of mathematics.

What attracted you to a position at Metron?

After speaking with Metron at the Joint Math Meetings, then having an on-site interview, I turned down a tenure-track professorship offer to become a research scientist at Metron. I was intrigued by the prospect of collaborating with brilliant mathematicians, computer scientists, physicists, and other experts to solve real-world problems and provide impactful capabilities to customers who need them.

How did your academic and/or professional background lead you to working at Metron?

In my academic training – from undergraduate research through my math Ph.D. program and one year as a visiting professor – I developed skills to grasp difficult concepts, I explored a broad spectrum of research areas in math and computer science, and I honed my ability to solve complex problems. All of these skills prepared me well to collaborate with experts at Metron and develop principled, effective solutions to real problems.