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Mathematician Career Interview
Dr. Rebecca Segal works as an assistant professor of mathematics at Virginia Commonwealth University, and she has been a mathematician for over 15 years.
Mathematician Career Path
“I always liked math in school and decided to major in math in college,” says Rebecca. “I didn’t know how it would turn into a career, but I eventually got interested in going to graduate school. I had the opportunity to do an REU (research experience for undergraduates) and discover the field of mathematical biology. I know then that was what I wanted to do for a career.”
Mathematician Experiences
Rebecca earned her Bachelor of Arts in mathematics from Bryn Mawr College and her PhD in applied math from North Carolina State University.
“My dissertation research was conducted in conjunction with researchers at the Environmental Protection Agency, and so I worked part-time in a non-academic research environment,” she adds. “This was a great experience because it gave me the opportunity to see what a real job was like and to interact regularly with non-mathematicians.”
She did her postdoctoral fellowship at CIIT at the Hammer Institute, and she was a teaching fellow at the University of Bristol in England.
Since 2006, Rebecca has worked as an assistant professor at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Mathematician Degree Programs
“I think it depends on what you want to do,” Rebecca explains. “There are certainly jobs for mathematicians with degrees from BA through PhD. In industry, the biggest impact of the degree level will be on how much input you have on the direction of a project.”
“If you have a bachelor’s degree,” she continues, “you will be directed to work on specific components of specific projects. If you have a PhD, you will likely be deciding on the components of the project or even choosing/designing the entire project yourself. Someone with a Master’s degree will land somewhere in the middle.”
“It is possible to move up the ladder from any starting point, but without a Master’s or, in some companies, a PhD, you will not be able to achieve the highest level of pay/authority,” she adds.
Mathematician Job Description
Rebecca is a mathematics professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, teaching students just how vital math is.
“Mathematics can be used to model just about any real world situation,” she says. “Historically, there has been a strong link between mathematics and physics, and there continues to be significant mathematical modeling in the area of national defense and security. More recently, mathematics has been used in biology. Mathematicians are now working the pharmaceutical and medical industries.”
Mathematician Daily Routine
A mathematician’s responsibilities can include a number of tasks depending on the area of employment. One working in a research-oriented area would: search literature for relevant articles; reading articles; meeting with collaborators to discuss research direction/recent progress; writing and/or giving a talk; meeting with graduate students to resolve problems/discuss next step; writing a research paper; reviewing a research paper for a journal; writing code; running simulations; analyzing simulation output; developing model equations; and mathematical analysis of models.
In education areas, such as a professor like Rebecca, a mathematician is also responsible for teaching classes.
Mathematician: Steps to Success
“A successful mathematician needs perseverance, creativity, and a desire to continue to learn,” Rebecca explains. “If you are in an applied area, then being able to work as part of a team is important. Also, strong communication skills are very valuable for being able to share and discuss your research.”
Mathematician Job Opportunities
Mathematics can be accessible field if you are willing to go to the location and area where the work is.
“You may have to be open-minded about the type of applications you are willing to work on,” says Rebecca.
Mathematician Favorite Aspect
“As an academic, I can work on whatever type of project I want,” Rebecca explains. “I love learning new things, both in mathematics and in broader scientific and medical fields. As an applied mathematician, I can choose any topic that interests me and explore mathematical modeling in that area.”
“I also love working with students and seeing them gain new insight and enthusiasm for mathematics,” she adds.
Mathematician’s Future Ambitions
Rebecca hopes to continue doing what she loves best.
“I hope that I continue to work on interesting applications with interesting people,” she says. “I would like to be a better mentor/adviser, but hopefully that will come with practice.”
Advice for Prospective Mathematicians
“Take as many classes as you can and still get your work done,” Rebecca advises. “Having breadth of knowledge is very useful if you don’t know exactly what you want to work on after school. Also, take some serious programming classes. All industry mathematicians use computers for research and most academic mathematicians do too.”
“I think math is a great field with lots of possibilities,” she adds. “You can pursue just about any side interest that you have with mathematics.”
