CAREER PROFILES

FRITZ STAHR | Manager, Seaglider Fabrication Center, School of Oceanography, University of Washington

Degree: When, where, what, and what in?
I received a BS in mechanical engineering from Stanford University in 1981, and a PhD in oceanography from the University of Washington (UW) in 1998.

Did you stay in academia at all, and if so, for how long?
After my earning my bachelor's degree, I went directly to industry. I spent 10 years in two different instrument companies (ophthalmic instruments and solid-state lasers) before returning to academia to pursue a graduate degree at UW. Following my PhD in physical oceanography, I spent two years in a postdoctoral position at the same institution pursuing a slightly different oceanographic area—heat flux from hydrothermal vents—largely because I was very attracted to that particular project and wanted in on the ground floor. At the same time, I taught several classes at various local institutions (community colleges and UW). Following the postdoc, I remained at UW, though not on a path to become a regular faculty member. In some respects, I've had two "careers," but if one considers the junction of science and engineering, I've really just dug into that intersection more deeply.

What is your current job? What path did you take to get there?
I held a few professional staff positions at UW after my postdoc position, the most significant of which started in late 2004 and continues to this day. I was asked to start up what amounts to a small instrument company within UW in order to serve the needs of both internal and external customers for an autonomous underwater vehicle called the Seaglider. To some extent, spending 10 years in industry before graduate studies played a role—I had experience in small instrument-building companies. I do still occasionally teach when asked by the school's director as my instructional ratings from students are generally good, but that's not my primary mission. My work as manager of the Seaglider Fabrication Center is something closer to running a corporate business unit, except that we are "inside" academia. Dealing with a large state educational institution as our "corporate owner" presents a different set of parameters than a normal for-profit business, but is quite challenging nonetheless.

How did you go about searching for a job outside of the university setting?
For my first jobs (1980s), I used what was then a traditional approach: finding advertised positions at companies doing interesting work and speaking with the human resource managers, or getting recommended by people who knew others in those companies. Some companies sent recruiters to campus (a good way to learn a lot about a place without travelling) and, in other cases, I was recruited by search firms or friends who had moved to other companies.
     For my post-PhD jobs, they are either things I found interesting and asked the PI or program manager about, or are of my own making (e.g., starting a nonprofit).

Is this the only job (post-academia) that you've had? If not, what else did you do?
Another significant job I've had is co-founding and continuing to operate a nonprofit that engages students in experiential learning on Puget Sound while collecting time-series data—Ocean Inquiry Project (see http://www.oceaninquiry.org). This effort engages me in a number of other related enterprises, ranging from a Center for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence (COSEE) program (Ocean Learning Communities) to a regional ocean observatory (NANOOS-Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Observing Systems), as well as allows me to keep up my informal teaching activities. I helped start the Ocean Inquiry Project during the latter part of my postdoc in 2000. One key feature is that we engage graduate students and undergraduates in the UW oceanography department to come teach what they are studying, thus providing an outlet for them to develop skills in informal teaching while learning about Puget Sound.

What did your oceanographic education (or academic career) give you that is useful in your current job?
All of my jobs have benefited from the broad oceanographic education I received as a graduate student in the 1990s, and many of them have also engaged the management and engineering skills I learned either on the job or as an undergrad in mechanical engineering in the 1980s.

Is the job satisfying? What aspects of the job do you like best/least?
I've found all of my jobs satisfying because I won't engage in ones that are not. That is one of my mantras—keep the fun-factor high. Life is too short to not look forward to accomplishing something worthwhile and satisfying every day. As for particular aspects, I think teaching can give some of the greatest rewards because even in the short span of a half day you can see real and measurable changes in people—it's great positive feedback.

Do you have any recommendations for new grads looking for jobs?
Primarily, look for those activities and situations that you're enthusiastic about because that can overcome many other obstacles to a position. If your vocation is close to your avocation, then a high fun-factor is almost certain to follow. And, after being in a position for a while, if you're find yourself dreading going to work every day, recognize it, and work to either correct it within your company/organization or start looking for something else, or both.