Angela's Journey to Headframes
I rose through the academic ranks as an engineering professor at Penn State University, with joint appointments in energy and chemical engineering. My basic research in hydrogen storage was the ‘Grand Challenge’ of its day; the epitome of basic high-risk high-reward research. I led interdisciplinary, multi-investigator research projects in the hydrogen/materials space that spanned colleges, engaged other Universities and national labs across the globe. In a highly contested field, my contributions included material development, a rigorous analysis of adsorption methodology, and collaborative efforts to develop new in situ characterization techniques to validate mechanism. Enabled through a competitive Marie Curie Incoming Fellowship, I resolved mechanistic discrepancies uncovered with our in situ methods with ab initio molecular modeling. My research was funded primarily through the Department of Energy, as well as the National Science Foundation and the American Chemical Society. From these experiences, I understand the challenges faced by faculty looking to grow international recognition in a highly competitive field.
About ten years ago, I pivoted to a career in research administration. At first, this was to expand the breadth of my work, after a presidential transition shifted priorities of the Department of Energy away from hydrogen storage, and in particular, away from the controversial sub-discipline I was in. My research had reached the proverbial "No Go," and it was incredibly hard to reinvent and reset, particularly as I was unexpectedly pregnant with my third child.
As a program manager at the National Science Foundation, I developed a passion to mentor faculty. While making over 200 funding recommendations, my most memorable moments were coaching those that had received disappointing news. Motivated by the setbacks I had experienced as a faculty, I spent a lot of time and effort on these conversations, navigating a number of difficult conversations with meaningful feedback. Reflecting on this time, it strikes me how difficult it is to give and receive meaningful feedback, and how striking this balance can often set a young investigator on a more productive path.
At the completion of my NSF rotation, I had reached a fork in the road: Would I return to research or turn to a career in research administration? In January 2018, I had made my decision. Citing "Not because it was easy, but because it was hard," I made the decision to return to research. My Facebook post after making that decision was:
And in case you don't know who Poppy is, check this out:
Traveling back to campus to put these plans in motion, two pivotal things happened. First, I met a new assistant professor, a woman, that was very much struggling with the patriarchal culture of my former department. (More on that another day.)
Second, I received my annual evaluation (inserted below), which seemed diametrically opposed to what I had been doing, i.e. national service that was impacting the field and discipline, while on a leave of absence from teaching.
In short, the combination of seeing the struggles of a new colleague and feeling that my evaluation had no real meaning, well... set me on a different path.
I moved to a career in research administration, specifically looking for a path back to the Midwest to be closer to my extended family. I fondly remember describing to my NSF colleagues that I wanted my children to "learn the value of hard work", specifically citing detasseling corn. (ha... Well, that hasn't happened. More on being a mom of 3 while in academia on another day).
I spent 3 years at Missouri S&T as Associate Dean for Research in the College of Engineering & Computing. I developed innovative faculty mentoring programs, built significant external partnerships (amongst industry, alumni, defense-related stakeholders, and other institutions), and led a number of institutional initiatives that spanned manufacturing, energy. critical minerals, and broadening participation. My efforts at Missouri S&T to develop faculty and build teams facilitated a growth from $140K in FY 17 to $213K in FY20 (per tenure track faculty), catapulting an increase in national reputation (from 106 when I arrived to 83 when I left). The College of Engineering received its highest number of CAREER awards in its history, and to this day, I receive accolades from the transformation impact I had on careers. Many of my testimonials on this website are from this era. Now, when I return to Rolla, it is an incredibly meaningful experience, as many have sought me out to thank me for my work.
In 2021, in the shadow of COVID, I made the crazy wild hair decision to move to Montana. I was driven by the idea that I could instill and grow a research culture and get in on the ground floor as a primarily undergraduate institution (PUI) was still working out kinks to sustain its first PhD programs. It was a rare academic "startup culture".
My four years at Montana Tech has been wildly successful, driven by great teams and great partnerships. Research expenditures increased over 60% in two years, graduate
enrollment is at a 10-year high, and I spearheaded a proposal that led to a
$6.56M
cooperative
agreement; this will expand markets internationally, with a
projected long-term enrollment growth of 12%. The associated revenue growth from new partnerships, new initiatives, and small group proposal wins enabled
me to invest in strategic initiatives, most notably, in technology
transfer, research centers, and more strategic ways to seed new faculty initiatives. Moreover, in this pseudo "start-up" culture, this role forced me to communicate
differentiated value of research on elevating people and programs.
Below is a picture from this time. It was a research reception that I organized for faculty and students that constituted about 50% of campus research through defense funding. One face, in particular, stands out as he just told me he would be dedicating his PhD to me. I had helped him when he needed a 'hand up', when others were providing easy answers that weren't ultimately leading him down the path he needed to go. Although this may soon be forgotten, nevertheless, it is good to remember why academics do what they do. 
I made the incredibly difficult decision to leave Montana Tech earlier this year. After four years, often struggling with defining and restructuring my role, and overhauling policies with a great deal of resistance, it was time to move on. What this decision has reinforced for me is how very important it is to align individual values with those of the institution that they serve. Everyone has their own "Why",--what keeps them going in the face of adversity--and it is important to honor that, particularly in high stress jobs.
This brought me to Headframes in late 2024. I am
looking forward to following my "Why", setting my own workplace culture, and honoring my 10 years of coaching and mentoring in research and innovation. After 10 years of building initiatives for others, I am ready to turn my attention to building my own dream. Although it's a bit daunting, after 10 years of driving the entrepreneurial spirit of others, I am now pushing myself along this path.
Headframes as a Mindset
Do you notice a theme above? When I was an international fellow and tenured full professor at Penn State, I felt I was falling short. When I was changing career trajectories at Missouri S&T, I felt I was not receiving recognition. When I was a Vice Chancellor and bringing in large funding 'wins,' I was unhappy with how these efforts were perceived. I'm reminded of various books I have read recently that assure me that striving for 'something more' is both normal and an embedded part of the human experience. Imagine the alternative.
As I reflect on the above, I am most proud of: (a) working with students on early discoveries that overcame considerable obstacles, (b) the workforce initiative, because it will reinvigorate legacy programs, and is driven by a national need; (c) an NSF program that reinvests in midcareer faculty; and (d) the impact I have had on others’ career trajectories. What are you most proud of?
All of this leads me to conclude: Success is a mindset.
This is one reason the name 'Headframes' has had so much appeal to me, viz., from our Mission Statement:
"Headframes symbolize the ingenuity and persistence of engineers and innovators under the harshest of conditions."
I hope the resources and strategies Headframes provides will help you persist as an innovator under the harshest of conditions.
--Angela
