Professor University of Tennessee Knoxville, Tennessee
Our ability to quickly adapt to a changing world is critical to survival. Insects have successfully adapted to succeed in highly diverse environments. Similarly, young researchers are often challenged to find and adjust to a niche in the research ecosystem where they can grow. This is one of the most important challenges faced when starting in a tenure track position, sometimes requiring adjustment to a research field outside of our “comfort zone”. This happens at a time when you have to also adapt your Hispanic background to your new position. In this presentation, I will take a look back in time and share my experience, successes and failures in finding a research niche with the intent that they may be helpful to members of the audience.
