Jennifer Raff
Interview Posted By: Ashley Smith
1. Can you tell us a little about your background? i.e. Where you grew up, what education do you have, a summary of your resume, did you always want to do what you are doing now, when did you start to become interested in STEM, what internships/ volunteering
I grew up in the Midwest, moving from Missouri to Indiana just when I was entering high school. My mother was accepted to a PhD program in neuroscience, and so my sister and I spent a great deal of time hanging around laboratories and hearing about science. I think that definitely had an influence on me! When I was a senior in high school, I took AP Biology, and after the exam I asked a professor I knew in town if I could start working in his molecular biology laboratory. He agreed, and so I’ve been doing research since I was 18. I can’t imagine doing anything else! I couldn’t decide between molecular biology or archaeology, so I majored in both as an undergrad, and then learned that there was a field that essentially combined both subjects—anthropological genetics—and so I decided to get my doctorate in that field. At the time, this was a brand new field, and I thought it was important to understand the methods and approaches of both “parent” disciplines—genetics and anthropology—so I essentially majored in both again, getting a joint doctorate in both fields. This involved me doing coursework and exams as if I were getting two PhDs, but I wrote a single dissertation. (I don’t recommend taking this approach, it’s very difficult). After graduate school, I did postdoctoral research at a couple of institutions, learning valuable skills at each one. Just this past summer I was hired as a tenure-track professor. My specialty is the recovery and analysis of ancient DNA from human remains, although I also conduct research on the genetics of contemporary populations as well. I look at human genetic variation in the past and present in order to infer details about human evolution and population history.
2. What exactly IS your job? What do you do on a day to day basis?
I am an Assistant Professor of Physical Anthropology at the University of Kansas. This means I wear a lot of hats. Three days a week I teach a huge lecture course in physical anthropology, which covers everything from genetics to primatology, with an emphasis on human evolutionary history. I also meet with and advise graduate students on their research. And I conduct my own research too! I have a laboratory (which I’m still setting up, since it’s my first semester here) where I will be doing human genetics research, although these days a lot of my research involves computer work and programming as well. Writing, outreach, and social media are also big parts of my day-to-day work. Every once in a while, I get to go do fieldwork, which involves collecting saliva from people in order to analyze their DNA, or helping excavate burials from a cemetery in order to get ancient DNA from their remains.
3. How does STEM relate to your job?How do you use the information you learned from your degree in your job?
I’m a scientist, and so STEM is what my job’s about! I use nearly everything I’ve learned during the course of my doctorate and postdoctoral training. This ranges from laboratory techniques to coding, to giving presentations at scientific meetings.
4. Have you faced any discrimination/ challenges being a woman in a stem field? If so, how did you deal with it? Do you have any advice for up and coming women in STEM?
I haven’t encountered any really outrageous sexism in the course of my career directed at me, fortunately, but there are a dozen tiny things that happen so frequently that one stops noticing. And of course, systematic bias (in recruitment, in salaries, in language) exists, although it’s difficult to say exactly how it may have affected my career. I do have several friends who have been the targets of horrible sexism, and sexual harassment, and it’s really widespread. The best advice that I can give a young woman entering STEM, is to look for a supportive mentor (who understands these issues), and also build up a strong and sympathetic support group. In addition, as a community we need to identify problematic behavior and take steps to address it. It’s a huge task.
One of the biggest challenges, aside from overt sexism, is simple discouragement and imposter syndrome. Understand that if you’re feeling like you don’t belong, you’re not alone—we have ALL been there. You just have to keep going.
5. What is the best and worst part of your job? What do you look forward to in your job on a day to day basis? What do you wish you could change?
The best part of my job is how interesting it is—some days I wake up and can’t believe that I get paid for doing what I love so much. I walk into my office every morning (even Mondays!) with a big smile on my face. I love doing lab work and discovering things that nobody else does. Designing research involves both creativity and critical thinking, and so I’m never bored. The downside is that it is an insane amount of work. I typically get up at 5am to squeeze a workout in before I go to campus, and then I’m on campus until 6pm, take a short break for dinner, and then often continue working until bedtime. I always work through the weekend as well--there is never enough time in the day to get everything finished. You have to learn to be comfortable with knowing that there’s always more you “should” be doing…and learn how to manage your time well and prioritize tasks in order to be most productive.
6. How do you balance your work and personal life? Any secrets or advice you’d like to share?
I do my best to make sure that (unless I have a big deadline coming up), I always take one day a week (and at least a night or two) completely off from work to do other things like camping, kayaking, or just relaxing at home with my family. Regular exercise is important to me, so I make sure to do it first thing in the morning before any work starts piling up—otherwise it doesn’t get done. And I take my dog for a long walk every evening, which gives me time to listen to podcasts or spend time with family.
7. Who was a mentor to you throughout your career? (can be more than one!) What did they teach you? How did they impact your life?
One of the things which has really made me successful is my extraordinary good fortune in finding a series of incredible mentors, starting when I was a teenager, and continuing through the present. Each one has different strengths, and so I turn to different mentors for different issues. If I could give one piece of advice to a young STEM student, it would be: Find a mentor you look up to, and maintain that relationship throughout your whole career. You won’t believe the difference it makes!
I grew up in the Midwest, moving from Missouri to Indiana just when I was entering high school. My mother was accepted to a PhD program in neuroscience, and so my sister and I spent a great deal of time hanging around laboratories and hearing about science. I think that definitely had an influence on me! When I was a senior in high school, I took AP Biology, and after the exam I asked a professor I knew in town if I could start working in his molecular biology laboratory. He agreed, and so I’ve been doing research since I was 18. I can’t imagine doing anything else! I couldn’t decide between molecular biology or archaeology, so I majored in both as an undergrad, and then learned that there was a field that essentially combined both subjects—anthropological genetics—and so I decided to get my doctorate in that field. At the time, this was a brand new field, and I thought it was important to understand the methods and approaches of both “parent” disciplines—genetics and anthropology—so I essentially majored in both again, getting a joint doctorate in both fields. This involved me doing coursework and exams as if I were getting two PhDs, but I wrote a single dissertation. (I don’t recommend taking this approach, it’s very difficult). After graduate school, I did postdoctoral research at a couple of institutions, learning valuable skills at each one. Just this past summer I was hired as a tenure-track professor. My specialty is the recovery and analysis of ancient DNA from human remains, although I also conduct research on the genetics of contemporary populations as well. I look at human genetic variation in the past and present in order to infer details about human evolution and population history.
2. What exactly IS your job? What do you do on a day to day basis?
I am an Assistant Professor of Physical Anthropology at the University of Kansas. This means I wear a lot of hats. Three days a week I teach a huge lecture course in physical anthropology, which covers everything from genetics to primatology, with an emphasis on human evolutionary history. I also meet with and advise graduate students on their research. And I conduct my own research too! I have a laboratory (which I’m still setting up, since it’s my first semester here) where I will be doing human genetics research, although these days a lot of my research involves computer work and programming as well. Writing, outreach, and social media are also big parts of my day-to-day work. Every once in a while, I get to go do fieldwork, which involves collecting saliva from people in order to analyze their DNA, or helping excavate burials from a cemetery in order to get ancient DNA from their remains.
3. How does STEM relate to your job?How do you use the information you learned from your degree in your job?
I’m a scientist, and so STEM is what my job’s about! I use nearly everything I’ve learned during the course of my doctorate and postdoctoral training. This ranges from laboratory techniques to coding, to giving presentations at scientific meetings.
4. Have you faced any discrimination/ challenges being a woman in a stem field? If so, how did you deal with it? Do you have any advice for up and coming women in STEM?
I haven’t encountered any really outrageous sexism in the course of my career directed at me, fortunately, but there are a dozen tiny things that happen so frequently that one stops noticing. And of course, systematic bias (in recruitment, in salaries, in language) exists, although it’s difficult to say exactly how it may have affected my career. I do have several friends who have been the targets of horrible sexism, and sexual harassment, and it’s really widespread. The best advice that I can give a young woman entering STEM, is to look for a supportive mentor (who understands these issues), and also build up a strong and sympathetic support group. In addition, as a community we need to identify problematic behavior and take steps to address it. It’s a huge task.
One of the biggest challenges, aside from overt sexism, is simple discouragement and imposter syndrome. Understand that if you’re feeling like you don’t belong, you’re not alone—we have ALL been there. You just have to keep going.
5. What is the best and worst part of your job? What do you look forward to in your job on a day to day basis? What do you wish you could change?
The best part of my job is how interesting it is—some days I wake up and can’t believe that I get paid for doing what I love so much. I walk into my office every morning (even Mondays!) with a big smile on my face. I love doing lab work and discovering things that nobody else does. Designing research involves both creativity and critical thinking, and so I’m never bored. The downside is that it is an insane amount of work. I typically get up at 5am to squeeze a workout in before I go to campus, and then I’m on campus until 6pm, take a short break for dinner, and then often continue working until bedtime. I always work through the weekend as well--there is never enough time in the day to get everything finished. You have to learn to be comfortable with knowing that there’s always more you “should” be doing…and learn how to manage your time well and prioritize tasks in order to be most productive.
6. How do you balance your work and personal life? Any secrets or advice you’d like to share?
I do my best to make sure that (unless I have a big deadline coming up), I always take one day a week (and at least a night or two) completely off from work to do other things like camping, kayaking, or just relaxing at home with my family. Regular exercise is important to me, so I make sure to do it first thing in the morning before any work starts piling up—otherwise it doesn’t get done. And I take my dog for a long walk every evening, which gives me time to listen to podcasts or spend time with family.
7. Who was a mentor to you throughout your career? (can be more than one!) What did they teach you? How did they impact your life?
One of the things which has really made me successful is my extraordinary good fortune in finding a series of incredible mentors, starting when I was a teenager, and continuing through the present. Each one has different strengths, and so I turn to different mentors for different issues. If I could give one piece of advice to a young STEM student, it would be: Find a mentor you look up to, and maintain that relationship throughout your whole career. You won’t believe the difference it makes!