Maria Klawe
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 mostly grew up in Canada but spent eight years in Edinburgh, Scotland, from age 4 – 12. I was the second daughter out of four and grew up as my father’s son since I was primarily interested in boy things. Both my parents were supportive of all my interests: math, science, painting, music, reading, etc. and thought I could succeed at anything. I think their confidence in me has been a big help in my career. I did my B.Sc. and Ph.D. in math at the University of Alberta and expected to be a math professor for my career. Because job opportunities for math profs were very limited when I finished my Ph.D. (1977), and I could do the kind of math I loved in computer science, I went back to graduate school in CS in 1978 and have spent my career doing research and teaching at the interface of math and CS. I gradually moved into leadership roles, first at IBM Research and then in academia because I realized there were cultural changes I wanted to see happen (mostly about making it easier for women to succeed in STEM careers) and being a leader would make it easier for me to have impact. As an academic leader I have held roles at the University of British Columbia (CS department head, Vice President of Student and Academic Services, Dean of Science), Princeton University (Dean of Engineering) and Harvey Mudd College (President). I have also held leadership roles in many professional organizations in math and computer science, and service on two corporate boards (Microsoft and Broadcom).
2. What exactly IS your job? What do you do on a day to day basis?
As president of Harvey Mudd College I am responsible for everything that happens, though much of the actual leadership is done by the six vice presidents who report to me. We work together as a team, meeting weekly, and making all important decisions as a group. In addition to working with the vice presidents, I spend about half my time traveling to give talks at conferences, universities, companies and schools, and meeting with alumni and donors. When I am on campus, my day is filled with meetings with students, faculty and staff. I love my job because I’m still able to interact with students on a regular basis which is not something that most presidents get to do.
3. How does STEM relate to your job?How do you use the information you learned from your degree in your job?
In my teaching and research career, I have used the information from my degrees in order to teach and in order to create new results in mathematics and computer science. In addition to solving many open problems in math and CS, I have worked on designing educational games for math and CS education, on technologies to help people with cognitive deficits such as aphasia (loss of language due to brain trauma or stroke), and understanding gender differences in how children interact with computers.
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 have been the first female to hold my position for the last 26 years, and I have often encountered people who initially doubt my technical and leadership abilities because I am female. I tend to be quite outspoken about my opinions and this worked fairly well during the first half of my career. As I took on more senior roles, I needed to develop a broader range of styles of response in order to be successful. I work with an executive coach for about six months in my second year as president at Mudd because my style was so different from the former president that it made some faculty uncomfortable. My advice for up and coming women in STEM is to build a network of peers with whom you can discuss these issues, and surround yourself with people who will encourage you.
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 is working with students and having a chance to influence their lives in supportive ways. I also love how committed our entire community is to inclusion and diversity, and how hard we are all trying to create a truly inclusive learning environment. The worst part is dealing with tragedies like losing a student in a car accident or having a board member die from cancer. I wish I didn’t have to travel so much because I miss being home with my husband and our two cats, and just being on campus with our community.
6. How do you balance your work and personal life? Any secrets or advice you’d like to share?
I make sure I have time to exercise most days, and chunks of downtime during the year to recover from my crazy work schedule. For my downtime I either ski (Sun Valley is my favorite place) or spend time on Pender Island in British Columbia. Our children are grown up (33 and 30 years old) but when they were young we did pretty much nothing other than enjoy being with them and work. My husband is also a (very accomplished) mathematician and computer scientist, and we both wanted to have a family. We knew that if we focused just on family and work for a decade or so, there would be lots of time for other stuff later.
7. What do you define success as?
The thing my husband and I are most proud of is raising two wonderful human beings. We are also proud and grateful for the opportunity to contribute to STEM research and education. And of course we are thrilled about the progress being made for women and people of color in STEM careers, though we would love to see it happen faster.
8. What is one personality trait that you think is universally important for a successful career?
Persistence and hard work.
9. 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?
I’ve had many: my parents, my husband and children, professors, friends, colleagues. Right now, I get tons of great advice from the chair and vice-chair of the Mudd board. In all cases, the most important thing is being able to share concerns and listen to their feedback.
10. What do you think is the best advice you've ever received ? What advice would you give your younger self if you had the chance? What’s one piece of advice you can pass on to us?
Life is long and there are many opportunities along the way. You don’t need to worry about making the optimal choice at each point. You just need to keep doors open.
I mostly grew up in Canada but spent eight years in Edinburgh, Scotland, from age 4 – 12. I was the second daughter out of four and grew up as my father’s son since I was primarily interested in boy things. Both my parents were supportive of all my interests: math, science, painting, music, reading, etc. and thought I could succeed at anything. I think their confidence in me has been a big help in my career. I did my B.Sc. and Ph.D. in math at the University of Alberta and expected to be a math professor for my career. Because job opportunities for math profs were very limited when I finished my Ph.D. (1977), and I could do the kind of math I loved in computer science, I went back to graduate school in CS in 1978 and have spent my career doing research and teaching at the interface of math and CS. I gradually moved into leadership roles, first at IBM Research and then in academia because I realized there were cultural changes I wanted to see happen (mostly about making it easier for women to succeed in STEM careers) and being a leader would make it easier for me to have impact. As an academic leader I have held roles at the University of British Columbia (CS department head, Vice President of Student and Academic Services, Dean of Science), Princeton University (Dean of Engineering) and Harvey Mudd College (President). I have also held leadership roles in many professional organizations in math and computer science, and service on two corporate boards (Microsoft and Broadcom).
2. What exactly IS your job? What do you do on a day to day basis?
As president of Harvey Mudd College I am responsible for everything that happens, though much of the actual leadership is done by the six vice presidents who report to me. We work together as a team, meeting weekly, and making all important decisions as a group. In addition to working with the vice presidents, I spend about half my time traveling to give talks at conferences, universities, companies and schools, and meeting with alumni and donors. When I am on campus, my day is filled with meetings with students, faculty and staff. I love my job because I’m still able to interact with students on a regular basis which is not something that most presidents get to do.
3. How does STEM relate to your job?How do you use the information you learned from your degree in your job?
In my teaching and research career, I have used the information from my degrees in order to teach and in order to create new results in mathematics and computer science. In addition to solving many open problems in math and CS, I have worked on designing educational games for math and CS education, on technologies to help people with cognitive deficits such as aphasia (loss of language due to brain trauma or stroke), and understanding gender differences in how children interact with computers.
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 have been the first female to hold my position for the last 26 years, and I have often encountered people who initially doubt my technical and leadership abilities because I am female. I tend to be quite outspoken about my opinions and this worked fairly well during the first half of my career. As I took on more senior roles, I needed to develop a broader range of styles of response in order to be successful. I work with an executive coach for about six months in my second year as president at Mudd because my style was so different from the former president that it made some faculty uncomfortable. My advice for up and coming women in STEM is to build a network of peers with whom you can discuss these issues, and surround yourself with people who will encourage you.
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 is working with students and having a chance to influence their lives in supportive ways. I also love how committed our entire community is to inclusion and diversity, and how hard we are all trying to create a truly inclusive learning environment. The worst part is dealing with tragedies like losing a student in a car accident or having a board member die from cancer. I wish I didn’t have to travel so much because I miss being home with my husband and our two cats, and just being on campus with our community.
6. How do you balance your work and personal life? Any secrets or advice you’d like to share?
I make sure I have time to exercise most days, and chunks of downtime during the year to recover from my crazy work schedule. For my downtime I either ski (Sun Valley is my favorite place) or spend time on Pender Island in British Columbia. Our children are grown up (33 and 30 years old) but when they were young we did pretty much nothing other than enjoy being with them and work. My husband is also a (very accomplished) mathematician and computer scientist, and we both wanted to have a family. We knew that if we focused just on family and work for a decade or so, there would be lots of time for other stuff later.
7. What do you define success as?
The thing my husband and I are most proud of is raising two wonderful human beings. We are also proud and grateful for the opportunity to contribute to STEM research and education. And of course we are thrilled about the progress being made for women and people of color in STEM careers, though we would love to see it happen faster.
8. What is one personality trait that you think is universally important for a successful career?
Persistence and hard work.
9. 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?
I’ve had many: my parents, my husband and children, professors, friends, colleagues. Right now, I get tons of great advice from the chair and vice-chair of the Mudd board. In all cases, the most important thing is being able to share concerns and listen to their feedback.
10. What do you think is the best advice you've ever received ? What advice would you give your younger self if you had the chance? What’s one piece of advice you can pass on to us?
Life is long and there are many opportunities along the way. You don’t need to worry about making the optimal choice at each point. You just need to keep doors open.
