A Career in Statistics: Beyond the Numbers

CHAPTER 13

CAREERS IN ACADEMIA1

13.1 ABOUT THIS CHAPTER

Throughout this volume, we have made occasional reference to a career in statistics in academia. We feel that this subject is sufficiently important—and certainly sufficiently different from most careers of nonacademic statisticians—to warrant an entire (and lengthy) chapter of its own. A career in academia may be selected by a statistician upon graduation. Or, as we have noted in Section 12.3.1, it may be chosen after a stint in a nonacademic setting.

In this chapter, we consider how subjects similar to those discussed in earlier chapters apply to academia:

• What statisticians in academia do.
• Types of positions.
• Location within the institution.
• More on tenure.
• Life beyond tenure.
• Teaching challenges.
• Research challenges.
• Consulting challenges.
• Administrative service challenges.
• Professional service challenges.
• More on the academic environment.
• Training to become an academic statistician.
• Career paths.
• Downsides of a career as an academic statistician.
• Bright sides of a career as an academic statistician.
• A career as a statistician in academia: a summary comparison.

Our discussion is heavily centered on practices in the United States; these may be somewhat different in other countries.

We provide more detail in this chapter than in most others. We hope this will be useful to those who have decided on a career in academia. Readers who wish a comprehensive summary of how life in academia compares with that in business and industry ...