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Wanted: Two Tenure-Track Jobs in Zoology

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By Gregory Pryor and Tamatha Barbeau

We find ourselves in a most unsettling situation. We are a married couple, we work in the same academic discipline (zoology), and we are seeking two faculty jobs at the same time and in the same place. Although we have different research and teaching specialties, we would like to work within the same department. As if this is not a steep-enough goal, there is an asynchrony in the completion of our degrees.

Our situation -- the dual academic career -- is increasingly commonplace, but knowing that fact doesn't exactly quell our anxiety. One of us has completed his Ph.D. and is eager to hit the academic job market, while the other is hurrying to finish her Ph.D. program to "catch up." For him, it is a matter of remaining productive and competitive after the starting gates have been opened. For her, it is a balancing act of completing her program as quickly as possible while maintaining the highest standards of scholarship.

This is not the first time we've faced such pressures: We met before graduate school when we were both working at a veterinary clinic in upstate New York, where our love for animals, and each other, blossomed. But when one of us (Greg) was accepted in the doctoral program in zoology at the University of Florida, the other had to decide whether to remain in New York or move to Florida, whether to stay in veterinary medicine or pursue a new career herself and seek a doctorate in zoology.

Two master's degrees and (almost) two Ph.D.'s later, we face another stressful year as we attempt to put closure on our graduate-school lives and venture into our professional lives. We can already tell that this endeavor does not lend itself to a placid household. As we wade through what will surely be a frustrating, but hopefully a rewarding, dual academic job search, we hope to add a unique firsthand account of how faculty couples are created.

His Perspective

You would think that finishing a Ph.D. would bring a great sense of relief. But for many of us newly minted "doctors," the challenges have just begun. There are manuscripts to write and submit for publication; jobs to search out and apply for; and postdocs or adjunct teaching appointments to secure as respectable (but temporary) sources of income and occupation.

I finished my Ph.D. in August at the University of Florida, in Gainesville. While many of my peers applied for (and landed) academic jobs while they were writing their dissertations, I decided to forgo the application process at that time. I dreaded the prospect of living apart from my wife and starting up my new career while she stayed behind to finish her degree. Instead, while I was writing my dissertation, I was making alternative postdoctoral arrangements. This fall, I will be working at the University of Florida as an adjunct assistant professor as well as conducting research with my graduate adviser.

The adjunct job has its pros and cons. It bolsters my CV with valuable teaching experience, it allows me to stay in the same town as my wife while she finishes her degree, and it helps pay the bills. But it does not provide health insurance or benefits, it pays poorly, compared with what I would be making as a tenure-track faculty member, and it is only a one-year contract. I am well aware that if I continue to work as an adjunct faculty member for too long, I may lose my competitive edge. But how long is too long? How can I stay sharp, in terms of research and publications, if I devote so much of my time to teaching?

The answers to these questions seem straightforward enough: Work one year as an adjunct professor, complete a modest (but not too modest!) research project, and get as many manuscripts out for publication as I can. Strike while the iron is hot, and apply during this year for academic positions that will begin next fall.

But can my wife finish within the year? Should we apply together or separately? Will we be able to negotiate for two positions in the same department at the same college?

Her Perspective

I have become a juggler -- academically speaking. The tasks I juggle include completing my doctoral research, writing my dissertation, submitting manuscripts for publication, teaching half-time, supervising undergraduate research assistants, and applying for jobs.

Each of these tasks requires my full attention, but the juggling of all tasks simultaneously often seems overwhelming. So many tasks are thrown at me from different directions that the circle of items in motion becomes a complicated blur; at any moment I expect them to crash down all around me.

My husband is waiting on me. While he eagerly anticipates the job search, I am more anxious about the process. With fast-approaching deadlines always on my mind, I worry about many things. What happens to us if there is an unexpected delay in my program? Am I holding him back? Will I be competitive in the job search as an A.B.D.? How will I manage to get out my publications in time to strengthen my CV? How can I handle all of this juggling? These are the questions that I stave off during the day, and that keep me awake at night.

Our Perspective

It may be naive to be optimistic at this point, but we have witnessed several variations of the "faculty couple success story" to date: In one case, a married couple initially shared one job that branched into two; in another case, a trailing spouse was offered a tenure-track position after a trial period of performance and evaluation; and in yet another case, a trailing spouse secured a faculty position in another department at the same college.

Our goal is to land two tenure-track jobs at a small liberal-arts college where we can pursue our separate research and teaching interests, although we are willing to compromise. Likewise, we would prefer to work in the Southeast, but are willing to consider other locales. Because we have no plans for children in the near future, we both can apply all of our time and energy to our work, without guilt. With a bit of luck and a lot of work, we hope to begin our dual academic careers by this time next year.

Not so long ago, we were fortunate enough to get accepted into our graduate programs at the same department at the same university, at roughly the same time (she entered one year after he did). Is it too much to hope that history will repeat itself?