Name: Magdalena Sandoval Donahue (she/her)
PhD: Earth & Planetary Sciences, University of New Mexico, 2016
What was your main area of research?
I studied the evolution of the uplift and exhumation of the southern Rocky Mountains. This means I looked at long-wavelength (1000s of km) and long-term (10s of millions of years) changes to topography in the Rocky Mountains of New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming. I used a variety of methods from a range of sub-disciplines to look at the landscape change and build spatio-temporal models to quantify these changes; these included inputs from quantifying the cooling of rocks through the crust and their exhumation to the surface (geochronology), erosion and deposition of conglomeratic and sandstone units on the flanks of emerging mountains (sedimentology, different chronology techniques and volcanology), and convection of the mantle and aesthenosphere (geophysics) driving change. I also added a digital education and learning component as an additional 'chapter' of my dissertation that was self-driven and complimented but was not of my advisor's research; I built an augmented reality learning app that also supported field data collection and field trips.
What is your current job?
I am an Operations Research Analyst for the National Nuclear Security Administration (Dept. of Energy) in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. I am also a book author (“Roadside Geology of New Mexico” and “Colorado Rocks”).
My job entails data analytics, data visualization, and complex systems analysis.
I love that I get to integrate diverse types of data and build analytical tools to answer both specific and broad questions. Sometimes the available data is not the best type/quality/quantity I would ideally like to have; this means I must be creative in building the analytical tool(s) that can best answer questions with available data - it's a creative challenge. I also learn things every single day.
How did you find this position? What were the career steps you took to get to where you are now?
I was loosely familiar with the nuclear deterrence mission as I grew up in Los Alamos, New Mexico. I never thought I'd work in defense myself. Several of my grad school and high school friends work for various national labs. When a friend pointed out this position, I felt it was intriguing, and would be a good way to build skills and apply them in a new, bigger setting.
PhD graduate ➡️ Co-founded small data analytics/visualization business & Author ➡️ NNSA (Dept. of Energy)
Why did you decide to not pursue a career in academia?
The decision was very difficult. I actually didn't make the decision until I had to turn down a faculty position. At the time I was expecting our second child, and the offers were across the country from my current location and the state in which all of my and my husbands' family was located. We decided to stay close to family and start a business together. It was extremely difficult to feel that not pursuing an academic career was not a failure. We prioritized our marriage, family, and extended family and that stability over moving for an academic career. It took many years before the guilt over that fully faded.
What advice do you have for someone getting their PhD and looking to pursue a career outside of academia?
The biggest advice I could give would be to build and maintain diverse networks. It sounds easy, and I know it's not. But I would really look to see where you are interested, and where the topic of your research might be translated using different tools, technologies, or interests. Then, take time to deliberately look into those, and find people who have specific strengths in those other fields. When looking to move out of academia, it's helpful to always be looking for solutions, and it's often the most fun (and challenging) to find solution space when bridging disciplines. So don't just get stuck only talking to folks in your department!
For me, I was able to look at the assimilation of sparse and diverse geologic data and translate that to building software tools that blended diverse data into useful tools, like water monitoring systems, ecology and natural resource monitoring, etc. My partner in this was my husband, so it was an easy partnership to make. I also maintain partnerships with folks in economics, oil and gas, engineering, and statistics. Each of those people have good thoughts about what questions are being asked in their fields, what problems are arising. I like to look at those problems and try to abstract out specific topics and move into thinking about the data spaces that are available. Then, the real trick is to communicate those opportunities, and take action.
Other biggest advice: do something outside of school. Run, sports, hike, cook, sew, crochet, paint, do pottery, DND or video games, do something wholeheartedly and just for enjoyment, and do it in such a way that you sustain those 'fun' communities or activities throughout your studies.
Are there any components of your identity you would like to share, including how they have impacted your journey?
I have always been torn between the scientific and artistic. To this day, I think those different sides of me come together to build a better scientist who can communicate to various audiences. I also feel that leaning more into one side, and then the other helps prevent burnout, disillusionment, or bitterness with single-mindedness that I often see when folks get too deep and narrow.