Duke Graduate School

“Most grad students wouldn’t consider it lucky to join a lab with little direct funding to support their research, but the process of grant writing throughout my Ph.D. unlocked my passion for science writing, specifically for audiences outside of my field. Fast forward to present day: I have been working in science communications for almost seven years. I am an accomplished science writer who has been published in Scientific American and The Philadelphia Inquirer and have held various roles in communications and project management within the National Institutes of Health.”

“I’m a big believer in finding something that you’re interested in, doing it with some passion and with a high degree of quality, and then letting that be your step to whatever comes next.”

How did Heather Heenehan find a path at the intersection of teaching and sustainability following her Ph.D. in Marine Science and Conservation? By being a sponge! She shares her experience absorbing new skills on her way to becoming an upper-school faculty member and the Sustainability Coordinator at an independent preK-12 school in Westport, Connecticut.

"You really have time for two or three careers in your life. I worked in aerospace engineering, then I was a professor, and now I am in administration. It takes courage to reinvent yourself."

“While I liked research, I found the long days in the library very lonely. I liked the social component of talking about ideas with other people, and teaching felt like a natural fit for me in that way. I had gone to an independent school growing up, so I was familiar with that world. What is nice about independent schools is that they are much more willing to hire Ph.D.s even without a teaching license or a degree in education, though you have to prove to them that you are actually interested and not turning to high school teaching as a last resort.”