Chapter 9: Take that Detour: Unexpected Influences on a Research Career

How do research careers take the shape they do? The answer differs for each individual researcher and, because colleagues asked me to trace the arc of my own career, this piece addresses the reasons for the paths I took, emphasizing how others influenced the choices I made about what to research. Those who are just beginning or contemplating an academic career may find it useful in some way; perhaps my 20/20 hindsight will reveal pitfalls to avoid or ways to more deliberately encourage circumstances that, for me, were sometimes simply lucky breaks. In any event, please forgive the self-indulgence talking about one’s own career (even if asked by colleagues to do so) inevitably involves.