How to ‘survive’ after graduating in science or engineering: Becoming an academic administrator

Abstract This is the eighth article in the series ‘Survival Skills for Scientists’; previous papers were published in the Journal of Materials Education . Here I describe my views, based partly on personal experience, about pursuing an alternative career path within academia: becoming an administrator (e.g., Department Chair, Dean, Vice‐President, President, etc.), either as a temporary detour , or as a permanent shift . After spending several years of employment in a faculty position, many academics feel the need to face new challenges. For those who enjoy contributing to service and who see themselves as effective leaders, becoming an administrator may be a good choice. Herein I refer specifically to administrators in academia, where the management structure is inherently bottom‐up, as opposed to administration in government laboratories and industry, where the organization is operated through a top‐down approach. I mostly share the main lessons learned through personal experience, during my own tenure as Director. Finally, I discuss the leadership traits that I believe to be necessary and sufficient to inspire faculty and staff in your unit to go ‘above and beyond’ towards collectively and effectively pursue common goals, fostering a sense of belonging and nurturing a welcoming, positive work environment. From a topic perspective, most Departments in modern Faculties of Science or Engineering are intrinsically multidisciplinary, which requires an ability to make connections between different areas to jointly address challenges and capitalize on opportunities. Without wanting to overly generalize, these views are likely to be suitable for administrator roles in such Departments.