The mid-PhD pivot: An interview with Karen Bailey

A mid-career pivot is terrifying enough, but what if you decided on a new interest midway through your PhD’s field research? That’s part of Karen Bailey’s story, who is today’s guest on The Ampersand. Bailey, who is an assistant professor of environmental studies at the University of Colorado Boulder, discusses her training as an ecologist that took her to Africa, the effect of seeing parallels between one of the largest droughts in southern African history and her own community's struggle with food insecurity, and her subsequent research on equity and environmental systems. Along the way, we also discuss her love of podcasts, literature, fantasy movies and so much more.

Check out Bailey’s podcast the Creature Connection.

More on Bailey’s research.

 

Music by Nelson Walker.

Written and produced by Erika Randall and Tim Grassley.

Episodes recorded at Interplay Recording in Boulder, CO.