Hannah is a Jill Hruby Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellow at Sandia National Labs. She is a three time graduate of Texas A&M (BS in 2018, MS in 2020, PhD in 2023). Her academic research focused on multiphysical modeling of fluid-structure-material loss interactions under the guidance of Dr. Hartl.
AEGSA: How would you briefly describe your professional background?
Hannah: My background as an aerospace engineer is relatively broad. My early research positions were experimental, but I eventually transitioned to a more computational role. My academic research was largely structures-based, but my new position is much more fluids focused. I really enjoy having a versatile skill set, but mainly what I’ve learned through having a diverse background is how to learn. Graduate school especially gave me confidence that I can learn really difficult skills by thinking critically and taking an engineering approach to learning in general.
AEGSA: During your time at A&M, what accomplishments are you most proud of in terms of your professional contributions or impact on research?
Hannah: I’m really proud of the work I did in education and outreach. Don’t get me wrong, I’m proud of my structures research and my creative problem solving in that area. But to me, there was an added sense of accomplishment in balancing my research with this other work I am passionate about. The most rewarding part– and why I’m the most proud of it– is the cascading effect education work has. I taught a class on STEM outreach activity design which had an experiential component; not only was it rewarding to see my students getting excited about communicating aerospace topics effectively, but the additional cascade of K-12 students getting excited about what they were learning from my students was so amazing to witness. The experience provided such perspective and instilled in me that through teaching (with empathy and enthusiasm), I can be a positive force for a network of people.
AEGSA: Can you describe your postdoctoral fellowship and discuss the application process?
Hannah: I am a Jill Hruby Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellow at Sandia National Labs. This fellowship is awarded to two women per year based on proposed research; while the Hruby fellowship focuses on supporting women researchers, other postdoctoral fellowships with similar application processes (like the Truman and Maxwell at Sandia or the Oppenheimer at LANL) are mixed gender. The application process includes a preliminary proposal (~3 pages), an invited full proposal (10 pages), and an interview. I found this structure to be advantageous because each phase allowed for different focuses: the preliminary proposal is for solidifying a good general idea, the full proposal describes your plan to execute, and the interview advertises how you are the one to do the job you’ve proposed. Anyone can apply, affiliated with the lab or not (a mentor will be assigned to you), but it is definitely easier to be in communication with a mentor in advance. I connected with my mentor (and developed the need statement for my proposal) through an internship, but there are many alternatives. Even cold emailing is a decent option, though this is a case where the Aggie network is really helpful. So many Aggies (and AERO Ags especially) are all across the labs. Reach out to anyone on the recruiting team and they will likely be able to connect you with someone in the area you’re interested in.
Preliminary proposals are typically due in October so keep an eye out! For reference, I decided to apply around August, had a few discussions with my Sandia mentor to refine an idea between August and September, and then spent 2-3 weeks writing and getting feedback.
AEGSA: Can you share some highlights of your current role and responsibilities at Sandia National Labs? What is something that you are most excited about in your work?
Hannah: I love that I was able to choose exactly what I work on. Every part of this project was proposed by me, and I am so excited to execute. National labs have a structure where your time must be covered by individual projects (typical postdocs have 2-3); postdoc fellowships mean that 100% of your time is covered by your own project. So I’m only responsible for tasks related to my proposed work. The part I’m most excited about is the opportunity to do something very challenging. I have so much learning to do.
AEGSA: Where do you see yourself in five years?
Hannah: My postdoc term is three years, so it’s a little soon to tell. I’d like to see how this goes for a bit before making any firm predictions. But I do hope to be in the position of deciding what I work on; with any luck I’ll have a team to direct next time!
AEGSA: What advice would you give to current graduate students preparing for a career at Sandia or other national labs? What are the other fellowship programs you considered?
Hannah: I actually intended to apply to this as a practice; I thought it would benefit me to go through the process while I had enough time to still go through the process a second time a year later. So truthfully I didn’t consider other programs. The biggest thing you can do to prepare is to focus on building your network. Being proactive, social, and communicative are skills that are so hard for people in our line of work because the nature of what we do is so focused. Taking the time to excel at these skills will set you apart (and help you nail the interview portion). Also, take time to express gratitude for all the opportunities you’ve had, even if they did not immediately present as positive. Some of the most impactful portions of my interview were how I presented skills I learned as a result of adversity.
AEGSA: Can you describe a typical day in your current role, emphasizing the aspects that may differ from an academic setting?
Hannah: My work day is actually pretty similar to my academic life (in a good way!). The biggest differences are I have to leave my phone and watch in my car, and my day ends after 9 hours.
AEGSA: What are those one/two aspects that significantly changed from during your graduate student times? How do you keep in touch with your grad friends?
Hannah: I am so fortunate to live close to some of my grad friends. Plus, it’s wedding season, so I get to see many of my friends in person as well. Many things have significantly changed though– for one, I have money. I think the biggest thing that’s changed though is that I have high expectations placed on me without the cover of an advisor. My output is my responsibility. A positive of that is that I am assumed to be capable at the outset.
AEGSA: How do you enjoy your free time? And what is your favorite destination?
Hannah: I picked up so many hobbies the moment I settled in. I started relearning piano, I joined a jazz workshop as a flutist, I joined a choir, I started ballet classes, I joined a spin studio, I started running again, I’m weightlifting, I’m reading a book I enjoy, I’ve been cross country skiing, I’ve been training my dog to be a therapy dog for volunteer work. I also live in the foothill region of Albuquerque, so I can hike and trail run whenever. It’s been really great. My favorite destination I’ve been is Westendorff, Austria– it’s absolutely gorgeous (like straight out of Sound of Music) and has some wonderful hikes. But my favorite place to go is still home :)
AEGSA: What hobby of yours has helped the most with your career, either directly or indirectly? How do you deal with setbacks?
Hannah: This isn’t the answer that anyone wants to hear, but running/triathlons combined with walking helped the most with my career to this point. I don’t run with music, so running is a time to clear my head of anything else other than how my body feels. That combined with walking, when I am thinking a lot, has been really helpful in sorting technical things out. I walk with my dog a lot and will tell him the problem I’m facing, and a lot of times that helps. So the total reset combined with talking out a problem is a “hobby” I find useful.
AEGSA: Considering all the people you've met in your field, what personal attributes are essential for success?
Hannah: Intentional networking, and especially intentional mentorship. Social connections are so important. In our field, social skills are definitely considered secondary, even though that’s not the case. I interface a lot with individuals who view technical skills as markedly more important, and therefore they don’t foster their networks. Then when proposal season comes, they complain that their presentations are not reviewed as positively as those who networked their ideas. The successful people I work with have broad and diverse networks and also make a concerted effort to bring others up with them via mentorship.
AEGSA: How did your experience at Texas A&M differ between your undergraduate, Masters, and PhD studies?
Hannah: I feel that my experiences at Texas A&M grew with me. As an undergrad, the TAMU culture was very much about fostering family units in support of university ideals (through fish camp, LLCs, and student orgs), which is really what I needed at the time. It afforded me the opportunity to grow as a person and discover who I was outside of the environment I grew up in. As a master’s student, I was given a nice mixture of freedom and structure. The environment was very different from undergrad, which allowed me to focus on who I wanted to be as a researcher. One of my fears going into grad school was that I wouldn’t know what to work on that would “count”. Going in, my advisor reassured me that his job was to figure that part out. So my masters, while I did pick my topic, became a time for me to explore with a safety net. Once I defended, I had the essentially existential experience that I can stick up for my own ideas because I’ve put in enough work to speak competently and confidently on a topic. That realization really propelled my PhD, which became more of an exploration in communication. Once you can validate yourself that your ideas are good, the only thing standing between you and funding is effective communication (and project alignment for more specific funding calls).
AEGSA: How was training and completing a triathlon during your PhD?
Hannah: Wow what a question. You’re gonna make me sound crazy. I think both my work and my training fueled off each other during that time. I had to become really efficient about scheduling and very disciplined about bedtime. But honestly I really enjoyed having a physical task to boost my confidence each day. My goal was not to break any records– I just wanted to finish, so my daily goals were to be better than the day before. Achievable was good for the confidence.
AEGSA: What do you wish you knew when starting your graduate studies?
Hannah: I wish I knew that advancing science doesn’t require you to be the next Newton. All contributions to the literature are important, even (and especially) if they don’t shift a paradigm. Getting a PhD is about exploring, not necessarily about changing the fundamentals of a field.
Dr. Hannah Stroud in conversation with AEGSA
Dear alumni reader, We would love to feature you. Please nominate yourself or other alumni and tell us how to reach out. - AEGSA
Commenti