An interview with Jess Millar

Name: Jess Millar

Current Job: PhD Candidate

Scientific Discipline/Field: Bioinformatics, Statistics, Microbiology

Country: United States

Pick some letters (L,G,B,T,Q,+, etc.): L,T,Q

Website: http://jessmillar.com

Twitter or other social media handle: @jmillar_microbe

What does your job involve?

I work on putting together mathematical models to understand infectious disease dynamics within hospitals. Are those diseases coming in more from the community, or is the hospital a source? We also look at how these diseases evolve resistance over time in response to antibiotic use.

How did you get to this job (education etc.)?

I was in school for 13 years before I was able to land my current position. As a first generation college student, this whole process has been like wandering in the dark without a map. Though guidance of various mentors I sought out, and programs like McNair Scholar and other TRiO services, I slowly learned what path I would need to take. But it did have many unexpected twists and turns.

Do you feel being LGBT has affected your career decisions?

It has made me more careful about what I say to my colleagues, at least in the past, but not so much now. I went into this area of work willing to keep quite if that was needed for me to persist in these spaces. I was a survival tactic from my youth, for better or worse.

Have you had any reactions from colleagues about being LGBT, either good or bad?

In the past, I have mostly been in STEM spaces where to talk about LGBT related things was not encouraged. It was like we were bring baggage into work and suddenly we were not objective scientists. However, now I’m at a place that seems to embrace diversity within the department and through groups like oSTEM. I don’t have to spend time hiding who I am, but it’s taking me awhile to really believe I have that freedom.

Did you have any role models growing up (LGBT, STEM, totally unrelated.)?

While in undergrad, I greatly looked up to grad students Amanda Kelley, now a professor at UAF, and Rebecca Casanova. They were both strong, independent people that exuded confidence. I wanted to mirror that confidence so much. Rebecca especially pushed me to go father in my math/stats training, leading me down the path to do a masters in statistics and finally obtain the confidence I needed to go into mathematical modelling.

What are your plans for the future?

After my PhD I would really love to do a post doc with the CDC and work of infectious disease surveillance.