Pooja Booluck-Miller, PhD student of French Studies at UBC, shares about her new position as Assistant Professor of French Literature at the University of New Brunswick. She offers valuable advice for others wishing to start a career in academia.
“UBC has always felt like family to me and the support I received during the job search can attest to that.”
About the role
I will be an Assistant Professor of French Literature at the University of New Brunswick (UNB), where I will be teaching undergraduate students intermediate to advanced French language and literature courses. I will also continue my research in African and Caribbean literatures and pursue my new research pipeline in children’s literatures. In terms of service, I will be collaborating with other professors to organize (literary) events for the department and hopefully joining ARCF de Saint Jean, a non-profit organization striving to develop the francophone community in Saint John.
There are so many aspects of this job that I am excited about! I am looking forward to engaging in literary discussions with not only my colleagues, but also with students who will take my African and Caribbean course in the fall. Reading the books from their perspective will be insightful. On a more personal note, I am looking forward to the move with my husband. Saint John is a small but sweet city, where we will enjoy its beautiful outdoor scenery.
I could not have landed this job without my mentors at UBC. They were always ready to help me in each step of the way. UBC has always felt like family to me and the support I received during the job search can attest to that.
Advice for starting a career in academia
“One concrete piece of advice I can give is to contribute to your field. Whether in the form of peer-reviewed articles or presentations, it is very important to show that you are actively engaging with the literary community.”
I attended a job talk last December and the advice was to send out as many applications as possible. I submitted around 20 applications to universities in Canada and the US. When UNB reached out to me, I was asked to prepare a research talk, a teaching demonstration, and an interview. Shortly after, I was selected to attend a campus visit where I got to meet my future colleagues, the dean, and the vice president. I immediately fell in love with the city, the campus, and the people I will get to work with.
Be patient and believe in yourself! We all have a unique feature to bring to the job market. Make sure you showcase it during interviews and be proud of it!
