Many women in academia put off having children until they are fully tenured, but is this necessary? What are the pros and cons of having children at different stages of your academic career?

Maria Jensen is an Associate Professor in artic sedimentary geology and mom to three children (9, 7 and 5 years old). She shared her experience having three babies within the first few years of her faculty position and how she overcame many obstacles to succeed in her academic career.

"For me the challenges of having a family in academia have had little to do with the actual children and their needs, but everything to do with the system's expectation that an academic career should be a smooth progression from day one to the day you become a full professor.“ Maria Jensen

During this event, our guest Maria Jensen and our team member Melody Gavel discussed their experiences having children at two completely different career stages: during the first years of a faculty position and in grad school.