Marcello Graziano

Education: Ph.D. in Geography (University of Connecticut), M.Sc. in International Economics (University of Turin), B.Sc. in Foreign Trade and Economics (University of Turin)

What attracted you to a career in education?
The opportunity to combine independent research with teaching was the main reason behind my choice to pursue an academic career. Working within a university allows me to continue researching on my favorite topics, while interacting with students and policymakers, and contributing to the welfare of my communities.

How has your education/background in geography prepared you for this position?
I had quite an eclectic training, changing three departments throughout my doctorate. My geography background has helped me to think and to operate across disciplines, integrating space and time, and always considering the role of space and place in understanding the relationship between local and global dynamics.

What geographic skills and information do you use most often in your work? What general skills and information do you use most often in your work?
Spatiality and Place/Regionality are broad, geography-specific concepts I use in my work. These become ‘applied’ when dealing with space-dependent analyses in econometrics, or economic analysis looking at regional development.

As an economic geographer (broadly speaking), I utilize mainly my economic and policy analysis skills during my work, particularly those associated to sustainability and energy uses. Additionally, I have to thank my humanistic background for giving me the ability to read and to analyze quickly massive amounts of information.

Are there any skills or information you need for your work that you did not obtain through your academic training? If so, how/where did you obtain them?
I had quite a comprehensive training, but I benefited from my additional work as Research Assistant in the School of Business, where I mainly learned how to link research results to policies and investment decisions.

Do you participate in hiring, screening, or training of new employees? If so, what qualities and/or skills do you look for?
I had the opportunity to sit on a panel for hiring a postdoctoral fellow. In terms of qualities/skills, I look for a strong background in the discipline, which endow the applicant to work easily across focuses/disciplines, along with integrity and enthusiasm for the research. An additional deal-breaker is honesty: candidates trying to forge a competence are the first to be discarded. I prefer someone who does not know and is ready to learn, than someone trying to please.

What do you find most interesting/challenging/inspiring about your work?
Interesting? The opportunity to support real-world policies and decision-making, working with stakeholders from several different backgrounds.

Challenging? The way academia is funded, both for research and for personnel. Shrinking research budgets in Western Counties, along with an overuse of temporary posts make it difficult to pursue long-term, game-changing research.

Inspiring? Working alongside some of the most dedicated, prepared, and professional folks I have met both in academia and in the private sector. Also, the opportunity to see students grow and build their path through life.

What advice would you give to someone interested in a job like yours?
Be tough, be professional, and don’t lose sight of your own happiness. Think of yourself as a Society’s MD: you need the same passion and integrity as a surgeon needs when on the operating table. Also, be flexible in terms of ‘where’ you look for positions: departments are increasingly interdisciplinary, and positions can be found globally in places and institutions that will support you.

What is the occupational outlook for career opportunities in your field/organization, esp. for geographers?
Good. The ability geographers have to work through multiple perspectives make them quite desirable, whether in positions related to environmental sciences/management, GIS applications, or economics. Furthermore, the increasing ease of access to spatial technologies makes economic geographers particularly well-suited both to fill academic and private-sector positions.