Candidate Statement: Jessica Kirkpatrick

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Nominated Office: Councilor

Affiliation: Hired Inc.

Position/title: Data Scientist

PhD institution: University of California Berkeley (2012)

Areas of scientific interest:

  • dark matter
  • dark energy
  • large scale structure
  • data science

AAS positions: 

  • Committee on the Status of Women in Astronomy (2012-present)

Other relevant positions and experience:

  • Editor of the Women in Astronomy Blog
  • State of the Universe Meeting with Congress (2015) 
  • Organizing committee for establishing a AAS working group for people with disabilities
  • Member of the Editorial Board of Data4America
  • Founder and moderator of the Equity and Inclusion in Physics and Astronomy Facebook Community 
  • Founder and moderator of the Physicists and Astronomers Turned Data Scientists Facebook Community 
  • Contributor to Astrobetter blog
  • Contributor to Astronomy in Color blog
  • Organizer of Impostor Syndrome Special Session at AAS 225 meeting
  • Invited Speaker at the Astroinformatics and Astrostatistics Special Session at AAS 225 Meeting
  • Head Coordinator of the Society for Women in the Physical Sciences at UC Berkeley (2006-2009)

Candidate Statement: My first goal for being on the council is to broaden the perspective of the AAS to include astronomers who are currently working in industry. I believe this is an area where we as a community are missing an opportunity to engage many Astronomy PhDs who are no longer practicing "traditional" astronomy, but are still valuable assets to our community. I also believe we could serve students and early career astronomers better by being aware of the various career paths for astronomers and have better representation of people who have pursued these paths within AAS leadership.

My second goal for being on the council is to leverage my experience on the CSWA, the Women in Astronomy Blog, and the Equity & Inclusion in Physics and Astronomy Community to help the AAS better serve those who are currently underrepresented in astronomy and/or marginalized by society as a whole. I would like to better unify the AAS committees (CSMA, CSWA, and SGMA) to have a more intersectional approach to the AAS's equity and inclusion efforts. As a person with a disability, I would also like to help the AAS to better serve underrepresented groups who are not currently encompassed by the current committees.