Bio Career Center

As a graduate student generally, and specifically as a Postdoc, I was very discouraged by the industrial and academic opportunities available. Industry seemed solely money driven, and academics appeared too political and often with little reward for the long hours required. I became interested in military service in my third year in graduate school, but I was under the impression I was too old and that the military didn’t have a focus on science. I was dead wrong on both counts.

Today, I am chief of small-molecule synthesis in the Division of Experimental Therapeutics at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. I am responsible for all synthetic support for early discovery projects (two projects), intermediate projects (one project) and pre-discovery projects (one project). I direct the efforts of enlisted soldiers and other scientists, both military and civilian. I write proposals with other Principle Investigators (civilian and military) to secure most of my funding. We are encouraged to publish regularly and attend and present at national scientific conferences. In terms of scientific fulfillment, I could not be more content. Army science is, first and foremost, relevant and geared toward the needs of the warfighter – it is not about making money. The biggest frustration is that the needs many times outweigh the resources, and tough decisions have to be made. But often I have a voice in those tough decisions. As a scientist and an officer, I am constantly given the opportunity to do and learn more than I ever thought possible in one job.

Although I am a scientist in the Army, I am a soldier first. Many times this is where I get the most fulfillment and enjoyment. Our science may be different, but we all share soldier duties such as daily physical training, weapons qualifying, Common Task Training (common tasks that all soldiers are required to know), and the Captains Career Course, which trains us to lead company-sized organizations and serve in Army staff positions. Many of us also serve as PROFIS (Professional Filler System) officers where we have the opportunity to train and deploy with field medical units in time of war. These might seem like simple tasks but, when you do them day-in and day-out in every imaginable type of weather with your fellow officers, you form a strong bond, and you come to understand that you accomplish so much more as a team.

Today, I am in the best shape I have ever been in, and I am happier than I can ever remember. I have completed the Army 10-miler and will compete in the Cherry Blossom 10 miler in April. I thoroughly enjoy my job and the people I work with. I feel a distinct purpose about what I am doing as a scientist and as a soldier and would whole-heartedly recommend an Army science career to anyone.

Name: Tiffany N. Heady
Rank: Captain
Years of service: 2 years
Prior service: none
Doctorate: Ph.D. Chemistry – University of Virginia , Advisor, Dr. Timothy Macdonald
Post doctoral experience – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Advisor, Michael T. Crimmins