I describe my career journey from a young girl in Cameroon, West Africa, to a trailblazing geophysicist to my current role as dean. I chronicle my time as a student, the transition to being an early career faculty, launching my research career, and ultimately finding my way to administration. Along the way I helped pioneer biogeophysics as a subdiscipline in geophysics while simultaneously maintaining an international research program in continental rift tectonics. I also describe the many intersectionalities in my life including being the first Black woman in many spaces, being a champion for student success, developing a diverse talent pipeline by enhancing diversity in the geosciences, and navigating academic job searches as part of a dual-career couple. Finally, I acknowledge all those who helped shape my career including the many students I had the opportunity to mentor.▪ Many underrepresented minority geoscientists lack the social capital and professional networks critical for their success. ▪ Geoscience departments must be intentional and deliberate in promoting and ensuring more inclusive workplace environments. ▪ Dual-career couples remain a major challenge, impacting retention and recruitment of top talent; universities should provide resources to alleviate this challenge. ▪ Biogeophysics has untapped potential for advancing understanding of subsurface biogeochemical processes and the search for life in extreme environments. ▪ To date, considerable speculation remains regarding the fundamental geodynamic processes that initiate and sustain the evolution of magma-deficient rifts.

中文翻译：

---

艾丝黛拉·阿泰克瓦娜：自传笔记


我描述了我的职业生涯，从西非喀麦隆的一个年轻女孩，到一位开拓性的地球物理学家，再到目前担任院长的角色。我记录了我作为一名学生的时光，从成为一名早期职业教师的过渡，开始我的研究生涯，并最终找到了我的管理之路。一路走来，我帮助开拓了生物地球物理学作为地球物理学的一个分支学科，同时维持了大陆裂谷构造的国际研究项目。我还描述了我生活中的许多交叉点，包括成为许多领域的第一位黑人女性、成为学生成功的捍卫者、通过增强地球科学的多样性来发展多元化的人才管道，以及作为双职业的一部分进行学术求职夫妻。最后，我感谢所有帮助我塑造职业生涯的人，包括我有机会指导的许多学生。▪ 许多代表性不足的少数族裔地球科学家缺乏对他们的成功至关重要的社会资本和专业网络。 ▪ 地球科学部门必须有意识地、深思熟虑地促进和确保更具包容性的工作环境。 ▪ 双职工夫妇仍然是一个重大挑战，影响着顶尖人才的保留和招聘；大学应提供资源来缓解这一挑战。 ▪ 生物地球物理学在促进对地下生物地球化学过程的理解和在极端环境中寻找生命方面具有尚未开发的潜力。 ▪ 迄今为止，对于引发和维持缺乏岩浆的裂谷演化的基本地球动力学过程，仍然存在大量猜测。