Down memory lane - the move to IISER Pune

Last week, as I was waiting to meet the institute doctor regarding a medical exam, I met a colleague at the reception.  He asked me how I felt after moving from one IISER to another.

Warning: this is going to be a long post!  Read at your own risk.

This took me down memory lane and I remembered my first visit to IISER Pune.  I then realized that I was here this time last year.  I had come to attend the Pan Asian Number Theory Conference/Workshop on Bloch-Kato conjectures in July, 2012.  Apart from attending lectures by experts in this field, I thought it would be a good opportunity to meet and interact with number theorists at IISER Pune.  Moreover, I was really curious to know how another IISER was doing.
Until then, I had not been to any IISER other than IISERK.

I was under the impression that the conference would be in the Sai Trinity building, the temporary campus in the city and that the permanent campus would be somewhere far away.  However, the conference was being held at the permanent campus, situated at a central location on the Homi Bhabha Road in Pashan, Pune, surrounded by other research institutes like NCL, IITM and DRDO.  It was very close to the temporary campus.

On the first morning, as we entered the permanent campus, we noticed huge announcements at the entry gate about the conference.  As the car stopped in front of the conference venue (a building by the name of HR4 as I was to learn later), my heart skipped a beat.  The campus looked really impressive.  I had not expected that the construction of such a huge building (housing conference facilities and the future guest house) would be complete at a (twin) sister institute.

Prof. Raghuram, the Mathematics co-ordinator, who had recently moved to IISER from Oklahoma, welcomed us and took us to the conference room.  On entering and registering, we all got an umbrella designed with the logo of the institute and a special value of the Riemann zeta function.  We met Prof. Shashidhara, the Dean of Faculty and Research, who inaugurated the programme and gave a small welcome speech, followed by another one by Raghuram.  Both of them talked enthusiastically about how their Mathematics group was growing, the number of faculty along with the research areas represented  and the newly launched Maths PhD programme.  Shashi said two things which I still remember.  Firstly, he mentioned the very high faculty-student ratio in the Maths PhD programme.  To me, this meant that the administration there was aware that very few faculty members were working hard to build up a strong PhD programme and was appreciative of their efforts.  Secondly, he mentioned that just as experimental scientists need good experimental facilities to grow, Mathematicians need more interaction with others through conferences, workshops etc. To me, this meant that this was something which the administration here supported generously [1].  In short, he said exactly those things that I was desperately waiting for IISERK administration to recognize regarding my former department.

After the first half of the conference was over, I took a small walk around their campus during lunch time.  I came to know that the new hostel was ready, the lecture hall complex was well underway (it is now functional) and the construction of faculty housing had already started.  As I walked around, I also saw the pre-fab lab complexes.  I also noticed a fleet of IISER buses and small vehicles, which plied between the two campuses.  I took one of these buses to the temporary campus at Sai Trinity building and met a friend there, who gave me a very good idea about the life of a faculty member at IISER Pune.  I received lots of inputs about the availability of decent rented apartments around the area, the safety of women in Pune and related matters.

Just before this visit to IISER Pune, I had started to think about moving to another institute.  But, I had not thought about it seriously - in fact, I was procrastinating on it because the task of planning, doing a round of several job applications/interviews as in 2010 and executing a move seemed daunting.  What's more, I was a little overwhelmed with all kinds of news/rumours about how moving in India is really difficult, how job candidates at certain new institutes were insulted by randomly formed selection committees (I read many of these stories on the comments to the pinned post on Prof. Giri's blog), delay in processing of applications etc etc.  So, even a simple thought experiment of moving would increase my (already very high) levels of cortisol!!  One could say that I was misinformed to some extent and hesitant to come out of my "comfort zone" even though it would be better for my mathematical growth.

That evening, as we waited for a car to take us back to the hotel, I was talking to a senior colleague, Dr. Nice Prof from a different institute.  We were discussing the pleasant weather at Pune.  He jokingly said, "Aap Yahaan kyun nahi aa jaate [why don't you move here]?" He had simply said out aloud what I had already started thinking, namely that IISER P would indeed be a very good place to apply to.  It had a well-staffed (and growing) Mathematics group, a non-trivial group of number theorists and good infrastructure.  What's more, it was in the IISER family - so, I was familiar with and believed in its objectives and academic structure.  But, I was not sure if they were hiring and would entertain my application - if not, it would be an awkward situation.  I thought more about it and made up my mind to ask Raghuram the next morning.  At the very worst, he would say no.  But, at least this would force me to come out of my "comfort zone" and would be my first concrete step in exploring other opportunities.  As a very wise friend pointed out, where was the need for hesitation or awkwardness?  I already had a permanent position, but was just looking for a better opportunity - this is not a crime!  I should ask and I should ask confidently.

So, I approached him the next morning and received a prompt answer, "Yes, we are hiring."  He told me about the hiring procedure, patiently answered all my questions and directed me to the FAQ page for faculty aspirants.  He also told me more about the number theory group at Pune.  So, the matter was decided: I would apply.  It did not mean that I would get the position, but I was willing to try.  I was planning to return in September for another conference and would prepare my application package by then.  But, in the next week, I felt the need to apply as soon as possible.  I contacted potential referees who agreed to write reference letters as soon as needed and sent me plenty of encouragement.  Thus, for some time, I put aside a question that always gnaws at my mind before I apply for any thing, "am I good enough for this?"  I thought, "maybe I am not, but I must apply to find out."

On a dreary Friday morning, determined to put together my application package, I woke up with a headache.  It was raining very heavily and my domestic help did not show up.  I had to request my neighbour for a ride in her car.  She too had just returned from a visit to IISERP and while we drove to campus, she was praising it.

As luck would have it, our new Int. PhD students were joining on that day and I had to meet them to assign them course work, mentors for reading courses etc.  I also had to attend a long meeting.  After that, I remember having a meal at our local tea shop and one of my colleagues remarked, "Kaneenika, you look like you have hit a wall." You bet!  After that, I jumped into preparing the application, with copious help from The FAQ page for faculty aspirants at IISER Pune.  I again wrote to Raghuram, who promptly answered all queries and reminded me to take care to"apply through proper channels."  I called up a former colleague who is now at IISER TVM and he told me exactly what to do.  I then had "the talk" with the Dean, Faculty at IISERK as we headed for another meeting.  Although surprised, he fully cooperated and mentioned that he will speak to the director as soon as possible.
By 9 pm, the application was ready and sent by email to IISERP.  In the application, I mentioned that this was an electronic copy and a hard copy would be forwarded soon through the proper channels.

On Monday morning, I handed over the printed application to Dean, Faculty.  He got the director's approval and handed me a "No Objection Certificate" by noon!  To date, I feel grateful that the higher authorities understood my need to apply and fully cooperated, even at such short notice.  Meanwhile, I also got an acknowledgement of my application from Pune.  I scanned and emailed the NOC to them.  Just as I was waiting to meet D o F to take the NOC, I made the mistake of telling a trusted colleague about this application and requested him to keep it "strictly confidential." As if!! By Tuesday noon, everyone on campus, including the tea shop owner, knew.  I have written here about the comical consequences of my indiscretion.  But, the colleague still remains one of my favourite colleagues at IISERK.

Soon, I also received an email from IISERP, inviting me to give a seminar talk and attend an interview with the selection committee, which was meeting the next Monday on the 13th of August.  I got ready for it.  Since everyone on campus knew about my application, I took advantage of it by practicing the job talk in the preceding weekend with some Maths and Physics colleagues who live on campus.
Their inputs were very helpful.  I then made other preparations for the visit [2].

I arrived at the IISER Pune guest house at Mira Mohan Apartments on Sunday late afternoon and was generously fed with bananas, Maggi noodles and a hot cup of Masala Chai by the resident care-taker, Ramji.

The seminar talk was scheduled next morning, followed by the interview in the afternoon.  As I sat waiting for the committee to call me in, I started to get nervous again.  Will it be like the interviews mentioned in the comments on Prof. Giri's blog?
Will they ask me why I want to move from IISER Kolkata? Will they talk to me in a friendly or insulting tone?

All my fears were allayed within seconds of entering the board room.  Prof. Ganesh, the director, introduced me to all the committee members and immediately put me at ease.  It was a very professional, but at the same time, friendly meeting.  I was asked about my teaching and research activities at IISERK.  They did ask me why I was interested in IISER Pune, but no one asked anything inappropriate about IISERK.  In the later half of the interview, one of the committee members asked me what kind of admin work I had done at IISER K and what kind of committees I had served in.  When I started naming the committees, one member interjected and said, "wait, name the committees that you were not in," after which everyone started laughing.  I was also encouraged to ask questions - my only question was if my PhD student could move with me.  I was told that it was possible.  I came out of the board room very happy and relieved.

IISER Pune informs candidates within a week of the interview whether their application has been successful.  The formal letter comes after BOG's approval.  I also got such an email within two days of returning to Kolkata and then waited for the formal letter.

The formal letter arrived in the end of August.  I saw it in the early morning and immediately wrote back accepting the offer.  It was a bright and sunny morning.  To celebrate the good news, I went for a run around the IISER campus and was treated to Aloo Puri by my domestic help after that.

In early September, I visited IISER Pune again for another conference.  I thanked both Raghuram and Shashi for timely processing of my application, but both of them smiled and acted as if it is routine matter :)  Dr. Nice Prof, who was also visiting for this conference, was very surprised to hear about my upcoming move, joked about it and did not believe me when I reminded him that it was his suggestion.  Just like in July, we were taken for a walk around the campus.  But, this time, I felt as if I was a host and not a visitor.

In retrospect, I still feel amazed at how quickly and smoothly everything worked out.
The application, interview and formal offer happened within a span of one month.
First and foremost, my referees wrote up the letters at short notice.  Secondly, the people concerned at IISER Kolkata cooperated with the move.
Finally, the application got a very good treatment at IISER Pune and when I joined, I was provided with timely help by the administration, which helped in settling down quickly [3].

This also brought back memories of my application to IISER Kolkata way back in 2010, which was also promptly processed.  Even when I had joined there, I was provided a lot of help in settling down.  I believe that this kind of efficient and polite treatment of applications of faculty aspirants and the organizational help received by them on joining goes a long way in motivating new faculty members to give their very best to their organization.




[1] Mathematics at IISER Pune has been very active in organizing international conferences in focused areas.  Next year, we will be organizing two very big Mathematics events, one of which is very closely related to my research area.  I will be writing more about them soon.   

[2] I have written before about my casual approach to dressing up.  But, for the IISER Pune interview, I thought very carefully about what to wear.  In fact, I could not decide what to wear - so, I took three different formal dresses with me to Pune, so that I could choose the best one on the day of the job visit.  As you can see, I REALLY wanted this job :-) 

[3] On the personal front, I had the keys to an apartment and a new car within a day of arrival, prompting one of my colleagues here to name me "superfast Kaneenika."

Strictly confidential

A few days ago, I unwillingly became a subject of some gossip at N1.  This was around the time I was applying for a position at New1.  Like everyone in my situation, I wanted to keep it very confidential.   I wanted to tell my colleagues only after New1 made me an offer (if they did, that is.)

Immediately before submitting the application, I informed the director and two deans for official purposes [1].  The application went through the proper channels and all was well.  One day, however, in a moment of indiscretion, I mentioned it to someone "unofficially" and requested the listener to keep it "strictly confidential".
Little did I know that by doing so, I made the information public immediately.
Moreover, adding the "strictly confidential" clause ensured that there was a very high-speed delivery of this information across the campus.

This had immediate consequences, which would have been hilarious, had it not not been so awkward!  Some of my departmental colleagues walked into my office to tell me that they had heard from the tea shop owner that I was moving!  "We'll miss you, new prof, but we wish you well" they said.

Moving already? Hello, I had not even been interviewed as yet!!

I then walked into the office of a colleague and very dear friend to talk to her about it before she heard it from other sources.

New prof: Hi, there's something you need to hear from me before you hear it from others.

Friend: I know for the last one week!

New prof: What do you know?

Friend: That you are moving.

New prof: NO NO, that's not true. I have applied, that's all.

Friend: (Surprised) Oh, I thought your moving was pretty certain!

After that, we went for a cup of tea and had a frank heart-to-heart conversation (away from the ears of the shop owner!)

The other funny conversation I had was with a person in the admin building.

Admin staff: I am very sorry to hear that you are leaving.

New prof: I am not leaving.  It is not certain.

Admin staff: I am worried about who will become the next warden of the girls hostel.

New prof: Well, there are so many women faculty who live on campus.

Admin staff: Yes,  but you have a very good attitude.

New prof: (keeps quiet, not sure if she should be flattered that people will miss her "good attitude" or angry that people are only worried about appointing the next warden!)

One positive consequence of all of this was that some very concerned and well-meaning colleagues from other departments came to talk to me about it.  They were worried that I was feeling isolated and lonely here and came to assure me that I was not alone!  That felt very nice.  I also got dinner invitations, which was a pleasant surprise, given my non-existent social life here :-)

But, through it all, I was very worried about what would happen if New1 did not make me an offer!  That would place me in such an embarrassing position! In a state of paranoia, I imagined awful scenarios in which people at the tea shop would gossip about how "new prof wants to move, but can't get another job"!  I imagined that the tea shop owner would ask me "Arre didi, aap ab tak yeheen hain?" [Translation: Sister, you are still here?] or even worse, "Ab Kya Karengi, didi?" [Translation: What will you do now, sister?]

Just before I left for my interview at New1, I made the following Plan B in case things did not work out with my application there:

 Motivated by this post by GMP, I ordered the book "A guide to rational living" by Albert Ellis and Robert Harper on Flipkart, a book about Rational-Emotive Behavioral Therapy, which, as the back cover says, "can teach any intelligent person how to stop feeling miserable about practically anything."

Happily, by the time the book arrived, New1 had already made me an offer and I had accepted.  So, although I am reading the book, it is for reasons very different from the one I originally imagined.

Are there any therapies which teach you how to keep your matters "strictly confidential"? [2]



[1] I also informed my PhD student because this would directly affect his future as well.  I am glad I did so because he went for a conference to another city soon after that and colleagues from this city told him that I might move.  I have no idea how they knew it! But, I am really glad that my student heard it from me before he heard it from them! 

[2] In  case any one is wondering, I am pretty reliable when it comes to preserving information about others!

Naysayers

A few days ago, a colleague C invited a senior collaborator to visit N1 for a few days to discuss their research project.  C had hoped that since the collaborator is a well known and senior researcher in their field, his presence would have a positive effect on their department and that the senior visitor would give them some input about department activities like their graduate program, which is being built from scratch.

The senior researcher, let's call him SR, agreed to visit N1 for two days.  However, his visit totally belied C's expectations.  All that SR had to offer was criticism and disdain.  Some of his comments, at their best, could be interpreted as impatience with the newness of N1 and at their worst, as showing no faith in the future of N1.
After SR left, C was depressed for some time and doubted his decision to join N1.
But, he got over it soon and decided not to take SR's comments too seriously.

Perhaps, SR meant to offer constructive criticism, but it just came out the wrong way.  Perhaps, this was SR's way of showing concern for C, for whom he wanted the very best.  Or perhaps, SR is a jerk with an inflated opinion of himself, who could not appreciate the hospitality of a department which had invited him with a lot of goodwill.  I do not know him well enough to decide.

SR is not unique in writing off N1 and I have met others with similar views about N1-type institutes.  If I am in a good mood, I think, "Oh well.  These people have got used to working in a certain environment and cannot imagine that people can adjust to and stay happy in environments different from theirs." If I am in a bad mood,  I deplore their prejudice and lack of vision.[1]

Nonetheless, what concerns me is that by making disparaging comments, scientists like SR are possibly discouraging their PhD students and postdocs from applying to new institutes.  This is not good for my department (and similar departments in other new institutes), who are trying very hard to hire and retain good people.  This is also not good for those students and postdocs, who might only apply to limited institutes and restrict their options.

Perhaps, this is not as serious as I have made it out to be.  I welcome feedback from readers.

For those of you who are planning to enter the job market or who already have a job(anywhere in the world), how important is/has been your supervisor/mentor's opinion about your potential employer to you?[2]

For my senior readers, did you or would you discourage your PhD student or postdoc from applying to a new institute?

If my PhD student ever approaches me for advice about choosing a job, I would say something along the lines of a comment made by Vijay, while answering a question raised in a previous post:

"Today, I would focus on joining a research institution or university, young or old, that is fun to be in and wants me. The two criteria, fun to be and one which wants you, appear simple but are not. If you manage such a place, you have it made and the equipment will take care of itself."




[1] I do so mentally, of course - I cannot imagine the consequences if I were to say that aloud.  
[2] I consulted my PhD advisor before taking my final decision.  I think I would have made this choice even if he did not have a great opinion of N1.  However, his positive views were certainly very encouraging and meant a lot to me.

Welcome new readers

Last week was very eventful for this blog.  Thanks to a very kind post by Abi@Nanopolitan, this blog got an exponential increase in readership and lots of new followers.  In fact, to be very honest, before Abi's post, I would be lucky if I got more than 10 readers a day!  As per the blog stats, now I seem to be getting a few hundred readers a day!  I am of course delighted that people are reading the blog.
So, welcome to all my new readers :-)
Many of you have also left very interesting comments and questions.
First of all, thank you for the encouraging feedback.  I am really happy that people want to read all that I write about.
Secondly, blogger seems to relegate a lot of comments to spam, which I have to correct from time to time.  That's why some of the comments appear later.
Some readers have asked me why I remain anonymous.  Some have also pointed out that it is not easy to pull off anonymity for too long in our small scientific community in India and that it is easy to figure out my identity from the hints I leave on the blog.  I agree with them.
I have absolutely no malicious intentions in remaining anonymous.  Nor do I have much to lose if my identity is discovered.  What I write here is what I openly say to my colleagues at N1.  But, at the same time, I don't see any strong and pressing reason to reveal my identity because I don't think it will make any qualitative difference to the blog.
Some readers have also written that reading the blog has helped to allay their misapprehensions about applying to new institutes.  I am delighted to hear this.  I strongly believe that an academic job seeker should explore all job opportunities with an open mind and zero prejudice.
There has also been some discussion about the contentious issue of a candidate being asked about his or her marital status during job visits.  In the North American context, it is now illegal to ask such questions during interviews.  No member of the selection committee will openly say to a candidate that being unmarried will work in his or her favour because as per the "written" law, the decision to hire a candidate is to be made solely on the basis of merit (it is not for me to comment how far this is practiced).
However, I have learnt in the last few months that conversations like this in India have to be evaluated in a different light.  People openly ask others about their personal lives and also share tidbits about their own.  Professor Giridhar's blog links to a very informative website for new faculty at IISc, which frankly advises them not to get offended at being asked such questions.
I have learnt to take myself a little less seriously and just ignore or laugh off these remarks.
I recently came to know that the prof at O2 who had asked me my marital status indeed really wanted me there and pushed my case.  Therefore, it is entirely possible that he was asking me about my personal life    with very harmless and noble intentions.  Perhaps, he really felt that he could use this information to push my case!  [I wonder what he would think if he knew that I harshly labeled him a sexist because of that!]  But I still feel that it would be best if these awkward conversations do not come up in professional settings and certainly not immediately before a candidate's job talk!!
Typical PhD student has raised an interesting question:
suppose you are an experimentalist, and require tens of various kinds of equipments (plus skilled people/technicians who can maintain those & fix problems in them) for your research. Suppose you join an institute in India, be old or new, and you are given grants to buy one big equipment for your research. Now, if you join an old institute, you have all the other kinds of equipments up & running in shape, with dedicated technicians, so that you can launch your research straight away. However, in a new institute, by the time one can procure the other kinds of equipments (worth a few million dollars in total, for example), set them up, and hire & train people to maintain them, one will have past his/her prime in research. So in this regard, could you please comment if it is not wise to join an institute with some good infra-structure ? It is certainly great to take up challenges in a new institute, and to challenge oneself in excelling things, but I was wondering if it would make more sense to join an already reputed & established institute.

The current facilities at N1 are sufficient for my experimental and computational requirements - so, I have not seriously considered this issue.   I would like to think about this question some more, talk to my colleagues who have much bigger lab requirements and address this question in a future post.  Meanwhile, feedback from readers about this question is most welcome.

My job search story

I must warn the reader that this is going to be a long post. 

I am writing the story about how I found my current job in the hope that some reader out there might benefit from my experience and have a glimpse of what to expect during job visits to Indian institutes.  The main moral of the story: the job visits to my potential employers revealed much more than my first impressions and my final decision was based on factors and circumstances that I did not anticipate in the beginning of my search.

The job search begins

I started networking in India much before I entered the job market.  As soon as I obtained a PhD, in every trip to India, I would visit a few research institutes and give talks about my work.  This made me visible and also gave me the chance to figure out what kind of academic milieu I would best fit into: a purely research institute or an institute whose culture places equal importance to research and teaching.  I opted for the latter.  Based on various factors like the reputation of the institute and its location, I prepared a list of  Plan A schools and Plan B schools. I chose three places in Plan A, namely N1, O2 and O3 (N standing for New and O for Old).  I would immediately apply to Plan A schools and would move on to Plan B if nothing in Plan A materialized.  

Unlike North America, in India, applications are accepted throughout the year -hence I had the luxury of applying in different phases.

Before the interview     

While sending out applications, O2 was my first choice.  In terms of brand value, research tradition, student quality and quality of life, it appeared to be way ahead of all the other places. 

O3, on the other hand, though not as big a school as O2, is also very well known and has a research group with a non-trivial overlap with my research. 

I had never seriously thought about N1, but had applied anyways because it is situated in a city which I like very much and also because  Indian academic circles were buzzing with news about the rapid progress it had made since its inception.  

As I was applying, my preference was for O2, O3 and N1 in that order.   

Getting ready for the Interviews:

As soon as they received my application and letters etc, O2 invited me to visit them, but told me that they would only consider me for a visiting position instead of the regular position that I had applied for.  I was a little offended but decided to visit them and keep that as a back-up option just in case...

O3 was looking for a person with my research specialities, welcomed my application and invited me to visit.  This took the sting off O2's reply and I started to feel more confident about my prospects.  

N1's response is straight out of a dream.  The director himself wrote to me, and invited me to visit the institute, give a talk and spend time exploring the campus and interacting with faculty and students.  (Note: O2 and O3 invitation was specifically for job talks/interviews.  But, N1's invitation came across as being very warm and open, not to mention that it came straight from the director).  

At this stage, it wasn't clear to me what job I would like the most, but I was starting to get very excited about these interviews and at the prospect of returning to India.  

The Interviews

As per geographical and other constraints, my first interview was at O3, second at N1 (where I decided to stay for 4 days, taking full advantage of their generous invitation) and the last at O2. 

The interview at O3 went well and my job talk was well received.  The department chairperson and other members were friendly and showed me around the institute.  But, I was warned that their hiring procedure was much longer than what I had accounted for.  So, I came away with the impression that although it was almost certain that they will make me an offer, it was not clear when it would happen.  If I wanted this position, I would have to really, really wait.  

My next interview was at N1.  On the evening of my arrival, I was invited to have dinner with the director and a distinguished scientist who was visiting N1 at that time.  It was a most memorable experience. They both regaled me with stories from the 70s when they were just starting out as young assistant professors and how things were in India back then.  Both these scientists have contributed to building up several departments across India from scratch and  I was inspired by them.  The next morning, I had a formal meeting with the director and chairperson.  I was told about the objectives of the institute and what are the institute's expectations from my department.  Instead of asking me where I see myself in 5 years, they told me where the institute sees itself in the next few years!!  

The 4 days at N1 were wholesome and productive! In this period, I was given an exhaustive tour of the campus, spent time with my future colleagues and got a good understanding of the academic environment. 

I concluded my visit to N1 with the following impressions, 

a) Other than pursuing a research program, the institute expects its employees to play a strong role in service to the institute.

b) On its part, it will do its best to provide the necessary help to employees for their academic growth and personal well-being. 

c) Most people had procured generous seed grants to build up their labs and other research facilities.  

d) Faculty members, however junior, have immediate access to the director and the deans.  The functioning of the institute is highly democratic.

e) The institute has an efficient administration.  Requests made for purchasing equipment, library books etc and funding for organizing conferences are approved quickly. 

While leaving, I was told that the selection committee would be meeting within a week to discuss my application.

By this time, I had a great feeling about N1, but it was still not clear if I would prefer it over O3.  

O2 was my final stop before returning to North America.  When I arrived there, I was in for a big surprise:  I was now being considered for a regular position and not a visiting position as I was told before!!  I don't know what brought the sudden change in their attitude ( was it because other institutes were showing interest in me?) My interview and job talk went well  and I enjoyed the intellectually stimulating atmosphere.  But, their flip-flop confused and stressed me out.  Non-technical conversation with some members revealed some unfriendly and uncomfortable aspects of the department.   For example, the chairperson advised me to not respond to other offers before I hear from O2, which could take a couple of months. I did not agree with his assumption that I am so desperate for a job at O2 or that the other institutes are so dispensable.  I was also asked my marital status and was told that being unmarried would work in my favor.  I fail to see any logic in this sexist remark.  

Decision-making

All through the long flight journey back to North America, I waged a relentless battle between the head and the heart.  My gut feeling told me that N1 would be the best place for me.  Though still very new, it showed tremendous promise and the people there were positive, enthusiastic and honest.  No one there attempted to play mind games with me.  I was treated with respect and was given ample time to explore life on campus. Most importantly, at N1, I would get to play an important role in building up the institute.  On the other hand, O2 is indeed one of the best institutes in the country and I would have access to excellent facilities and resources.  But, clearly, at O2, I could not look forward to great inter-personal relations with colleagues.

Then there was the issue of timing.  N1 had assured me that I would be hearing from them within a week.  My options were to 

1) Accept N1's offer and end the uncertainty about my future that was driving me crazy.

2) Keep N1 on hold as long as possible and wait to hear from the other places. 

3) Accept N1's offer and withdraw my acceptance as soon as I get positive replies from O2 or O3.  

I immediately discarded the third option as highly unethical.  The second option was risky. Firstly, it would be disrespectful to keep N1 waiting too long before I took a decision.  It was not a matter of weeks, but months. I am sure that this behavior would not be tolerated even from the brightest star on the job market.  Secondly, is this how I treat an institute that treats me so well?  Thirdly, what if, after all this time, O2/O3, in a sudden change of circumstances decides not to make me an offer? This would put me in a very awkward position.

Back in my North American university, I consulted my trusted colleagues and friends.  Most of them had no opinions as they did not know anything about the academic culture in India.  Some suggested that going with option 2 would be acceptable in the North American scenario.  I did not have any close friends in India whom I could consult.  The academic community here is so small that I felt it would be best to keep things to myself.

After a lot of thinking, one thing was clear: for a successful academic career and personal happiness, I would have to take into account not just the brand-value of a place, but also the overall congeniality.   

N1 kept its word and made me an offer within a week.

By that point, I had made my decision.  I decided I would be better off in a start-up surrounded by supportive team players rather than a great, super-competitive department, where I would have to struggle and maneuver to create my place and where I could not count on much support from colleagues.  Perhaps, this was a decision taken more with heart than head, but I was happy with it.  So, I accepted N1's offer without delay.  I wrote cordially to O2 and O3 withdrawing my applications.  O2 wrote back a terse email congratulating me for my new position.  A few days ago, I met someone from O2 during a conference. He asked me (hopefully, in jest) why I cheated on O2 (in precisely these words).  I laughed off his question and changed the topic.  

O3 was more understanding and sent me their best wishes (and also asked me to keep them in mind for the future if needed, a gesture which I appreciate).

The joining letter from N1 arrived within 15 days of my accepting their offer.

Aftermath

I am about to complete a year at N1 and have not regretted my decision so far.  I was welcomed with open arms and the institute gave me tremendous support to settle down and adjust to the nitty-gritty of Indian life.  My request for funds to organize a winter school for undergraduate students was approved within an hour and we successfully organized this highly successful event, attended by students from all over India.  The institute has been very supportive of my professional needs and has given me the flexibility to travel for the purposes of collaboration.  Like all my colleagues, I am valued for who I am and appreciated for my service to the institute.  I have been alloted a sweet little house on campus. Recently, the registrar's office also gifted me a bicycle to facilitate my smooth commute in the campus, which is spread over six kilometres.  

Thanks to N1, I have fallen in love with India all over again.  

I would love to hear back from readers (from all over the world)  about the main factor that made them choose their current jobs ( was it academic, personal or a balance between the two?)  Did they also contend with factors that they were not aware of while applying? How much importance did they give to the non-academic aspects of their department?

Another somewhat related question: Were you ever asked about your marital status during a job interview? How did you/would you respond if this had happened/were to happen to you.