A Day in the Life of a Neuroscience Professor
We spend so much time alongside our professors and yet know so little about what they do outside of our class time. For professors such as Dr. George Ron Mangun, no two days are the same. He teaches Cognitive Neuroscience (PSC 135), directs the UC Davis Center for Mind and Brain, leads a neuroscience lab, writes grant proposals, and much more. Our professors not only serve as experts in their fields, but also as sources of inspiration and guidance for our own careers.
Background
Dr. Mangun always knew he wanted to pursue a career in science, influenced by his scientist parents. He recalls being thrilled by National Geographic tv shows about the natural world, and playing outdoors as a child. While he focused on athletics in high school, he returned to focus on his education in college, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry. Soon after, Dr. Mangun came across the field of neuroscience and fell in love with the mind and its mysteries. Six years after obtaining his bachelors, Dr. Mangun received his PhD in Neuroscience from UC San Diego. He began working at UC Davis in 2002 when he opened the Center for Mind and Brain, and the rest is history.
Whether you find yourself interested in pursuing a PhD in neuroscience, becoming a professor, or are simply curious as to what a “typical” day in the life of a UC professor is like, prepare for an inside look into their dynamic world.
March 4, 2024-
Dr. Mangun writes,
“There are many duties of a professor at UC Davis, and they are generally categorized as those involving research, teaching and service, the latter of which includes campus and disciplinary service in our fields of scholarship (e.g., scientific societies; journals we might edit or review for).”
Here I describe “A recent, not necessarily typical day, because if I get a chance I try to focus on one project to get some work done.”
Keep in mind, between balancing his responsibilities of teaching, research, and service, every day is unique for Dr. Mangun. On this particular morning, he began his day at 6am.
6:00 am — Bright and early, Dr. Mangun starts his day checking his email for urgent matters especially concerning students and staff. As previously mentioned, Dr. Mangun teaches a course at UC Davis titled Cognitive Neuroscience: The Biological Foundations of the Mind, which covers topics of higher order mental functions such as memory, language, attention and consciousness. A significant portion of his daily emails come through CANVAS, where he connects with the 350 students in his class. “Stuff comes up” says Dr. Mangun, and understandably so.
8:00 am — He joins a Zoom meeting to discuss an open faculty position with a candidate that they are working hard to recruit. Dr. Mangun says, “An Ivy League university is trying to beat us for the talent. The candidate is in Europe, so the meeting is early to accommodate their time zone.” Already, we see the many roles Dr. Mangun fills.
9:00 am — Dr. Mangun returns to emails, this time regarding his lab. At the Center for Mind and Brain, Dr. Mangun leads the Laboratory for Neural Mechanisms of Attention which uses tools such as EEG and fMRI to study attention mechanisms from various perspectives.
“In my lab there are four doctoral students, two postdoctoral trainees, and many undergraduates doing internships; they often have questions, reminders or important updates on research to convey.”
10:00 am — Dr. Mangun has another Zoom meeting, this time with a staff member discussing his role as Director of the Center for Mind and Brain. This call goes on for about an hour.
11:00 am –He serves on a College of Letters and Science committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion as co-chair, and is meeting with central campus staff members to learn how to better support faculty, staff, and students.
- The College of Letters and Science at UC Davis has over 110 majors and minors! It is important to the faculty that everyone at UC Davis feels supported and valued.
12:00 pm — At around noon, Dr. Mangun attends a faculty meeting, this time in his home department, the UC Davis Department of Psychology.
1:00 pm — After a successful faculty meeting, Dr. Mangun heads to his lecture hall where he does some last minute preparation before his class. He reviews his slides, connects to the projectors and waits for his class to begin.
2:00–4:30 pm — Instruction for PSC 135 begins promptly at 2:10pm. His course runs for two hours and meets twice a week. Over the course of 10 weeks, Dr. Mangun effectively fosters an environment for discussion in his classroom as he encourages students to nurture their curiosity.
I personally recall the first day of class, in which he held out a real human brain in his gloved hand. “This person donated their brain for you,” he told us. Dr. Mangun urged his class to appreciate and respect donations made in the name of science.
“You all are the future of neuroscience”.
After class, many students stay behind to ask questions, or simply to make conversation. Dr. Mangun stays another half hour after lecture conversing with students before making his way back home.
5:00 pm — Just because he is off campus, doesn’t mean his work is over, in fact, Dr. Mangun says that most days “after work” you can find him working on his laptop from home.
“I answer emails related to my role as Director of the CMB [The Center for Mind and Brain] : these can involve anything from approving grant proposals, to development efforts with donors, to emergencies related to facilities (e.g., power failures etc.).”
7:00 pm — “After dinner, [I have] some quiet time to work on a grant project that is due soon. This could take some time, but the evenings are more quiet (if I ignore emails). This could go on for some time, until I either burn out, or decide it is time to try to sleep (or if I am lucky, Monday Night Football is on!).”
After hearing all that goes into a typical day for Dr. Mangun, I asked if he found it difficult to manage a good work-life balance. Dr. Mangun admitted that he has many responsibilities, but made it clear that he wouldn’t have any other way, and that, “…things are less hectic now that my two sons are grown”. He also said that,“If you ask many professors, they’ll tell you that teaching is both a privilege and a joy, and it is a tremendously rewarding experience”, further confirming the impact that having a passion for your profession can really have. That said, Dr. Mangun highlighted that as faculty- and in life- there is always something more that could be done. He reminds us that it is very important to know when to call it a day and say, “this can be picked up tomorrow”.
Conclusion
It is evident that Dr. Mangun enjoys his field of work. As students, we have the great privilege of building relationships with our professors and lecturers. Like Dr. Mangun, many other professors handle similar workloads and responsibilities beyond teaching in the classroom. This glimpse into Dr. Mangun’s life helps us appreciate the behind-the-scenes work professors do, offering a clearer view into their daily life.
If you find yourself inspired to pursue research or teaching professionally, I encourage you to get to know the people in the position you aspire to fill. These connections are an invaluable start to pursuing our own professional dreams, and it is what Dr. Mangun warmly refers to as the “best life ever!”.
