Elizabeth Simmons and Sekhar Chivukula
Elizabeth Simmons, professor of physics/dean, Lyman Briggs College, and her spouse, Sekhar Chivukula, professor of physics
Elizabeth Simmons and Sekhar Chivukula aren’t just spouses, they’re coworkers. Simmons is the dean of Lyman Briggs College and both are professors in the physics department. They even coteach a course they developed in mathematical physics.
“We’ve taught together a lot over the years,” says Simmons. “It allows for some good teamwork.”
The physics department where they teach tends to draw more international students than many others at the university.
“It’s natural to be drawn to other students that are from the same place as you, so I try to create an inclusive atmosphere where students feel comfortable,” says Chivukula.
As parents, being on the faculty puts demands on their time, but both say they’ve always tried to be home by 6 p.m. to spend the evening with their children, who are now 18 and 10.
“Our approach, especially having children, was to try as much as possible to maintain a consistent schedule,” says Chivukula.
Working at MSU and living close to campus means always having easy access to family-friendly activities. When their children were younger, Chivukula and Simmons would take them on bike rides around campus and visit the MSU Dairy Store.
Now that their children are a little older, the pair can travel together for work. Since they teach in the same discipline, they often collaborate on their research. Several years ago, they won a grant that allowed them and their graduate students to visit colleagues in China.
The opportunity for both of them to have faculty appointments at the same university was an important factor in their decision to come to Michigan State six years ago.
“MSU actually does think about dual-career hires much more than a lot of universities,” says Simmons. “Without that, we certainly wouldn’t be here.”