As a 22-year-old Caltech undergrad applying to UCSB’s Physics Ph.D. program, Kohl Gill had a specific career destination in mind and a clear route to get there. In his Statement of Purpose, he wrote:
Dr. Kohl Gill“As I entered Caltech four years ago, my intention was to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Physics leading to a doctorate and eventually to a position in academia or industry. Though I keep these options in mind, my experience here at Caltech has opened my eyes to a more personally rewarding alternative – a career serving our country in shaping science policy. When I asked Jack Smith about students considering science policy, the former astronaut and senator replied: ‘Before going into politics, become an expert in something else.’ I realize I will need a Ph.D. in Physics to effectively pursue my goal. More than just a degree, it is crucial that I contribute to a body of thorough, respectable research in a relevant field and acquire the contemporary expertise so necessary for policy decisions.”
“This is not the typical Statement of Purpose to graduate school,” UCSB Physics Professor Mark Sherwin quipped to laughter from the audience as he introduced Gill for a Career Day Colloquium titled “Physics, Policy, and Phones” on Jan. 29 at Broida Hall. Kohl did go on to earn his Ph.D. from UCSB in 2005, and he did have that rewarding career in science policy in Washington, D.C. But as sometimes happens, one can decide to veer off the main career superhighway in pursuit of another passion. And that’s what Kohl S. Gill did when he founded LaborVoices, a Bay Area-based startup that aims to eliminate human trafficking and other labor abuses in India and elsewhere in the world using a simple device: a mobile phone.
Gill made the most of his 7 1/2 years in graduate school at UCSB. When not working in Dr. Sherwin’s quantum information science research group, he took Punjabi courses (his family’s home language), studied Judo, and did volunteer work for Santa Barbara’s foster care program.
Gill has always been passionate about two things: fighting corruption and advocating for transparency. So after earning his Ph.D. in 2005, he traveled to his parents’ native India, where he rented a place in a Delhi slum for $30 a month and worked there for a year as a transparency and governance fellow with the nonprofit Indicorps. In this role, he helped to enforce good governance as a volunteer paralegal advocate.
UCSB Physics Ph.D. alum Dr. Kohl S. Gill addresses students in a Career Day Colloquium titled “Physics, Policy, and Phones” on Jan. 29 at Broida Hall. Photo credit: Patricia MarroquinBack in the States, Gill spent several years in Washington, D.C., as a Senior Policy Analyst for the U.S. Department of Energy and a labor diplomat in the U.S. State Department focusing on international labor rights and corporate social responsibility. “The bulk of what I did at the Department of Energy involved the science of science policy,” said Gill, adding that this is an “emerging field that analyzes how science is being done.” The role, he said, involves “turning the microscope onto scientists ourselves and seeing how we work, why we work and don’t work together, and how innovation actually happens.”
Weary of a 6-year-old long-distance relationship with his partner, 2003 UCSB Electrical and Computer Engineering Ph.D. alum Maura Raburn, Gill left D.C. and returned to California to reunite with her in the Silicon Valley city of Sunnyvale. It was there that encouragement from others and a strong desire to fight injustice led him to found LaborVoices in May 2010.
LaborVoices collects anonymous feedback from factory workers via their mobile phones and other mobile technology on such issues as wages, treatment, and worker safety. The feedback is then sent to the companies that do business with these factories as part of their supply chains.
“We help brands detect emerging risks and choose the best suppliers, help factories attract and keep the best workers, and help workers to help each other make better decisions, avoiding abusive situations,” Gill has said about LaborVoices.
"The right question isn’t 'What can I do?' but 'What should I do?' Answering the latter frees you up to do what you need to, until you can find the right next step. Under no circumstance should you let go of your academic integrity." –Dr. Kohl Gill's advice to students
At his colloquium, Gill summed up his career adventure – from UCSB Physics labs to Delhi slums to D.C.’s halls of power to Silicon Valley startup country – as a cautionary tale. “If you really encourage your students,” Gill joked, “they could be a danger not only to themselves but to the global economy.”
Before his talk, Gill took some time to answer some questions for the GradPost. Find out how UCSB prepared him for his career, his professional development advice for grad students, mentors who made a difference, and more. Read on. ...
University degrees
M.S., Physics, 2001, UCSB; Ph.D., Physics, 2005, UCSB
B.S., Physics, 1998, California Institute of Technology
Please give us a little background about yourself.
I was born and raised in rural Mississippi, the sixth of seven siblings. My parents emigrated from India in the ’70s. Our family watched our home state (Punjab, India) descend into a terrorist state of violence and corruption while I was a kid. I remember being horrified to hear that you couldn’t even trust the police, where my parents grew up. While not always “poor” – we were on public assistance, occasionally, free school lunches, etc. – we were firmly lower-middle class when I was growing up. My dad was a laborer at a scrap metal yard, and my mom has always been a nurse.
What led you to found LaborVoices?
I had planned to use my Ph.D. to do other work, namely science policy, since before grad school. It was even in my statement of purpose when I applied! After my degree, I wanted to devote a year to service, and attached myself to some anti-corruption work in India. I was essentially a volunteer paralegal there. I returned to D.C. into a series of two science policy fellowship stints, the first at DOE [Department of Energy] and the second in the human rights bureau of the State Department. While at State, I covered some tech issues, but mostly labor conditions in supply chains. That got me thinking about how vulnerable workers use their mobile phones, and how much corporations spend to protect their supply chains.
In what ways did UCSB prepare you for your current career?
UCSB gave me a few keys to my later work. First, it gave me a solid and demonstrable basis of analytical reasoning and experimental methods. You can’t survive in physics long without that. Second, it gave me the freedom for side pursuits, such as Judo, volunteering with the Santa Barbara County foster care system, and studying Punjabi (my family’s home language). And third, it gave me a network of supporters that helped launch me into my work in India and then D.C.
How did your Physics education help you in your career work?
My physics background most informed my science policy work, mostly at the DOE. There I worked on funding issues around energy efficiency and renewable energy, as well as innovation policy.
Who were your mentors or advisors while you were at UCSB?
Well, Dr. Mark Sherwin was an excellent mentor, advisor, and boss. He helped me get through with my sanity intact, and taught me a lot about how to be a good scientist, with real integrity. Brian Griffin and Steve Hoyt at the Santa Barbara Judo Club were excellent advisors, as was Dr. Gurinder Mann in the Religious Studies department.
What differences did you find between life in the university/academic world versus life in the business/corporate world?
Ha! Actually, the only experience I’ve had in the business world besides LaborVoices was flipping burgers at Shoney’s back in high school. The only comparisons between academia and the startup world I have are facile – rigorous truth and novelty mean less here, and practicality and scalability mean more.
What advice would you give to current grad students about their education?
It’s unlikely that you’ll stay in academia. Get used to that. But don’t be afraid to venture forth, since it’s also unlikely that you’ll stay in one job for very long anyway. As long as you’re continually finding and tackling problems that you actually care about, that mean something to you, you’ll do fine. And if you get stuck, ping your networks, including me. [Visit the LaborVoices website or email Gill.]
What advice would you give to grad students regarding professional development and future careers?
The right question isn’t “What can I do?” but “What should I do?” Answering the latter frees you up to do what you need to, until you can find the right next step. Books like Stephen Covey’s “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” and David Allen’s “Getting Things Done” can help you along that path. Under no circumstance should you let go of your academic integrity.
Do you have any job search tips you’d like to share with our grad students? Anything you think will help a grad student stand out as a job seeker with potential employers?
A CV is not a résumé. For an explanation of that and other tips, I would strongly recommend the podcast series found at manager-tools.com. They’re both free and priceless.
Do you have any suggestions for the UCSB educational system (or universities in general) on how to better prepare grad students for careers?
One quick tip would be to support grad students in experimenting with career options. Internships and fellowships are very helpful, especially for folks like me who came straight to grad school out of college.
What do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment?
Trying. Again. Today.
What do you like to do for fun and/or relaxation?
Exercise, listen to audiobooks, plot world domination with friends.
For more information about LaborVoices, view this Vimeo interview with Kohl Gill.