Diana Gallagher

Diana Gallagher is the Graduate Placement, Faculty Search and Promotion Administrator for the Department of Political Science, one of the leading centers for the study of politics in the world. “Everyone works together to keep the department going,” she says. “It’s also important to be able to change when situations change.” She earned a PhD in Archaeology from Boston University, a Master of Arts in Historical Archaeology from the University of Massachusetts-Boston, a Master of Arts in Classics from Tufts University, a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from the University of Massachusetts-Boston, and a Bachelor of Arts in Latin from Mount Holyoke College.

Describe your role and responsibilities.

In my role, I work on and provide administrative support for promotions among current faculty. I also assist with ensuring that, when hiring new faculty, we offer them as smooth and as friction-free an onboarding process as possible.

Additionally, I work with our doctoral students who are bound for graduation and seeking academic positions. I send the letters of recommendation faculty provide to the institutions to which our students and graduates apply. This is helpful to students and faculty as it offers a centralized system to manage the recommendations.

How long have you worked at MIT?

I have been at MIT for 20 years, all spent in political science. It’s a great department to work for!

What’s the best thing about your job?

The best thing about my job is the people I get to work with. Students, faculty, and my colleagues at MIT are always doing interesting and amazing things.

What advice would you offer someone interested in what you do?

This job involves lots of planning for supporting students’ efforts to find roles upon graduation, supporting our department during the faculty hiring process, and supporting international students and faculty’s efforts to obtain visas. If and when things shift, it’s important to be as flexible as possible while also maintaining the high standards the department sets for students, faculty, and staff. Things like a blizzard or a sudden illness may require a new plan!

What are your hobbies and interests outside of work?

My outside interests include archaeology – in which I’ve done graduate work – history, antiques, and needlework of various kinds. I collect a variety of things such as antique cameos, insects in amber, fossils, miniatures, and old books. My husband and I live in a house built by his great-grandfather in the 1890s and it has many examples of Victorian archaeology and natural history displayed.