About

About Dr. Asztalos

I have worked across academic research, national laboratories, university teaching, industrial R&D, graduate admissions advising, and career counseling. My background combines direct experience within STEM institutions and workplaces with an MS in Counseling from San Francisco State University and the practice of career development.

I earned a PhD in Nuclear Physics from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1998 and subsequently conducted postdoctoral research at MIT on the nature of astrophysical dark matter. At Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, I worked on problems in high-energy physics and homeland security. My later work has included university teaching and industrial research involving radiation-detector development. I currently teach physics, astronomy, and engineering at California State University, East Bay.

In 2025, I earned an MS in Counseling from San Francisco State University. I now work part-time as a Career Navigator at the Ohlone College Career Center, serving Ohlone College students and members of the community.

I know what it is like to discover that a position well aligned with my credentials was nevertheless professionally unsustainable, and to reexamine my working style, priorities, and preferences.

I founded Academically Speaking in 2013 to advise students pursuing STEM master’s and PhD programs. Graduate admissions advising often centers on a single consequential moment. Career advising broadens that work, allowing me to accompany clients as their roles, priorities, and circumstances evolve over the course of their working lives.

Fees

Services are tailored to the scope and duration of the engagement. Fees and the recommended advising arrangement will be discussed during the free 15-minute consultation, before any commitment is made.

Professional affiliation