Queer Failure: a theoretical framework for reimagining career pathways in physics

In discussions of the "leaky pipeline" in physics, we often interrogate how individuals fail to persevere, achieve, and ultimately be retained in physics. Even when we try to move beyond this idea and towards "pathways" through and outside of physics, the focus is on individuals as the negotiator of whether being a successful physicist is worth the costs. Implicit in this discussion is the idea that there is a cogent and unambiguous definition of "physicist," that "being a successful physicist" is a real or attainable goal, and consequently that "retention" as an academic is a good measure of the climate of the field or career satisfaction. This talk will interrogate what it means to be a successful physicist through the synthesis of works in physics education research and queer theory, specifically through the framework of "queer failure," which treats deviations from prescribed paths as opportunities for growth and personal fulfillment. I will use this framework to expand our ideas of how to approach DEI research and provide a preliminary analysis of qualitative data on physics careers utilizing this framework.