Professorships at major research institutions are high-risk careers with a matched potential for payoffs, according to Ohio State University's Michael Ibba. "In academic research, the more successful you are, actually the more control you'll have over your own career. And it's a challenge, but I think it's a big payoff in the job," Ibba told attendees of a session dedicated to career preparation at the American Society for Microbiology annual meeting held in New Orleans, La., this week.