From PhD to Career Success

Explore how PhDs from a variety of different
fields navigated the decision to leave academia.

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Communications Project Manager Still Feels Close to Science

Name: Amalia Verzola (she/her) PhD: Philosophy, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 2009 What was your main area of research? I studied the...

Apr 142 min read

Science Communication Consultant Gets to Be Her Own Boss

Name: Sarah Ellinwood (she/her) PhD: Molecular & Cellular Biology, University of Maryland, 2017 What was your main area of research? My...

Apr 124 min read

Content Acquisition Specialist Makes Science More Impactful

Name: Chandrika Konwar (she/her) PhD: Biomedical Science, University of Delhi, 2024 What was your main area of research? In my PhD...

Apr 114 min read

Cardiovascular Biologist to Scientific Marketing Manager

Name: Ben Thomas (he/him) PhD: Cardiovascular Biology, University of Edinburgh, 2022 What was your main area of research? I looked at...

Nov 23, 20243 min read

Biomedical Scientist Landed Her Dream Job

Name: Madison Phelps (she/her) PhD: Biomedical Sciences, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, 2023 What was your main area of...

Nov 2, 20245 min read

Science Communication Consultant Also Founded a Company

Name: Stella Belonwu (she/her) PhD: Pharmaceutical Sciences and Pharmacogenomics, University of California - San Francisco, 2021 What...

Oct 15, 20242 min read

Analyst for the Department of Energy & a Book Author

Name: Magdalena Sandoval Donahue (she/her) PhD: Earth & Planetary Sciences, University of New Mexico, 2016 What was your main area of...

Oct 12, 20244 min read

Science Writer Loves the Intellectual Stimulation

Name: Kristel Tjandra (she/her) PhD: Chemistry, University of New South Wales, 2018 What was your main area of research? My PhD area of...

Sep 27, 20243 min read

Writer Discusses the Internal Struggle of Leaving Academia

Name: Calyn Maske (she/her) PhD: Neuroscience, Florida State University, 2020 What was your main area of research? I studied the...

Sep 24, 20244 min read

Technical Writer Encourages You to Picture Your Dream Job

Name: Cyrielle Tonneau (she/her) PhD: Biosciences (microbiology/human genetics), University of Exeter, 2019 What was your main area of...

Sep 24, 20243 min read

Principal and Owner Says to Do What You Love

Name: Carolyn Anderson (she/her) PhD: Organic Chemistry, University of California - Irvine, 2003 What was your main area of research? I...

Sep 21, 20243 min read

Founder Saw a Greater Need & Created Her Own Career

Name: Crystal Herron, PhD, ELS (she/her) PhD: Biomedical Science, Albany Medical College, 2011 What was your main area of research? As...

Sep 16, 20242 min read

Assistant Professor Now Managing Editor

Name: Clare Wilhelm (he/him) PhD: Physiology and Pharmacology, Oregon Health and Science University, 2006 What was your main area of...

Sep 16, 20241 min read

Medical Writer Helps Clinicians Make Decisions

Name: Sean Ogden (he/him) PhD: Neuroscience, Florida State University, 2019 What was your main area of research? As a grad student, I...

Sep 12, 20243 min read

Medical Writer Runs Her Own Freelance Business

Name: Claudia Prahst (she/her) PhD: Cell Biology, University of Freiburg, 2008 What was your main area of research? I spent 12 years...

Sep 12, 20241 min read

Nanotechnologist Now Runs Medical Writing Company

Name: Mariana Dalagnol (she/her) PhD: Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology, Federal University of Santa Catarina (Brazil), 2016 What was your...

Sep 10, 20244 min read

Editor-in-Chief of AMWA Journal Working His Dream Job

Name: Michael Baker (he/him) PhD: Behavioral Neuroscience, University of California - Berkeley, 1993 What was your main area of...

Sep 10, 20242 min read

Retired Writer Now Runs a Farm

Name: Kathy Spiegel (she/her) PhD: Pharmacology, Cornell University Medical College, 1984 What was your main area of research? For my...