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From PhD to Career Success
Explore how PhDs from a variety of different
fields navigated the decision to leave academia.
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Publications Manager Had a Career as a PI
Name: Vicky Sherwood PhD: Molecular Virology, University of Nottingham, 2006 What is your current job? I am a Publications Manager for Merck, based in the United Kingdom. I oversee the medical communications for a phase II to phase III asset. What is your favorite thing about your job? I love knowing the work of my team has the potential to help a lot of patients improve their lives if the new therapy works. What is the most important skill you developed or experience you had
Oct 16, 20252 min read
Regulatory Medical Writer Is a "Crazy Scientist" at Heart
Name: Katrin Zaragoza Dörr (she/her) PhD: Molecular Biology, Humboldt University of Berlin, 2008 What is your current job? I am a Regulatory Medical Writer, Trainer and Mentor, CEO & Founder of Medrika Consulting S.L., based in Barcelona, Spain. I write documents with medical and scientific content related to clinical research, from the description of how a clinical trial has to be conducted (protocol) to the results of this clinical trial. Some content is highly strategic an
Oct 16, 20253 min read
Science Writer Says Being Scared Could Be a Good Sign
Name: Jerald Pinson (he/him) PhD: Biology, University of Florida, 2020 What is your current job? I am a Science Writer for the Florida...
Jul 21, 20252 min read
PR Representative Learns About Exciting Research Every Day
Name: Ananya Sen (she/her) PhD: Microbiology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 2021 What is your current job? I am a Public...
Jul 20, 20252 min read
Research Analysts Learns About New Healthcare Developments
Name: Shanna Bowman PhD: Biological Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University, 2016 What was your main area of research? I researched the...
May 6, 20252 min read
Science Writer & the Importance of Trying Things Out
Name: Manel Llado (he/him) PhD: Molecular Medicine, University of Milan, 2020 What was your main area of research? I developed...
May 5, 20252 min read
VP of Scientific Storytelling with Surprising Skill Advice
Name: Kisha Greer (she/her) PhD: Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health; Virginia Tech, 2019 What was your main area of research? In...
May 1, 20254 min read
Medical Writer with an Artist's Perspective
Name: Ashley Hayden Monahan (she/her) PhD: Neuroscience, Baylor College of Medicine, 2024 What was your main area of research? I studied...
Apr 30, 20252 min read
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 14, 20252 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 12, 20254 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 11, 20254 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
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