Director of Research Worked at the Company in Grad School

Name: Tricia Thrasher (she/her)

PhD: Second Language Acquisition / French, The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2022

What was your main area of research?

During my PhD, I looked at how various types of technology (virtual reality, augmented reality, etc) could be used to help people learn foreign languages better. I conducted studies measuring the impact that virtual reality had on learning outcomes like speaking skills and affective factors like anxiety. I conducted mixed methods research and gained experience with both quantitative and qualitative research methods.

What is your current job?

I am the Director of Research at IMMERSE, and I work remotely.

My job entails quite a few things including:

Creating, leading, and maintaining Immerse’s company-wide efficacy and user research strategies.
Establishing and managing 35+ external university research partners who conducted studies on the Immerse platform.
Leading internal mixed methods efficacy and user research studies from start to finish and translating findings into actionable insights to support product development.
Providing literature reviews to support and validate development and launch of new product features.
Supporting marketing and sales by disseminating efficacy data via publications, white papers, customer-facing reports, and podcasts. Presented at international educational conferences and established Immerse as a thought leader in VR education.

My favorite part is that, even though I am in an industry role, I collaborate quite a lot with academics since I manage our external university research partnerships and still attend conferences frequently.

How did you find this position? What were the career steps you took to get to where you are now?

I had previously conducted a research study using IMMERSE during my graduate studies. When they were looking to hire someone, they reached out to share the job description in case I (or anyone else I knew) was interested.

PhD student ➡️ worked part-time hourly for company ➡️ PhD graduate ➡️ FT offer

Why did you decide to not pursue a career in academia?

The job market is bleak. The year I was on the market, there was only one tenure-track position in my area of studies, and it was in an area I did not want to move to. I loved that my current job was remote and I could choose where to live.

I wanted something research-based where I didn't have to do as much teaching.

Pay is higher in industry

This was a hard decision at first, but I would never go back now!

What advice do you have for someone getting their PhD and looking to pursue a career outside of academia?

If you are a humanities / social sciences student, read "Leaving academia a practical guide". It has great tips on adapting your CV to a resume.
Get on LinkedIn and start connecting with people. You absolutely need a network in industry.
See if you can find a part-time position at a company while you're finishing your PhD. You need to get your foot in somewhere and add a line to your resume that is not only academic.

Are there any components of your identity you would like to share, including how they have impacted your journey?

My partner and I were both pursuing PhDs, so we also had the two-body problem. That was another reason a remote position was a huge win!