S12: E4 Advancing towards independence in an academic career

“The main thing I realised is that we all have something to add.”Join us on this episode of "Careers in Your Ears" as we delve into the inspiring journey of Mariam Asaad, a fourth-year doctoral researcher at King's College London's Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery, and Palliative Care. Mariam shares her unique ‘squiggly’ career path, from her beginnings as a nurse in Saudi Arabia to her transition into academia and research. She discusses the personal challenges and triumphs that shaped her PhD project, which focuses on developing a tool to support parents of children with type 1 diabetes. Mariam also discusses her approach to, and the importance of, building a professional network by getting involved in different projects including the King’s Insights Programme* where she gained valuable consulting skills and explored the commercial side of research.  *The King’s Insights Programme is a 3 week virtual consultancy project with a live brief, working in a small group of PhD students. More information on our KEATS pages at www.kcl.ac.uk/careers

If you feel like you need a special dictionary to understand job descriptions or a thesaurus for talking about your skills: this is the episode for you!Dr Holly Prescott gives us a masterclass in telling your story in a way that will help the sector you are trying to enter understand how valuable your skills, knowledge and experience are - to them.We also discuss how to navigate the challenge of not knowing all the job titles, how to curate your LinkedIn experience to work for you and an avocado metaphor that is worth the listen alone!Online careers support for researchers at King'sHolly is a qualified career guidance practitioner who specialises in working with postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers. She is the Careers Adviser for Postgraduate Researchers at the University of Birmingham (where she also gained her own PhD in English Literature in 2011), and also works as a freelance trainer running career development workshops for PGRs and ECRs for a range of universities, institutes and DTPs across the UK and Europe. In 2021 she started the post-PhD careers blog ‘Postgradual’ which has since attracted over 66,000 unique readers, and her book Navigating Careers Beyond Academia: A Practical Handbook for Doctoral and Postdoctoral Researchers is due for publication by Routledge in 2026.Find Holly on LinkedInJob Hunting for the 21st Century: A Comprehensive Guide for the Modern PhD Available nowSubscribe to Holly's blog 'PostGradual' HERE

“You need to have input from other people. It's not something you can do by yourself.” Dr Ilyas Alav, recent recipient of the Wellcome Trust Early Career Award and Teaching Fellow at the University of Birmingham, shares his advice for progressing as an Early Career Researcher. We discuss the importance of being open to opportunities, developing a researcher identity and the value of collaboration as well as strategies for coping with rejection in academia. Ilyas gives insights into the fellowship application process as well as practical tips for developing collaborations, avoiding burn out and managing priorities strategically.  Early-Career Awards – Funding for Early-Career Researchers | Wellcome BBSRC fellowships – UKRI Support for Researchers: Careers in Academia | KEATS 

“All it takes is time, collaborative spirit and that connective tissue.” When navigating the transition between industry and academia, Dr Renasha Khan, Lecturer of Religion and Social Science at Kings, found that reaching out to others allowed her to both explore career options and build a support network. She shares how her love of storytelling led her from working as a TV producer to researching British Bangladeshi women and their digital experiences. She speaks openly about the challenges of undertaking a PhD, feeling like a fraud and how she found connection and community in academia. Renasha also highlights the importance of networking, taking opportunities, even if at first they seem outside of your comfort zone, and backing yourself!    Careers support for King’s students and researchers Department of Theology & Religious Studies at King’s  British Sociological Association 

How different is 'industry' to academia and what can we do to adapt to those changes and survive the learning curves?Dr Sam Keightley, Senior Behavioural Science Researcher at BeHive Consulting answers those questions and gives us plenty more fascinating insights into his first role since completing his PhD.Join us as we discuss change, uncertainty, communication styles, the dreaded perfectionism, and self-advocacy.Sam KeightleyBeHive ConsultancyCheck out our KEATS page on Careers Beyond Academia for Researchers

"I can do this and be successful, but does it bring me joy?" Offering valuable insights for PhDs and research staff interested in ‘academic adjacent’ roles, Dr Eleanor Gurney, Senior PGR Manager at King’s, shares her journey from academic research to a fulfilling role in professional services.Dr. Gurney reflects on her diverse career path, including her work in international development and her PhD research on low-fee private schooling in India. She candidly talks about the challenges and isolation she faced during her PhD and how she realised that the traditional academic track wasn't the right fit for her.We discuss the rewarding aspects of Eleanor’s  current role, which involves overseeing faculty support for postgraduate research programs, using her knowledge of the academic landscape and many transferable skills, to improve PGR student experience. Dr Harold Moody Studentships for Black UK residents to undertake a PhD at King’s Faculty of Social Sciences and Public Policy at King’s Careers Support for King’s students and researchers 

In this episode we are delighted to be joined by Teresa Bautista Solans who shares her transition from a research career in theoretical physics to quantitative finance. It's a fantastic testament to the transferability of the skills developed in research such as critical thinking, analytical skills, and research communication which are so valuable in her role as a Senior Analyst and Model Validator at ICE Clear Europe. It is also a brave and honest account of finding a way through a mid-career change balancing researcher identity, home life, and practicalities with finding a rewarding career. Useful resources: ICE Clear Europe Teresa Bautista Solans King's Careers & Employability

In this episode, we delve into the intersection of research and entrepreneurship with Dr. Mercy Ofoya, founder of the Mami app, and Dr. Ema Talam, Entrepreneurial Skills Manager.  Our discussion explores how Mercy, with support from the King’s Entrepreneurship Institute, took an idea for a life-saving health app and made it a reality.  Ema tells us about the entrepreneurial mindset and how developing 7 key skills can help researchers succeed both in and beyond academia.  Together, they challenge perceptions of commercialisation, outline practical steps for validating ideas, and emphasise the value of articulating the ‘threads’ that run through your work.  Useful links: Dr Mercy Ofuya: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mercy-ofuya-phd-02053380/ Mami App: https://mymamiapp.com/ CupArise: https://cuparise.org/ King’s Entrepreneurship Institute: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/entrepreneurship King’s Careers & Employability: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/careers

This week's guest is Pippa Sterk, a postdoctoral teaching fellow at King's who was curious about where their research could take them. Seizing an opportunity, they successfully applied for a place on the King's Parliamentary Research Internship (for doctoral and postdoctoral researchers). Pippa tells us the valuable lessons they learned through this work experience and how it has shaped their future career plans.

In this episode we meet Dr. Lienkie Diedericks, a King's PhD graduate. After completing her PhD Lienkie worked for the Royal Institute of British Architects on their equality and diversity initiatives. She has now returned to work at King's on research culture in our Faculy of Dentistry, Oral and Craniofacial Sciences. In this episode we discuss the unexpected turns researchers careers can take, being an international student and professional in the UK, what higher education institutions need to do to be more equitable and what research culture means in practice.