career transitions

Bending Time, Beating Burnout, and Building a Career You Love with Michelle Niemeyer

Do you ever feel like there just aren’t enough hours in the day? For many graduate students, PhDs, and early-career professionals, time scarcity feels like the biggest obstacle to building a sustainable and fulfilling career. This week on Beyond the Thesis with Papa PhD, I talk with Michelle Niemeyer — speaker, coach, and former attorney…

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PhD to Industry – Navigating Career Growth & Mentorship with Katerina Thomas

What happens after you land your first job post-PhD? For many researchers, the transition from academia is just the beginning. In this episode of Beyond the Thesis with Papa PhD, Katerina Thomas joins David to explore how mentorship, self-awareness, and internal motivation shape the next stages of a PhD’s career journey. Drawing from her own…

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Daring to Go Astray: Jillian Reilly Shares the Power of Self-Permission After Graduate School

Welcome back to Beyond the Thesis with Papa PhD! In this episode, host David Mendes sits down with Jillian Rilley – founder, writer, keynote speaker, and consultant whose decades of work focus on helping people navigate change and accelerate learning, especially in disruptive times. Drawing on her experiences across Africa, Asia, and Central Europe, Jillian…

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Papa PhD Gold: From Bird Brains to Broadcasts – Dr. Kiki Sanford’s Science Communication Journey

Welcome back to Beyond the Thesis! This week, host David Mendes sits down with Dr. Kirsten “Kiki” Sanford, a science communicator with an unconventional path from bird neuroscience to the front lines of science storytelling. In this episode, Dr. Kiki shares behind-the-scenes stories of launching “This Week in Science,” collaborating with mentors like Leo Laporte,…

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Leveraging Science Communication as a PhD With Leslie Berntsen

Storytelling is not just a tool for entertainment; it is a powerful medium for communicating complex ideas in a relatable and impactful manner. In this episode of Beyond the Thesis with Papa PhD, Dr. Leslie Berntsen highlights why leveraging science communication is important, as a PhD, and how embedding your results within personal stories makes…

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