Academic career advice

Tips and resources to help you build a successful career in academia. From skills development during your PhD to preparing for a role in university administration, all academic career steps are covered. Here, you will find advice on promoting your work, growing your professional reputation and developing collegiate networks to support your academic career progression - or to help you move into industry.

Find purpose and identity in the ‘near-end’ season of an academic career

As careers near their later stages, familiar markers of achievement fade and professional identity shifts. Wendy Cowan and Bridgette Walker explore how academics can move from proving value to mentoring, shaping legacy and finding renewed purpose

Wendy Cowan, Bridgette Walker

Athens State University

University teacher helping two multiracial students

What I wish I’d known before becoming a programme leader

Becoming a programme leader means learning to lead without line management, protecting your boundaries, and playing the long game. Here, Tom Chapman reflects on what he’s learned during two decades in the role

Tom Chapman

University of Southampton

Young man looking stressed as his inbox explodes out of his screen

How to turn your most aggravating student emails into a chance to spread joy

Faced with a flurry of grade complaints at the end of each semester, Danny Oppenheimer found a way to respond that generated positivity for students and himself. Read on to find out what he did

Danny Oppenheimer

Carnegie Mellon University

Why ECRs should have the courage to contact their academic heroes

How can Aristotle’s ancient wisdom about bravery help early career researchers overcome their fear of reaching out to established scholars?

Anastasios Koukopoulos

Athens University of Economics and Business

How early career lecturers can neutralise age-based assumptions in the classroom

With structure and clarity, new or young university teachers can confidently lead classrooms where students are older than they are. Here, Dikshitha Madisetty offers five strategies

Dikshitha Madisetty

University of Europe for Applied Sciences

Multiracial group of women, women in university leadership concept

What must change? Towards gender-equitable and inclusive academic communities

University leadership has a responsibility to support gender equity that goes beyond simply holding senior roles, writes Lily Kong. Here, she calls for changes in career pathways, workload allocation and service expectations to open space for more women

Lily Kong

Singapore Management University

A young academic plays a game on his phone while his co-worker naps on the desk

Don’t cry for me, academia: gamifying the early career experience

Wajeehah Aayeshah created the online card game Academic Tears to boost empathy for early career academics, and explored a new way of communicating research. Here’s how she did it

Wajeehah Aayeshah

University of Melbourne

Spotlight: Should I become a university administrator

Should I become a university administrator?

If you are considering a career move into university management, gather insights from this collection on what promotion from faculty to higher education administration entails

Campus contributors

Campus

An audience watching a man on stage in a theatre

Beyond overexposure: how academics can reclaim agency on LinkedIn

As LinkedIn shifts from online CV to personal branding stage, Jasmine Mohsen explores how scholars can reclaim agency, set boundaries and build sustainable digital identities without succumbing to overexposure

Jasmine Mohsen

SP Jain London School of Management

Participants in a seminar raise their hands

How to integrate development pathways for higher education professionals

Getting the best out of all employees means taking an intentional approach to staff development. This guide outlines four CPD categories and how to scaffold them

Steve Briggs

University of Bedfordshire

How technicians can achieve professional registration

Technical professionals are essential to the success of universities and research institutes. Nana Asante Asamoah-Danso offers guidance on achieving formal recognition

Nana Asante Asamoah-Danso

Imperial College London

Accompaniment: the key to engaging campus communities in change

To respond to change, leaders must create solutions with their employees and members of the community, rather than instituting a top-down approach. A Latin American leadership practice could be the answer

Annmarie Caño

Gonzaga University

A laptop and a hand scrolling social media on a phone, surrounded by visualisations symbolising likes, comments and followers

Content curation to build academic visibility

Content curation offers academics a practical way to share knowledge beyond the academy. Kelvin Ke Jinde outlines different approaches and shows how they can help researchers extend their reach, save time and engage wider audiences

Kelvin Ke Jinde

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

How compassionate spaces support career development for graduate teaching assistants

Bringing GTAs together in a safe space not only develops career identity, it fosters belonging, respect and care. Here, Kristy Campbell explains what a reading group offers those in the space between student and staff

Kristy Campbell

King’s College London

A woman in professional attire smiling to camera

How teachers can learn to lead

Success in the classroom doesn’t automatically make you a good manager. Garth Elzerman offers advice on building trust with the colleagues you lead

Garth Elzerman

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Turn your research into a Hollywood-worthy story

Take a leaf out of a master storyteller’s book. If you want your research to be noticed, transform it into a story. After all, it worked for Charles Darwin…

Simon Hall

University of Cambridge

Subtle steps that protect your authorship

Many early career researchers working with code, data and analysis assume goodwill is enough to secure authorship – it isn’t. Here’s how to protect your contributions and build fair, transparent collaborations

Hari Ram C. R. Nair

Chalmers University of Technology

Why university leaders must listen differently in one-to-ones

Talk less and listen more should be a mantra for leaders and managers. When they acknowledge diverse perspectives, avoid dominating discussions and reflect what they have heard, it sets the tone for more inclusive, respectful dialogue

Annie Owen

University of Southampton

How to get a four-star impact case study? Stop chasing one

Research assessment exercises have turned impact into a means to an end. Instead of writing a good story, do good work for genuine impact

Andy Phippen, Louise Rutt

Bournemouth University, University of Plymouth

Are academics becoming overexposed on LinkedIn?

Social media is key to building an academic network but what about the darker side of putting your professional life on global display? Larisa Yarovaya explores the balance between polished presence and oversharing

Larisa Yarovaya

University of Southampton

Campus Talks: Why teaching with artificial intelligence is ‘like a giant field experiment’

THE Award-winning educationalist Jenny Moffett talks about using AI so it supports learning rather than risks deskilling students, dealing with uncertainty in the classroom and the value of boredom

Jenny Moffett

RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences

Tips for mastering the art of negotiation in academia

Whether navigating marking loads or vying for promotion, strong negotiation skills can make all the difference. Drawing on theory and practice, here are five ways to build them

Nick Worthington

The University of Exeter

A teacher accepting an award in front of colleagues

The road to recognition: reflecting on our National Teaching Fellowship journeys

Three educators share what they learned from applying for National Teaching Fellowships – from overcoming self-doubt and building peer support to discovering that reflection is its own reward

Jennifer Rose, Nick Weise, Ang Davies

The University of Manchester

A meeting takes place around a long table

Build intellectual virtues in your business students by crossing disciplines

Here’s how a faculty programme helped educators embed qualities that underpin sound thinking and responsible leadership into the teaching of business students

Cecilia Primogerio , Camila del Carril

Universidad Austral

A woman researching at a desk in a library

How to get started with pedagogic research (and actually publish it)

Pedagogic research is increasingly central to teaching excellence in higher education, yet many academics are unsure how to begin. Discover how to shape your idea, secure funding, navigate ethics and find the right publication for your work

Rushana Khusainova, Marios Kremantzis, Christopher Pesterfield, Xiaoting Luo

The University of Bristol

The anxieties of non-research faculty at a research university

The worth of know-how – as opposed to know-that – is enhanced when instructors are full-time, eligible for tenure and materially supported in their collective endeavour. Here, Daniel M. Gross makes the case for valuing teachers’ collective wisdom

Daniel M. Gross

University of California, Irvine

A candidate shakes hands with an interviewer

Let’s rethink recruitment for an inclusive university culture

Recruitment remains rooted in tradition – but this could be more detrimental to an inclusive culture than we think. Here’s how to tweak the process to allow every candidate to show what they can do

Rachael Cornwall

Buckinghamshire New University

Why employability gaps widen as academic identity deepens

The more tightly researchers’ identities bind to the university, the less ready they often feel for life beyond it. Naming two modes of working, depth and outbound, can help universities close the employability gap

Alys Kay

University of Liverpool

A supervisor and PhD student having a meeting

Reimagining PhD supervision through allyship, creativity and decolonising practice

How a creative, person-centred and decolonising approach to PhD supervision can transform outcomes for postgraduate researchers from diverse and non-traditional backgrounds

Ursula Hurley

University of Salford

Campus Talks: How to unlock motivation and beat procrastination in your students and yourself

Two academic researchers and lecturers discuss the many factors that boost short- and long-term motivation and how to get yourself started when procrastination threatens

Ian Taylor, Helena Seli

Loughborough University, University of Southern California

How to motivate students and staff in higher education

Advice for faculty to find and maintain the motivation that they, and their students, need to progress in their work and learning

Campus contributors, Eliza Compton

Campus

Focus on programme leaders in higher education

Overworked and undervalued: how can we empower programme leaders in higher education?

Programme leaders are an often-undervalued part of the student learning experience. Here, Neil Ford shares advice on how peer networks and communities of practice can support programme leaders’ development and recognition

Neil Ford

University of Southampton

Campus Talks: Why ‘grit’ and knowing when to say ‘no’ are vital skills in academia today

In this week’s podcast, two professors discuss the skills and characteristics needed to achieve long-term academic career success and fulfilment

Jeffrey McDonnell, Sarah Robinson

University of Saskatchewan, IÉSEG School of Management

A life ring flotation device being thrown in the air against a backdrop of column-flanked neoclassical building

An academic’s survival guide

Academia offers rich rewards but these sit alongside job insecurity, spiralling workloads and repeated rejection. This survival guide explores how scholars can navigate key challenges in order to find fulfilment in their academic careers

Laura Duckett, Campus contributors

Campus

Young man working on document with laptop

Why researchers should consider a narrative CV

The narrative CV moves away from the usual academic metrics of publications and grants and allows university researchers to tell the story of their journey and impact. This guide offers practical tips for writing one

Jemina Napier, Multiple authors

Heriot-Watt University

Two heads are better than one: a practical guide to co-teaching

Co-teaching can benefit not only students and academics, but administrative staff as well. Here, Dinara Pisareva and Andrei Semenov explain how to find a compatible partner, plan and navigate when educators’ approaches diverge

Dinara Pisareva, Andrey Semenov

Nazarbayev University

Ozzy Osbourne star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

Ozzy Osbourne taught me how to survive academia

The Prince of Darkness helped me to build a university career, writes Brittany Anne Carlson. Here, she offers five tips to help fellow educators and researchers stay aboard their own academic ‘crazy train’

Brittany Anne Carlson

Westminster College

A professor takes a question during a lecture

How to motivate students? The answer hasn’t changed

We all know how to motivate students – it’s putting theory into practice that’s the problem. Understanding how motivation works can help

Ian Taylor

Loughborough University

Managing upwards in higher education, part 2: relational and personal boundary skills

The second in a two-part series focuses on protecting your integrity, building goodwill across your institution and setting boundaries around your time and availability to create sustainable, constructive relationships with your manager

Tom Chapman

University of Southampton

A lecturer stands in front of a microphone

What to do when faculty spread conspiracy theories in the classroom

Are your university colleagues superspreaders of misinformation? Here’s what to do when fellow academics promote conspiracy theories, and how to safeguard critical thinking – without compromising academic freedom

Stefan T. Siegel

University of St Gallen

How to navigate power dynamics in academia

Working under different managers and management styles can be as much of a learning curve for early career academics as their work. Find out how to stay balanced in a changing workplace

Ahmet Küçükuncular

Near East University

A chess player moving a rook across the board

Managing upwards in higher education, part 1: structural and political skills

Strategies for academics on working effectively with managers while protecting their time, integrity and career trajectory

Tom Chapman

University of Southampton

Lessons for academics in resilience, persistence and coping with failure

Rejection is part of every academic journey, but that doesn’t make it easier to bear. Drawing from personal experiences, Bhawana Shrestha reflects on how shifting mindsets, embracing support and practising ‘gentle ambition’ helped her build resilience

Bhawana Shrestha

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Why PhDs are more carousel than rollercoaster

How to make the most of the opportunities that teaching, research and seminars bring to your PhD journey

Nicholas Maldarelli

The University of Edinburgh

An academic’s guide to the art of negotiation: part two

How to understand your negotiation partner’s drivers, handle difficult situations and learn from each interaction

Natalie K. D. Seedan

The University of the West Indies

Five ways to centre faculty development at your university

Teaching quality can be an institution’s biggest asset, improving student retention and boosting reputation. So why not move faculty development to the centre of institutional strategy?

Salah Al-Majeed, Hayat El Asri

Al Akhawayn University

An academic’s guide to the art of negotiation, part 1: how to prepare

The first in a two-part series explores how to use Marshall Rosenberg’s ‘non-violent communication’ framework to help you prepare for negotiations in the workplace

Natalie K. D. Seedan

The University of the West Indies

Balloons, meritocracy concept illustration

EDI is meritocracy – why is that hard to understand?

Equity, diversity and inclusion is misunderstood when it is seen as valuing identity instead of skill within the systems that determine academic career progression. But it is in the sector’s interest to recognise and support talent, no matter what it looks like, writes Brooke Szücs

Brooke Szücs

The University of Queensland

An early career researcher’s guide to impact

Research impact can often be reduced to an administrative task, yet looking past metrics and seeing your work come to life can be incredibly rewarding. Here’s how to connect with the ‘why’ of your research

Andy Phippen, Louise Rutt

Bournemouth University, University of Plymouth

How to build unbreakable self-confidence: an academic’s guide

A strong foundation of professional self-confidence is crucial when treading the academic career path. Follow these five tips to cement yours

Ayten Erçoban Evren

Near East University

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