Author: Jennifer Polk
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Peter Larson, Writer and Editor, Transition Q&A
Peter Larson earned his PhD in biological sciences from Ohio University in 2003. He taught for 10 years at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire, where he earned both tenure and a promotion to associate professor. For the past two academic years he served as chair of the biology department. He resigned from his…
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Sonja Streuber, Metrics and Risk Manager, Transition Q&A
Sonja Streuber earned her MA in English from the University of California, Davis, where she also spent several years in the PhD program before leaving ABD. She later earned an MSc in engineering management and systems engineering from the George Washington University. Sonja is currently a metrics and risk manager at NiSource and teaches at…
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Jared Wesley, Director of Federal-Provincial Relations, Transition Q&A
Jared Wesley earned his PhD in political science from the University of Calgary. He’s now director of federal-provincial relations for the government of Alberta, adjunct professor of political science at the University of Alberta, adjunct professor of political studies at the University of Manitoba, and academic chair of the Institute for Public Administration Canada (IPAC) (Edmonton Regional Group). Find…
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Academia’s many worlds
I’m working on a piece for OCUFA about my reasons for not pursuing a tenure-track job. Reflecting on the topic — there’s much to unpack there! — eventually led me to think about how different people within academia actually inhabit their own unique spaces. Take a handful of tenured professors, even in the same or closely-allied disciplines,…
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Maria Irchenhauser, Division Manager, Transition Q&A
Maria Irchenhauser received her PhD in German literature from Queen’s University. She now manages the German division of an international media company in London, UK. Find her online over at LinkedIn and follow her @M_Irchenhauser. What did you hope for in terms of employment as you completed your PhD? When I completed my PhD in German literature in…
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Moving!
From now on, new From PhD to Life posts will appear over at University Affairs. This means a potentially larger readership and a few bucks for me. For you, it means that I’ll keep posting on this blog, but only to link to new UA pieces. Check out my first post here. It begins: I’ve just…
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My manuscript
I recently wrote about embracing the word “scholar.” In that post, I told you that my dissertation manuscript is in a pile on my floor. It’s moved around a bit in the year-and-a-half since I handed in the final version of my dissertation. I have worked at it, making changes big and small to the…
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Dawn Nickel, Research Consultant, Transition Q&A
Dawn Nickel earned her PhD in the history of health care policy from the University of Alberta. She’s currently working as an independent research consultant and also operates She Recovers, a business that organizes yoga retreats in Mexico for women in recovery from addictions, chronic disease, and other life challenges. Follow her @dawnsherecovers. What did you…
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You’re invited: New group!
After hosting a few group discussions and participating in lots of conversations with PhDs, I’m ready to take my next step: group coaching! So… I’m launching my first From PhD to Life weekly coaching/support group for recent PhDs, soon-to-be PhDs, and ABDs leaving the academy. Together, we’ll support and encourage each other as we take…
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Scholar
Several weeks (months?) ago, Brandy Schillace asked me to contribute to her Rogue Scholar Salon. I haven’t yet. I started but then got stuck. Where? At the word “scholar.” Brandy herself, a former tenure-track professor, is very much continuing as a medical humanities scholar despite going rogue—quitting her academic job! But me? Well, I never…