Hi everyone, Recently, one of my clients realized something that I think many academics can relate to: You cannot change the past. It sounds simple, but more academics struggle with this than they admit. I work with PhD students who grieve the fact that they are now in year six and did not finish...

Hi everyone, This week, I coached three PhD students and in two of the sessions we kept coming back to the exact same topic: Introductions. And even though these conversations happened in PhD coaching, this issue shows up at every career stage. Whether you are writing a thesis, a habilitation, or...

A recent Science|Business article caught my eye this week, which found that fixed-term academic contracts discourage radical research. Honestly, that didn’t surprise me at all. If you’re on a short-term contract, the incentives are very clear: You want a project you can finish within the contract...

Hi there, Welcome to the very first edition of my new newsletter. It’s something I’ve been meaning to start for a while now, and in the spirit of “progress over perfect,” I decided to just begin. For those who don't remember me: Hi, I'm Melanie Sindelar, and I'm a professional writing and career ...