Welcome To Papa PhD
with David Mendes, PhD
Career & Life Balance Exploration
for Academics and Graduate Researchers
Latest Episodes
Leveraging Your Degree in Medical Writing With Rebecca Tadokera
Are you feeling stuck, wondering what career options are available beyond academia? In this episode of Beyond the Thesis with Papa PhD, Dr. Rebecca Tadokera shares her journey from...
Making an Impact With a Career in Fundraising With Kenna Barrett
Does the NGO world interest you? And did you know that the job of Fundraiser ranks no. 17 in US News Best Business Jobs? This week on Beyond the...
100 000 Listens – A Celebration With Friends of the Podcast
Last week, you, the Papa PhD listeners, brought the show across the 100.000 listen line. Thank you!!! As an indie podcaster running Papa PhD since almost 4 years, I...
The Importance of Voice as an Academic and Beyond With Inês Moura
You may have done a few oral presentations, but are you making the best out of your voice when you’re speaking in public? In this Papa PhD expert interview,...
Common Obstacles to Accelerating PhD Talent with Pradeep Kumar Sacitharan
The PhD is an old institution, steeped in tradition and in compliance with a very structured set of rules. But what if, in the context of preparing for your...
The Regulatory Domain as a Path for PhDs With Drew Slack
This week on the show, I’m bringing you yet another treasure from the vault – my Season 1 conversation with Drew Slack, where we talked about his journey from...
SHS versus sciences dures – comment se légitimer? Avec Arthur Lin
Tu aimes Papa PhD ? Laisse-moi un commentaire > ici < – une courte phrase suffit ! Et inclus ton identifiant Twitter – comme ça je pourrai te remercier...
PhD Dojo – Becoming an Entrepreneur During Your PhD With Gad Sabbatier
Welcome to another collab episode of the PhD Dojo with The 2nd Lab. VIDEO In this new PhD Dojo episode, I pick Gad Sabbatier’s brain about best practices when...
Leaving Academia as a Philosophy PhD With Aaron Kagan
What place does a philosophy PhD have in the modern marketplace? In this Papa PhD interview, I explore this question with Aaron Kagan, philosophy PhD and staff user experience...
Featured Guests
Career Coach | Civil Engineer
Rebecca is a medical communications professional who has made a successful transition to the field after spending more than 12 years working as a research scientist in academia. Rebecca holds a PhD in clinical immunology and a Master of Public Health from the University of Cape Town and has worked as a Senior Research Scientist and Research Specialist in a number of academic and public health of institutions in South Africa.
Rebecca is the founder and CEO of ScieHealth Communications, a boutique medical writing and scientific communication consulting company based in Cape Town, South Africa. Rebecca is passionate about science communication and its potential to positively impact society.
Nonprofit leader | TEDx speaker
Kenna Barrett is a fundraising coach based in Silver Spring, MD. Currently, she serves as the Chief Development Officer of University Libraries for the University of Maryland.
She teaches fundraising at Sacred Heart University and has taught at Johns Hopkins SAIS. Kenna is a regular presenter in the fundraising community on topics such as “Making the Ask” for Introverts, the Science of Schmoozing, The Inner Game of Fundraising, and more.
As a coach, Kenna loves to work with introverts, writers, working parents, career-changers, and anyone else who wants to perfect their pitch–whether to solicit a gift, land a job in philanthropy, or simply level up their professional persona.
Executive Vocal Coach
Inês Moura is an executive vocal coach, with over 10+ years of experience in helping Leaders, Business Owners & Experts take their voices to the next level. She believes that everyone has a voice that deserves to be heard!
Scientist | Author | Speaker
Pradeep Kumar Sacitharan an extraordinary life story. He went from teenage gangster, high school drop out to award winning scientist at Harvard in 7 years. He went on to discover drugs and become Vice President of a biotech with a revenue of 1.6 billion. Then he quit his career and founded his own 8-figure company.
Doctorant | Entrepreneur
Titulaire d’une Licence d’Histoire et d’un Master en Ingéniérie de la Protection Sociale, Arthur Lin est actuellement doctorant en sciences de l’information et de la communication – son sujet traite de la RSE dans les organismes de sécurité sociale: discours et vécus.
Arthur est persuadé que les questions de qualité de vie au travail et d’intégration du handicap en entreprise sont centrales et très importantes à prendre en compte pour permettre une véritable prise de conscience des compétences des personnes en situation de handicap.
Philosopher | UX Researcher
Aaron Kagan received his PhD in Philosophy from Fordham University in 2017. He is a Staff User Experience Researcher at Google, working on human choice, and sits on the APAs committee for non-academic careers. He has 7+ years of experience in the tech industry, holding positions at Google, Meta Reality Labs, Loon, and Native Instruments. He has published journal articles on embodiment, emotion, and enactive perception, and he is currently writing a book for Routledge on the Embodied Mind. He is a passionate advocate of the societal relevance of philosophy, and has written, presented, and spoken to undergraduate and generalist audiences about applying philosophical skills in non-academic sectors.
Wellbeing And Burnout Coach
Özgün Ünver is a certified life, stress and burnout coach working with academics around wellbeing, mindset, and burnout prevention/recovery.
She has a PhD in social policy, a strong interest in psychosocial wellbeing in the workplace, and a passion for normalising mental health-related conversations in every aspect of our lives.
Her mission is to help academics (and everyone else) to prioritize self-care, work-life balance, and mental (as well as physical) health.
Career Wellness Coach
Danielle De La Mare, founder of Self-Compassionate Professor, focuses on healing academics’ relationship to work, helping them to clear mental and emotional clutter, make space for their own needs and wants, and find the clarity to make sound and meaningful career decisions grounded in wellness.
Testimonials
“In my continued search for new science podcasts, I happened upon Papa PhD, hosted and produced by its creator David Mendes.
This podcast has wonderful interviews with those who’ve completed their PhD’s where they talk about what brought them to the path they are currently on in their career.
When it comes to thinking about networking and thinking outside the box as far as next steps after your PhD program, this is the podcast to subscribe to.” – Read article here.
Suzanne C. Miller – Managing Editor, Integrative & Comparative Biology
« Il y a beaucoup de conseils de carrière judicieux dans chacun des podcasts.
Le parcours des intervenants est diversifié, tant académique que professionnel.
L’intervieweur laisse un bel espace aux intervenants et pose des questions pertinentes aux moments opportuns. »
François T. on Podchaser
“Your podcast series is like a treasure mine for me 🙂 Every time I listen to one episode I find someone I want to connect to.
I don’t know how I will be implementing the feedback and guidance I have received so far from all the connections from your podcast series, but at least I know I really am enjoying connecting with new people.
Especially knowing that someone is involved in a job they are really happy in and that they have carved for themselves is so inspiring.”
Anushka K. – Doctoral Researcher at Okayama University
Jean-Patrick Toussaint – Mieux préparer les doctorants à l’emploi