Careers Week 2026

Monday 11 May | Academia vs. Industry

The question every PhD asks at some point — should I stay or should I go? We bring together voices from both sides to help you get clear on what's right for you.

Session 1: Should I Stay or Should I Go? (Panel discussion)

Speakers: Robert Harris, Isabelle Kohler, Irena Palamani Xhurxhi, Benjamin Weber 

Wondering whether to stay in academia or make the leap to industry? This panel brings together two researchers thriving in academic careers and two who have successfully made the move to industry — giving you a genuine, unfiltered view from both sides. Through honest conversation and real experience, they'll help you weigh your options, challenge your assumptions, and get clarity on what's right for you.

Robert Harris is Professor of Immunotherapy in Neurological Diseases and Academic Vice President of Doctoral Education at Karolinska Institutet, where he leads a research group developing novel cell therapies for ALS and Alzheimer's disease and has spent decades shaping how PhD education is done in Europe. He represents what a long, impactful career in academia looks like — and what it truly takes to build one.

Isabelle Kohler is Assistant Professor of Bioanalytical Chemistry at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and founder of NextMinds, a platform she built alongside her academic career to help PhD students and postdocs navigate their career paths with confidence. She knows first-hand what it's like to be in the thick of academia while asking yourself what comes next.

Irena Palamani Xhurxhi holds a PhD in Labor and Health Economics and spent six years as a lecturer and assistant professor before transitioning to industry — first as Senior Economist and AI Tech Lead at Amazon, and now as Director of People Science at Walmart. In her current role she actively hires PhDs, and knows exactly what it takes to make the leap and stand out on the other side.

Benjamin Weber holds a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences and has built a career spanning all phases of drug discovery and development, currently serving as Vice President of Translational Research at Novo Nordisk. Having made the move from academic science to pharma himself, and now hiring PhDs into his team, he brings a rare dual perspective on what industry is truly looking for.

Session 2: Behind the Scenes of the Hiring Process 

Speakers: Angela Priest  

Ever wonder what really happens after you hit "submit"? Angela Priest pulls back the curtain on how hiring decisions are actually made — giving you the insider knowledge to navigate the process with confidence.

Angela Priest is Co-Founder and COO of Alma.Me, bringing over 20 years of experience as a hiring manager across startups and large corporates — where she built high-performing teams, designed hiring processes, and trained hiring managers to find the right talent. Having reviewed thousands of resumes throughout her career, she knows exactly how hiring decisions get made behind closed doors, and she now puts that insider knowledge to work every day helping PhDs make the leap into industry.

Tuesday 12 May | What you need to successfully land a role in industry?

Landing a job in industry isn't just about having the right skills — it's about knowing how to present yourself, communicate your value, and show up as the professional you already are.

Session 1: Stand Out in the Job Market: Building a Personal Brand that Opens Doors   

 
Speakers: Stacey Ross Cohen

Many PhDs enter the job market without a clear professional profile — they know their research inside out, but struggle to communicate who they are and what they bring beyond the lab. In a competitive job market, how you show up matters as much as what you know. This session gives you the tools to define and communicate your unique value — so you attract the right opportunities and leave a lasting impression on the people who can hire you.

Stacey Ross Cohen is a CEO, author, and marketing expert with extensive experience in brand building, PR, advertising, and entrepreneurship, who has spent her career helping professionals and businesses tell compelling stories and position themselves powerfully in competitive markets.

Session 2: Stop Talking Like a Researcher - Communication Skills That Open Doors

 
Speakers: Chris Chin

PhDs are trained to think rigorously — but industry hiring requires a very different kind of communication. In this fireside chat we explore what it really takes to tell your story clearly, connect with interviewers, and translate your expertise into language that resonates with people who didn't spend years in a lab. 

Chris Chin is a TEDx speaker, founder of The Hidden Speaker, and a communication coach who specialises in helping technical professionals communicate with executive confidence. Having worked with leaders across data, finance, and tech, he has a rare gift for turning complex expertise into compelling, clear narratives — and in this session he brings that same practical approach to help you show up as the professional you already are.

Session 3: From Academic CV to Industry Resume: What Needs to Change and Why 

Speakers: Angela Priest

Many PhDs struggle to communicate a clear, focused profile of where they're headed — and in a competitive job market, how you show up matters as much as what you know. This session gives you the tools to define and communicate your unique value, reframe your experience in language industry understands, and build a resume that attracts the right opportunities.

Angela Priest is Co-Founder and COO of Alma.Me, bringing over 20 years of experience as a hiring manager across startups and large corporates — where she built high-performing teams, designed hiring processes, and trained hiring managers to find the right talent. Having reviewed thousands of resumes throughout her career, she knows exactly how hiring decisions get made behind closed doors, and she now puts that insider knowledge to work every day helping PhDs make the leap into industry.

Wednesday 13 May | What Gets You Hired

From AI tools to LinkedIn to your resume — this day is all about the practical strategies that actually move the needle in your job search.

Session 1: Stay Ahead of the Curve: AI Tools You Need to Know as You Move into Industry 

 
Speaker: Irena Palamani Xhurxhi  

AI is reshaping how industry works — and knowing how to use it is quickly becoming a baseline expectation, not a nice-to-have. But for PhDs moving out of academia, knowing which tools matter, how they're actually used in business settings, and how to talk about them confidently in interviews can feel overwhelming. This session cuts through the noise and gives you a practical, grounded overview of the AI tools that are changing the workplace — and how to start using them to your advantage right now.

Irena Palamani Xhurxhi holds a PhD in Labor and Health Economics and spent six years as a lecturer and assistant professor before transitioning to industry — first as Senior Economist and AI Tech Lead at Amazon, and now as Director of People Science at Walmart. Having led AI strategy and workforce transformation at scale, and actively hiring PhDs into industry roles herself, she brings both the technical depth and the insider perspective to show you exactly what industry expects — and how to get there.

Session 2: Biotech is Hiring PhDs — Here's How to Get In  

Speaker: Emily Cohen

Biotech is one of the most exciting and natural landing spots for life science PhDs — but breaking in requires more than a strong publication record. Many PhDs don't know where to start, which roles suit them, or how to position themselves for a field that moves fast and hires differently from academia. This session gives you a practical, honest guide to understanding the biotech landscape, finding your fit, and making a move that sticks.

Emily Cohen earned her PhD in Genetics from Yale University and completed her postdoctoral research at Harvard Medical School, studying breast cancer signalling and metabolism, before transitioning into industry as a senior scientist specialising in oncology drug discovery. Now also a career coach at Alma.Me, she combines her first-hand experience of making the leap from academia with a genuine passion for helping other life science PhDs find their footing in biotech — and she knows exactly what that transition looks and feels like from the inside.

Session 3: Get Found, Get Hired: Leveraging LinkedIn in Your Job Search

Speaker: Elena Hoffer

Most PhDs either ignore LinkedIn completely or treat it as a digital CV they update once a year — and both approaches are leaving opportunities on the table. LinkedIn is the single most powerful tool in your industry job search, but only if you know how to use it strategically. In this session Elena walks you through how to optimise your profile so recruiters find you, how to build a network that opens real doors, and how to use LinkedIn actively to accelerate your job search — without spending hours scrolling.

Elena Hoffer, PhD completed her PhD at Karolinska Institutet before co-founding Alma.Me. She knows first-hand what it takes to leverage LinkedIn as a scientist — it was LinkedIn that sparked the connections that led her to build Alma.Me, and she has since written about the experience for Nature Careers. As a speaker, coach, and host of the PostPhDirections podcast, she now helps PhDs every day to find their footing, build their professional presence, and land roles they love.

Thursday 14 May | Success Stories

PhDs, real transitions, real lessons. Hear directly from people who made the leap and find out what it actually takes to build a career you love outside academia.

Success Stories  What does it actually look like to leave academia and build a career you love? Thursday is dedicated to the people who've done it. Three researchers who made the move into data science and finance share their journeys — the pivots, the doubts, the turning points, and the moments that made it all worth it. No theory, no advice columns — just honest stories from people who were exactly where you are not long ago.

Session 1: From PhD in to Data Science 

 
Speaker: Skylar Brennan

Skylar Brennan (Buettner) is Principal AI Architect at Vail Resorts, where she leads AI strategy for the Guest Experience Technology team, specializing in customer experience and marketing personalization.

Session 2: From PhD in Chemistry into Data Science 

From a PhD in chemistry to Principal Data Scientist — Crystal's journey is proof that scientific expertise is more transferable than most researchers realize. She shares the pivots, the learning curves, and the moments that changed everything.

Speaker: Crystal Kitanovski

Crystal Kitanovski is Principal Data Scientist at Shield Legal, with over 8 years in machine learning, building AI systems that turn complex data into actionable business outcomes.

Session 3: From PhD in Astrophysics into Finance 

What does a PhD in physics have to do with finance? More than you'd think. Amelia shares the surprising parallels between her academic background and her career in financial services — and the mindset shift that made it all possible.

Speaker: Amelia Henkel

Amelia Henkel is an analyst at Fidelity Investments who transitioned from a PhD in physics, bringing the analytical rigor of academic research into the world of finance.

Session 4: Presentation Skills That Get You Hired

Researchers know how to present findings — but industry hiring demands a different kind of performance entirely. Andrew Churchill shares the techniques that help you walk into any room, own it, and leave a lasting impression.

Speaker: Andrew Churchill 

Andrew Churchill, is a presentation coach at McGill University who trains researchers to communicate with clarity, confidence, and real impact in high-stakes settings.

Friday 15 May | Adjusting to Industry Culture & Mindset

Getting the job is one thing — thriving in it is another. We close the week by getting honest about the mindset shifts, cultural adjustments, and personal resets that make the difference between surviving and succeeding in industry.

Session 1: Thinking Like an Industry Professional

Speakers: Sophia Parks, Michael Rempe, Emory Richardson, Emily Richard

What does industry actually feel like once you get there? This panel brings together four Alma.Me Job Accelerator alumni who have recently made the transition from academia into industry roles. Together they get honest about the mindset shifts, the culture shocks, the unexpected challenges — and what they wish they'd known before they started. Led by Angela Priest, this is one of the most candid conversations of the week.

Sophia Parks is a PhD toxicologist who moved from academia into a remote Project Manager role in healthcare technology, redefining what success looks like outside the lab.

Michael Rempe earned a PhD in applied mathematics and spent over a decade in academia before transitioning in 2025 to Senior Advanced Analytics Analyst at Grainger.

Emory Richardson earned his PhD from Yale in 2023 studying social cognition in networks, and now works as a data scientist at PayPal specializing in fraud prevention.

Emily Richard is Lead Data Scientist at A-G Associates, leading projects for the Department of Veterans Affairs and applying advanced statistical methods to complex real-world challenges.

Session 2: Go Get It: Your Next Chapter Starts Now 

Speaker: Elena Hoffer 

The biggest obstacle between you and the career you want isn't your CV or your skills — it's your mindset. In this closing session, Elena challenges you to stop waiting and start building the life you actually want. You'll leave energised, focused, and ready to take your next step.

 Elena Hoffer, PhD is co-founder of Alma.Me and a speaker at universities globally to empower and inspire PhDs to take charge of their careers. On LinkedIn, she speaks daily to a growing community about the PhD-to-industry transition — cutting through the noise with honest, practical advice that resonates with researchers at every stage. She knows firsthand what it takes to make the leap, and she's built her work around making sure you do too.