Career stories
Our interviews with established researchers made one thing clear: people want to hear honest career stories, not idealised versions of academic success.
We invited a group of established and senior researchers to reflect on their own pathways - the turns they took, the trade-offs they made, the myths they encountered and the advice they would now offer their younger selves.
The stories that follow span disciplines, institutions and roles. Together they reveal the lived realities of mid-career academic life: leadership that rarely arrives at a convenient moment, promotion that often requires strategy, impact work that runs alongside research, and the ongoing challenge of setting boundaries.
These are not polished success narratives. They are grounded reflections offering perspective, realism and practical insight. They represent the personal, honest experiences and perspectives of individual contributors, and others may experience academic careers differently.
Explore the Career Stories
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From principal investigator to institutional leader: choosing what to let go of in order to lead well
Crossing disciplinary boundaries: shaping a career between history and archaeology
Taking opportunities, leading through listening and collaboration, and empowering communities through research
From fair trade chocolate to food systems leadership: building impact through collaboration, systems thinking and strategic career moves
From Magic Circle solicitor to Professor: choosing intrinsic satisfaction, surviving career traps and learning that “good enough” really is good enough
Leadership in a time of jeopardy: realism about promotion, leverage and the realities of academic middle management
Redefining progression: building influence and expertise as a long-term researcher outside traditional academic hierarchies
Leading an institutional move with a research team, navigating what cannot be controlled, and prioritising the success of others over my own agenda
From over-ambitious projects to clear lab vision: learning patience, focus and the power of hiring the right people.
Moving from the NHS into academia, building confidence, and learning that asking for help strengthens rather than weakens you
From big fish in a small pond to tiny fish in a vast one: recalibrating identity, patience and progression after moving institutions
Moving institutions into a professorial role, overcoming imposter syndrome, and learning to prioritise the work that really matters
Building a 40 year academic career on my own terms, leading authentically, and redefining what progression looks like across institutions
Redefining success on my own terms, pushing back against imposed limits, and leading with passion rather than permission
Building long-term impact through international moves, field shifts and strategic patience
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