PhDs who’ve chosen an academic research career often expect that, after the gauntlet of training, holding a faculty position will allow them to focus on doing great research. And this is true to the extent that great research is the centerpiece of the role. Yet, with so many other responsibilities, focus gets divided such that much less time is spent … Read More
The Mid-Career Pivot: How to Expand Your Research into New Areas
By the time you’ve reached mid-career, you’ve likely built a strong foundation in your field: a defined research identity, a stream of publications, and even the long-sought tenure status. But what if that foundation starts to feel more like a box than a launchpad? What if you find yourself returning to the same questions, even as your curiosity stretches beyond … Read More
Reimagining Your Career Path: Why Exploring Transitions Can Strengthen (or Redirect) Your Academic Journey
The traditional academic career path has long been portrayed as a straight and narrow road: earn a PhD, secure a postdoc, land a tenure-track position, and climb the ranks. But what happens when that path feels uncertain—or worse, like a dead end? Between shrinking faculty positions, funding instability, and the growing mental health toll of “publish or perish” culture, it’s … Read More
How to Retain and Support Early-Career Faculty: A Strategic Guide for Decision-Makers
Attracting top academic talent is only the first step—retaining early-career faculty is essential. These junior scholars represent the future of research, teaching, and institutional reputation, yet many face overwhelming pressures that drive them away from academia. In fact, nearly half of early-career faculty consider leaving their positions within the first five years, often due to burnout, unclear expectations, or insufficient … Read More
The Art of Saying No: Protecting Your Time Without Burning Bridges
In a world where opportunities, requests, and obligations constantly compete for our attention, learning to say no is one of the most valuable—and underrated—skills we can develop. Many of us hesitate to decline requests, fearing we’ll come across as unhelpful, damage professional relationships, or miss out on future opportunities. But the truth? Saying no doesn’t have to mean shutting doors or … Read More
Avoiding the Post-Tenure Plateau: Strategies to Reignite Your Career
Tenure is a career milestone many academics spend years working toward. It’s the culmination of late nights in the office, countless hours of teaching, and the relentless pursuit of research excellence. But what happens once you achieve it? For some, tenure feels like the end of a race—a moment to exhale and celebrate. For others, however, it can feel like … Read More
From New Hire to Research Leader: Building a Foundation for Your Academic Career
Becoming an independent investigator is an exhilarating milestone in any academic career. You’re finally running your own research program, pursuing your own ideas, and shaping your unique contributions to your field. But let’s be honest—it’s also a little terrifying. Suddenly, you’re not just a researcher anymore. You’re a team leader, a mentor, a teacher, a grant writer, a committee member, … Read More
Navigating an Uncertain Funding Landscape
Research funding—uncertain in the best of times—is facing a period of instability in the U.S. due to recent policy shifts. Some funding programs have already been affected, and researchers across disciplines are navigating this uncertainty. At CareerVolt, we’ve been tracking these developments to better support investigators and institutions. We share the concerns many are expressing and remain committed to helping … Read More
Designing Faculty Development Programs that Actually Work
Faculty development programs are essential for helping academic researchers grow their skills, advance their careers, and meet institutional goals. But let’s face it: not all faculty development programs are created equal. Too often, they’re generic, overly theoretical, or disconnected from the real challenges faculty face. So how do you design faculty development programs that actually work? Programs that engage participants, … Read More
Raising Your Profile: How to Be More Visible to Advance Your Research and Career
Among the various promotion and tenure (P&T) metrics commonly applied to research faculty, one of the more nebulous is “reputation”. Where papers and grants can be quantified with numerical targets, reputation is harder to define with numbers. The vague nature of this assessment criterion understandably poses challenges to faculty who wish to establish their reputation but aren’t sure what exactly … Read More