Academic career advice

Tips and resources to help you build a successful career in academia. From skills development during your PhD to securing tenure and preparing for a role in university leadership, all academic career steps are covered here. You will find advice on promoting your work, growing your professional reputation and developing collegiate networks to support your academic career progression - or to help you move into industry.

By kiera.obrien , 14 October, 2026

Who are you when you teach?

A teacher stands in front of class
Teaching isn’t just about activities and assessments – it’s about how we fill the different roles the job requires, personally and professionally. Here’s how to shape your educator identity
Reading time
4minutes
By Laura.Duckett , 13 October, 2026

Want to improve your teaching? Ask a teacher

A schoolteacher standing in front of a whiteboard interacting with pupils
Schoolteachers-turned-lecturers have a wealth of pedagogical knowledge, says Gordon Baillie, Here, he outlines reasons why university educators should be tapping into it and shares questions they can reflect on to improve their practice
Reading time
5minutes
By Eliza.Compton , 8 October, 2026

The Sisyphus trap: surviving plummeting funding success rates

Man pushing pound coin up a hill in Sisyphys metaphor for research funding
Building a research programme absolutely depends on winning grants, but early career researchers also need to be able to distinguish which opportunities are worth pursuing and where their finite time is best spent
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton , 7 October, 2026

Success in academia is more than a citation count

Three converging arrows
Academic communities have long relied on citations, publication counts, the journal impact factor and the h-index as indicators of scholarly achievement. These metrics capture only part of the story, as Rachel Miles explains
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton , 5 October, 2026

Great teachers simplify before they complicate

Four engineers considering an automotive problem
Students often overcomplicate challenging concepts, so educators should break complexities into parts, use real-world examples and introduce uncertainty to simulate industry environments
Reading time
4minutes
By kiera.obrien , 23 September, 2026

It’s time to stop celebrating resilience

A man at a desk rubs his forehead
When universities ask their staff to do more with less, is it really a test of individual fortitude? Rachelle McKay explains why we should stop praising endurance
Reading time
4minutes
Academic career advice