What is Substack?
Substack is a mix of different things like social media, blogging, and email newsletters. Unlike traditional social media, Substack offers an environment where you can engage deeply with content through newsletters, audio, and subscriber-only posts—making it a powerful tool for building meaningful intellectual connections.
List of Substacks To Follow
- After Your PhD LLC – The official Substack page for After Your PhD!
- Andrea Grandi – Scientist & Mentor | Pharmacologist & Content Creator | Corporate Professional & Solopreneur.
- Beyond Academia – Matteo Tardelli, PhD, author of “Beyond Academia: Stories and Strategies for PhDs Making the Leap to Industry,” interviews PhDs about their transitions into industry roles across biotech, consulting, and more.
- Cort Does Science – Cortney Gensemer, PhD, writes accessible, evidence-based science communication on chronic illness research, drawing on her own PhD training and lived experience as a patient.
- HJ Scarsella – Has a great post called “This is not a breakup letter.”
- Leaving Academia After a PhD – Haley Larsen, PhD, writes about life as an independent scholar and what it feels like to build an alt-ac career after leaving academia with an English PhD.
- MeghanBPhD Newsletter – Notes on DEI, Modern Workplace Culture, and Leaving Academia. She writes that “I am a sociologist who is keenly interested in the changing nature of work, both academic and otherwise, and also in how we navigate work culture broadly and the pursuit of equity and belonging in contemporary work environments specifically.”
- Mike X Cohen – A former tenured neuroscience professor who left academia in 2022, Mike writes candidly about why he left and now teaches applied math, AI, and data science independently.
- Page by Page – Mary Flannery, a medievalist, writes for scholars and writers navigating academic and non-academic careers, including her own experience working at a museum after her PhD.
- PhD Paths – Sharing stories and insights from 300+ interviews with PhDs who have transitioned to careers beyond academia.
- Publish Not Perish – Jenn McClearen, PhD, a former professor turned academic writing coach, writes on scholarly writing, tenure, and career development in and out of academia.
- Reimagine Research – Practical guidance and personal stories on scholarly identity, writing, and career development in and out of academia, including reposts from other academics navigating the transition.
- The Intrinsic Perspective – Erik Hoel, a neuroscientist who resigned his Tufts professorship to write full-time, on consciousness, science, and building a career outside the traditional academic system.
- Unprofessoring – Stories, community, and support for anyone seeking to consciously uncouple from the ivory tower. Created by Liz Haswell.