Hi,
I’m Pauline 🇫🇷 🇨🇭 🇪🇺 🧠 🔬
This is a blog intended for ECR (Early Career Researchers), in particular for PhD students based in Switzerland 🇨🇭
I started it in 2018, after completing my PhD in neurobiology at the University of Fribourg.
Importantly: this blog is my independent activity, it is fully independent from the university I am working for now and from the universities I used to work for in the past. In other words: opinions are my own.
About This Blog: Why a Blog?
To share what helped me through the doctoral process in the hope to help current PhD students. And just like anybody, to share stories, to put information together, to help spread awareness on some topics which I believe are important.
I’ve been exploring different formats, sharing some of my own stories, or others’, writing reflective pieces, writing some guidelines, putting together resources, summarizing some scientific papers…
So far I’ve been focusing on #SoftSkills, #Career and #MentalHealth for PhD students because I think these topics are connected. Check out all my articles here!
OK… but Why?
I believe that public research is a main source of positive development in our world. To succeed in doing so, academics need to have a safe and empowering environment to work in.
I think that all academics would highly benefit from earlier and better training in project management, human resource management, team work and team communication skills, time management and other crucial work organization skills.
I was inspired by a doctoral program, which provided me with such training, and which also allowed me to meet many PhD students from various fields and to hear about their ups and downs in their own journey.
I’m happy of what I accomplished in my studies, I’m grateful to my PhD supervisor who supported me in this blog project and career choices.
Now I am proud to be able to support others too, through this blog, through my job and through my new coaching skills (2026!) 😊
More About Me, CV Overview:
- Since end of 2024: training to become certified coach with the Institute of Coaching of Geneva and aiming toward the International Coaching Federation certification. For more about my coaching service, have a look at the Coaching page! 🚀
- Since 2022: Deputy at the Graduate Campus of the University of Lausanne (Switzerland):
- 2020-2022: Two part-time positions at the University of Neuchâtel (Switzerland):
- Coordinator of the previously named Doctoral Program in Organismal Biology: administrative support and counseling for 80 PhD students, organization of 20 workshops per year.
- Coordinator of Advanced Education Programs: workshops organization and coordination for turning an onsite MAS into 3 online CAS including new study programs validation.
- Coordinator of the previously named Doctoral Program in Organismal Biology: administrative support and counseling for 80 PhD students, organization of 20 workshops per year.
- Since 2018: Managing this website Academiac.net. Advocating for soft skills training in academia, writing about careers and well-being for early career researchers.
- 2017-2019: 18 months travel in Asia while working on Academiac.net and other online projects.
- 2013-2017: PhD in Neurobiology with Prof. Simon Sprecher, Department of Biology, University of Fribourg (Switzerland).
- Co-first author in an open-access journal (elife) and collaboration on an international consortium project (Journal of Experimental Biology).
- Volunteering: organized a PhD students’ retreat; 2 days / 1 night for 20 students for CUSO doctoral program.
- Mentoring: co-supervised 2 bachelor students.
- 2009-2012: Engineering Master Degree in Biotechnology, at ESIL School of Advanced Studies in Engineering (Marseilles, France).
For even more, have a look at my LinkedIn profil here.
I hope you’ll find my blog interesting 😊
Feel free to reach out, I would love to hear from you!
pauline(at)academiac.net