Anna Hughes via annagwenhughes.com (Aug 27, 2025)
Anna Hughes, an astrophysics PhD, offers practical advice for transitioning to industry jobs. She lists nine tips, including networking at tech meetups or field-specific events, tailoring resumes to highlight transferable skills, and seeking targeted communities like conservation work.
Repository of Career Advice
AI/ML
James Mulligan via jamesdmulligan.com (Aug 17, 2025)
James Mulligan, a high-energy nuclear physics PhD, shares his guide to landing tech ML roles in research and engineering. He outlines three steps (gathering info via networking, resume/portfolio prep with transferable projects, and targeted interview practice) which eventually led him to success after 124 applications with 4 offers over 6+ months.
Yuan Meng via yuan-meng.com (2022, 2024)
Yuan Meng, a cognitive science PhD, shares his advice for students transitioning into ML-related careers. In the first part, he provides guidance on landing a machine learning or data scientist role at a tech company through a university recruitment program (though he never ends up working as a product data scientist himself). In the second part, he provides a similar guide for more experienced candidates seeking roles as a machine learning engineer. In the third part, he reflects on how he would pursue a machine learning career if he could start again from zero.
Amir Feizpour via @AggieBranczyk on YouTube (Mar 14, 2024)
Amir Feizpour, a physicist who transitioned from a PhD in quantum optics to founding Aggregate Intellect, discusses the evolution of his startup. He reflects on his journey from academia to entrepreneurship, emphasizing the importance of resilience, the ability to learn quickly, and problem-solving skills cultivated during his PhD.
David Stutz via davidstutz.de (2022, 2024)
David Stutz, a computer science PhD focusing on deep learning, shares how he prepared for internships with Google AI and DeepMind. He discusses his preparation strategy, including reviewing old lecture notes and practicing coding interviews, and the specific list of topics he studied. He also talks about his experiences with cultural/behavioural interviews and the team matching process. In a separate post several years later, he reflects on his experiences in academic and industry.
Riccardo Di Sipio via @AggieBranczyk on YouTube (Nov 9, 2023)
Riccardo Di Sipio, a former experimental particle physicist at CERN, shares his journey from academia to industry as a machine learning developer at Dayforce. He discusses challenges faced when transitioning from academia to industry and emphasizes the importance of adapting by leveraging programming, data analysis skills, and staying updated with technology trends.
Nathan Lambert via natolambert.com, interconnects.ai (2022, 2023)
Nathan Lambert, a computer science PhD with a background in reinforcement learning, shares his experiences breaking into the job market for the AI industry. He provides a detailed breakdown of his success rate applying for positions at top AI labs, including the companies he applied for, the application timelines, and the offers he received. In a separate post, he reflects on the state of the AI job market as of late 2023.
David Fan via Medium (Feb 26, 2022)
David Fan, a former Princeton undergraduate, shares his journey from his freshman year to his first industry position at Amazon. Initially hired as a software engineer, he explains how he leverged his research background and networked within the organization to join a research team within Amazon. He discusses the biases he faced due to lacking a PhD and the steps he took to get his foot in the door.
Jorge Escobedo via Phase AI on Vimeo (Oct 16, 2020)
Jorge Escobedo, a physicist who holds a PhD in string theory, discusses his journey cofounding a YC-backed AI-focused customer data company and then joining Drop as the Head of Data and Machine Learning. He discusses the differences between working in academia and industry and provides advice for those looking to make the transition.
Danny Luo via dluo.me (Oct 9, 2018)
Danny Luo, a math and physics major at the University of Toronto, discusses his transition to the machine learning industry. He explains his rationale for making the transition, the steps he took to build his resume, and his frustration with online applications. Eventually, after pivoting his strategy to focus on face-to-face networking in Toronto, he lands several job offers.
Academia
Emily Petroff via @AggieBranczyk on YouTube (Oct 19, 2023)
Emily Petroff, a former astrophysics postdoc, now serves as the Associate Director for Strategic Partnerships at Perimeter Institute. She shares insights from her career transition from hands-on research to a research-adjacent role that involves both internal and external collaboration.
Katiuscia Cassemiro via @AggieBranczyk on YouTube (Sep 21, 2023)
Katiuscia Cassemiro, a former assistant professor in quantum optics, shares her transition to managing editor at PRX Quantum. She offers specific advice to PhD students: pursue challenging projects and explore various career paths.
Elizabeth Bondi-Kelly via sites.google.com (Apr 14, 2023)
Elizabeth Bondi-Kelly, a computer science PhD and post-doctoral researcher in artificial intelligence, shares her experiences on the academic job circuit. She talks about all aspects of the process from initial preparation to submitting applications, passing screening and job talk rounds, and navigating offers. Ultimately, she accepts a position as an Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Michigan.
Aerospace
Jay Lowell via @AggieBranczyk on YouTube (Apr 18, 2024)
Jay Lowell, who earned his PhD in atomic, molecular, and optical physics, reflects on his unconventional career journey from aspiring fighter pilot to Chief Scientist at Boeing. He talks about how his experiences in academia, government (including a role at DARPA), and industry provided him with varied insights on managing priorities and the importance of adaptability in one's career.
Brigette Oakes via @AggieBranczyk on YouTube (Nov 30, 2023)
Brigette Oakes, who completed her PhD in engineering physics, serves as the Director of Propulsion at Firefly Aerospace. In this role, she oversees a team of 65 while balancing design reviews and personal development initiatives. Oakes reflects on her journey from academia to industry, acknowledging the need for diverse experiences and networking in shaping one's career.
Data Science
Juan Ignacio Cayuso via @AggieBranczyk on YouTube (Sep 4, 2023)
Juan Ignacio Cayuso, a former cosmology PhD student, transitioned to a successful career in data science at an e-commerce firm, Mercado Libre. He emphasizes the blend of analytical and social skills required in industry and discusses the fast-paced nature of corporate work compared to academia.
Rami Luisto via ramiluisto.medium.com (2020, 2021, 2023)
Rami Luisto, a mathematics PhD based in Finland, discusses his journey from academia to data science. He recounts his initial preparation steps, his faulty assumptions, the timeline of his job search, and his interview experiences. He also shares the CV he used to land an offer. In a series of posts written months and years later, he reflects on his transition.
Chang Hsin Lee via changhsinlee.com (2017, 2018, 2019)
Chang Hsin Lee, a mathematics PhD based in Philadelphia, discusses his transition from academia to data science. In a series of posts, he outlines the skills he needed to learn, his experiences sending out 60 applications over the course of six months, and his advice for how to network when you're starting from zero.
Sean Grullon via philadelphiaphysicist.wordpress.com (Nov 11, 2016)
Sean Grullon, an astrophysics PhD based in Philadelphia, talks about the lessons he learned by trial-and-error during his transition to data science. He emphasizes the importance of personal projects, provides advice on how to sell your skills as a physicist, and explains why networking is crucial.
Education
Ekaterina Babourina-Brooks via @AggieBranczyk on YouTube (Sep 4, 2023)
Ekaterina Babourina-Brooks transitioned from a PhD in theoretical quantum information to become a high school teacher. She discusses how her PhD experience, particularly attending various conferences, helped her develop social skills and a more tolerant perspective in teaching.
Finance
Cristina Escoda via @AggieBranczyk on YouTube (Feb 29, 2024)
Cristina Escoda shares her journey from earning a PhD in string theory to becoming a venture capitalist, angel investor, and writer. She transitioned through film school and business school, eventually finding her niche in biotechnology investing. She advocates for curiosity and exploration over linear career paths, encouraging young graduates to embrace diverse opportunities and to not shy away from starting at the bottom in new fields.
Rohan Dalton via @AggieBranczyk on YouTube (Sep 4, 2023)
Rohan Dalton recounts his transition from a PhD in experimental quantum optics to a data engineering role in the fintech sector at a hedge fund in New York City. He discusses the relevance of problem-solving skills honed during his PhD and explains how these skills are sought after in finance, even if they initially seemed specialized. Dalton highlights the adaptable nature of his work, which mainly involves data ingestion, storage, and management.
Tom Davis via @ubcphas on YouTube (Mar 30, 2021)
Tom Davis, who holds a PhD in condensed matter physics, discusses the connections between physics and finance. He illustrates how can physicists thrive in finance roles through their unique skill set and the field's complex problem-solving demands.
Mark Greenfield via umich.edu (Sep 15, 2020)
Mark Greenfield, a pure math PhD (but still a student at the time of writing this post), discusses the steps he took to secure a research internship at SIG, a global quantitative trading and technology firm. This includes taking a C++ programming class and online data science classes, attending industry seminars, and preparing for technical interviews. He also describes his experiences as an intern (albeit remotely over Zoom due to the pandemic) and how it led to a full-time job offer.
Sean Mattingly via @MathatAndrews on YouTube (Jan 12, 2020)
Sean Mattingly, who holds a PhD in particle physics, discusses the value of math and physics majors pursuing non-academic careers, drawing on his own experience transitioning from academia to a senior position at Bank of America.
Emanuel Derman via Wiley Publishing (2004)
Emanuel Derman, a high-energy particle physicist, recounts his journey from unstable postdoc positions to pioneering quant roles at Goldman Sachs and Salomon Brothers from the 1960s until the early 2000s. The memoir contrasts the scientific pursuit of truth with finance's pragmatic modeling of markets, detailing his innovations like interest rate models and implied trees amid Wall Street's trader-quant tensions. It reflects on career perseverance, the limits of scientific methods in a chaotic financial field, and personal growth through job shifts from Bell Labs to quant leadership.
Software
Bety Rodriguez-Milla via @AggieBranczyk on YouTube (Oct 5, 2023)
Bety Rodriguez-Milla shares her journey from being a condensed matter physics PhD student to a successful software developer. She emphasizes the importance of adaptability, problem-solving, and networking throughout her career shift. She advises aspiring software developers, particularly PhD students, to build a portfolio, tailor their CVs for industry roles rather than academia, and to apply for job postings even if they don't meet every requirement.
Jacob White via jacob-white.medium.com (Feb 22, 2022)
Jacob White, an astrophysics PhD, highlights the challenges of transitioning into the software industry, particularly the need to translate academic skills into marketable talents. He discusses the setbacks he encountered (including 398 applications and a 75% ghosting rate) along with the steep learning curve for software interviews. In reflection, he emphasizes the importance of persistence, networking, and being open to exploring different career paths outside academia.
Dong Zhou via physicswork2.com (2016)
Dong Zhou, a physicist with a background in both quantum information and medical physics research, discusses his career transition to the software industry. He shares his motivations, application timelines, and a list of companies that interviewed, ghosted, or rejected him. In a separate post, he also describes his preparations for landing a data science position, though he never ended up in this role himself.
Jesse Johnson via ldtopology.wordpress.com (2015)
Jesse Johnson, a mathematics PhD, discusses how he pivoted from a post-doc at Oklahoma State University to become a software engineer in Google's Boston office. He talks about the differences between academia and industry, why he decided to make the transition, the benefits of informational interviews, and common mistakes to avoid during the interview process.