THE PROBLEM
Why a dissertation gets stuck in the time left over
You may know exactly what your next chapter or paper requires and still struggle to make it happen consistently. Teaching, meetings, and other people’s requests carry immediate consequences. Your dissertation rarely does.
Or the difficulty isn’t the writing, but the direction. Finishing a dissertation while also deciding what comes next, managing a supervisory relationship, or working out how ambitious the project can still be.
The Academic Freedom Lab supports both: the work directly in front of you, and the wider career and way of working around it.
This is a year-round membership. Arrive with a three-month completion target or a longer path toward finishing; the useful timeframe is the one that matches your actual goal.
How the lab helps you
Dissertation writing coaching and phd career coaching in one place
This is dissertation writing coaching and phd career coaching in one place, so you don’t have to compartmentalize the two.
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Best decision I ever made. In my first two hours of thesis coaching with Dominik, I learned more about academic work than in my entire degree.
Highly recommended.
David
Johannes Kepler Universität Linz
What membership includes
The usual academic reading group discusses finished work by people who aren’t in the room. Paper Club discusses unfinished work by the people who are.
Deliberately small: two or three pieces of work per session, circulated in advance, each with a proper slot — long enough to get past first impressions into the structure of the thing.
Co-Writing
Virtual working sessions with other academics, twice a week.
Individual coaching
Recurring 1:1 sessions with Dominik — planning, unblocking, and decision-making.
Member Circles
Monthly small-group sessions about your project, career, or working well.
Community Platform
Where the community meets and materials are shared.
Writing course
Building a Prolific Academic Writing Practice.
How it works
1
Have a discovery call
Establish together whether the Lab fits what you need.
2
Join the community
After payment you’ll get access and a welcome guide.
3
Start with coaching
Your first session happens within 14 days.
4
Choose the formats that help.
Reserve Co-Writing, Circles, and other events.
Membership Options
* Tax is added automatically at checkout, including VAT for Austrian customers.
Optional: Vienna add-on: €9/month
Additional one half-day in-person event/month (alternating Writing Retreat and Coaching Hike), capped at eight members.
Terms
Billed monthly. Starts with a three-month commitment, then continues monthly with 30 days’ notice — except the first 30 days, when you can leave without risk. Unused coaching units roll into the following month, then expire.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Whether you’re defining the project, sustaining momentum mid-way, or finishing and deciding what’s next — describe your goal and timeframe in the application.
No, both are optional. Use what helps your current work.
Yes. Papers, proposals, presentations, career applications, and other academic projects all fit.
Through the Events page. Heartbeat is the community space where online sessions happen and materials are shared.
No. Coaching and Career Circles cover academic paths, roles beyond academia, or uncertainty between them.
No. The Lab provides coaching, structure, community, and formative feedback — it doesn’t replace therapy or your university’s formal supervision.
Most phd coaching online focuses on one relationship and stops there. Academic Freedom Lab pairs dissertation coaching with a small PhD community, structured Circles, and Co-Writing — so the accountability doesn’t rely on a single monthly call.