Academic Career Coaching for PhDs Candidates
With Structure, Confidence and Perspective Through Your PhD
Stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure where your PhD is taking you?
Find your way forward — in one focused session with a professor who’s been there.
Feeling Stuck in Your PhD? You’re Not Alone.
If you’re a PhD candidate or early-career researcher, chances are you’ve felt this too. Maybe it sounds like:
Maybe it sounds like:
I have no idea how to approach my supervisor about this.
Should I even stay in academia?
I’m doing everything right — and still feel completely stuck.
I keep putting off the decision because none of the options feel right.
Everyone around me seems to have a plan. I don’t.
I’m exhausted. Is this burnout, or is the PhD just not for me?
You’re not failing. You’re navigating one of the most opaque career environments in existence — without a map, without a real mentor, and often without anyone who truly gets it from the inside.
And you can change it.
Where change begins
PhD Coaching That Moves You Forward
I don’t show up with a generic framework or a standard checklist. I show up with 15+ years of experience as an active researcher and professor and the tools of a certified professional coach.
You bring your situation. We work on it together.
That might mean getting clear on a decision you’ve been circling for months. Naming what’s actually going wrong with your supervisor dynamic. Or mapping out what a realistic next step in your academic career could look like.
By the end of our session, you won’t just have talked, you’ll have moved. You’ll see where you have agency. You’ll have something concrete to take forward.
Clarity about your path and your options
Concrete next steps you can act on immediately
A realistic view of what your academic career can look like
Full confidentiality — everything we discuss stays between us
I Know This World From the Inside.
Coached by a Full Professor Who’s Been There
Most career coaches don’t understand academia. Most academics aren’t trained coaches. I’m both.
I’m a full professor with 15+ years of experience as an active researcher and lecturer. I’ve led international research projects across seven countries, sat on hiring committees, and guided countless PhD candidates through the messiest parts of their academic journey.
I know what a strong research profile looks like — and what one that needs repositioning looks like too.
But I’m also a certified professional coach. Which means I don’t just give you advice based on my experience. I help you figure out what you actually want — and build a realistic path to get there. No generic frameworks, no standard checklists. Just focused work on your specific situation.
That’s what makes this different.
What PhD candidates say about working with me
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
After my PhD I still didn’t know what really counts for an academic career. Or that there isn’t “one right path.” Thank you for the empathetic conversations.
I’m now on the right track.
Jen
Technische Universität München
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely — especially then. Coaching doesn’t push you in any direction. It helps you figure out what you actually want, so you can make the decision from a place of clarity rather than pressure or panic.
Your supervisor has their own agenda. A generic career counsellor doesn’t know academia from the inside. I’m a full professor and a certified coach — I understand both the system and how to help you navigate it on your own terms.
You bring your situation and we work on it together. Depending on what you need, that might mean untangling a difficult decision, addressing a supervisor dynamic, or mapping out your next career move. You leave with clarity and a concrete next step.
Yes, completely. I hold professional confidentiality as a certified coach. What you share with me goes no further.
Many people find that one focused session creates significant movement. If you’d like to continue working together, that’s always possible.
The discovery call is also a great first step to figure out what makes sense for your situation.
The discovery call is a free 20-minute conversation to see if working together makes sense — for you and for me. No commitment, just a first honest conversation.