Don’t panic, pivot! Real stories of leaving academia and building new careers
Pivoting Life is a podcast about career change for scientists and researchers. We talk with people who left the academic path – PhDs, postdocs, and early-career researchers – to explore alternative careers in industry, non-profits, tech, and beyond. Each episode shares honest stories, lessons learned, and advice for navigating life after academia.
How a screwdriver learned to stop acting like a hammer
In this episode, we meet Jason Mellad – a life scientist turned consultant, biotech CEO, and venture investor – whose career has been anything but linear.
Raised by a scientist and a social worker-entrepreneur, Jason always knew he was a blend of two worlds. But it took years (and a few sharp pivots) to stop forcing himself into the mould of what a “real academic” (a hammer) should look like and start playing towards his own strengths (a screwdriver).
We discuss how he navigated visa setbacks, chose not to take on the founder title, and ultimately led a growing biotech startup through fundraising, scaling and exit. Along the way, he learned how to stop acting like what was expected of him and instead built a career that played to his real strengths.
This episode is about learning to work with your brain, not against it – and realising that sometimes, you're not the wrong tool, you're just in the wrong toolbox.
21 Aug 2025
From sleep labs to soccer apps: Isabel’s leap into tech entrepreneurship
Isabel Hutchison was deep in the world of neuroscience – researching sleep and memory, publishing theoretical papers… chasing an academic career seemed inevitable.
In this episode, we trace her path from late nights staring into EGG waves and postdoc life in Chicago to building an AR sports app that teaches kids skill moves through dance. Isabel talks candidly about creative frustration in academia, the slow pace of science, and her unexpected plunge into entrepreneurship.
We explore how she taught herself data science, found a co-founder by pure chance, and began building a startup from scratch. And we ask: what kind of resilience does it take to leave the comfort of research behind, face rejection, fundraise as a woman in tech and still believe in the thing you’re building?
24 Dec 2024
Wildlife and lenses: How Ben Harris found his focus
In this episode of Pivoting Life, we sat down with Ben Harris, a wildlife documentary camera operator currently working for the BBC, to explore his incredible journey from zoology student to capturing the natural world’s most breathtaking moments on film. Ben shares how his passion for the outdoors and tinkering with cameras sparked a career pivot from academia to adventure. From teaching himself filmmaking on YouTube to crawling through bat-filled caves, his path has been anything but ordinary. Along the way, he’s discovered the art of storytelling, the power of mentorship, and how connecting with others can open doors to remarkable opportunities.
8 Aug 2024
Slithering from biology to software: one Python code at a time
In this episode, we chat with Ben Trigg, a biologist turned software engineer, about his unconventional career path.
From pipetting in the lab to debugging Python code, Ben shares his journey of transitioning from academia to the tech industry, the skills he transferred, and the challenges he faced along the way.
Join us as we explore how he "slithered" from biology to software, one Python code at a time.
24 Apr 2024
A life beyond lab coats
Elisa Kieback, co-founder of the biopharmaceutical company T-knife, was well-set on an academic journey by her researcher parents. She trained as a biologist and moved around, pursuing opportunities in Heidelberg and Glasgow. Elisa settled in Berlin at the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) studying T cell receptors. Eventually, she floated in postdoc space's uncertainties, where mentors helped her find new purposes. She used her group's research and training to start Berlin's most successful pharma and biotech startup in recent times.
29 Feb 2024
The accidental corporate Intrapreneur
Sarah Hintermayer is Vice President of regional strategy at Evonik, founder of a food venture, and lecturer on entrepreneurship in biotech at the University of Bielefeld. After completing her PhD in biotechnology, she worked as a process engineer at Evonik, a specialty chemicals company focussing on concrete. Sarah then transitioned to become a corporate entrepreneur (intrapreneur). She continuously moved within the company, motivated by teamwork. This brought her from managing products on self-healing concrete to personal healthcare products, and eventually to a role as head of regional strategy.
21 Dec 2023
The introvert's formula to pivoting
Satoshi Ohtake, Senior Director of Pharmaceutical Research and Development at Pfizer, has navigated a tumultuous yet rewarding path in academia and industry. His journey unfolded through pivotal decisions in graduate school, a later shift from catalysis research to cryobiology, an unexpected dive into computational science and frequent ventures beyond his comfort zone.
As an introvert, he adeptly balances the pursuit of a robust network while staying true to himself. Encounters at conferences, strategic use of LinkedIn and invaluable mentorship were his compass as he ventured into the private sector. Join us for a revealing conversation with Satoshi, an introspective scientist and astute business leader. His career spans academia, start-ups and the corridors of Pfizer.
22 Nov 2023
LinkedIn ruined my comfort zone
From Biochemistry to Bioinformatics to Business Development.
In this episode, Natalia Jiménez, Global Life Science Lead at CGG, discusses her transition from academia to industry. After 14 years of academic research, she was offered a position in a technology company doing bioinformatics, a field she was not particularly trained in. She took the challenge and found the commercial environment, doing business development in health and life sciences, to be very enriching. Natalia enjoyed the discussions with her colleagues, transforming their struggles into opportunities for her company.
24 Oct 2023
From agri-waste to tasty pastry
Tom Simmons, co-founder and CEO of the Supplant Company, dreamed of becoming a full professor in biochemistry. Eventually, he launched a venture through the prestigious Y Combinator program to make our food more sustainable and sugar-free. Tom kicked off his career with an undergraduate degree in biochemistry. He later pursued a postdoc in plant science at the University of Cambridge. His interest in the renewable use of plant materials, particularly in the context of bioenergy and biofuels, guided his scientific pursuits. However, it wasn't until he joined the entrepreneurial postdoc society and participated in entrepreneurship programs that he began considering starting his own business, which eventually evolved through various business models before settling on producing natural sugars.
12 Sept 2023
Pilot – who we are, where we started
Meet Kathi, a former scientist who leapt into the vibrant world of startups.
Xenia, a passionate science communicator bridging the gap between complex research and the public. And Hannes, a professor in information systems, who constantly struggles with the boundaries of academic professions.
Join this eclectic trio as they introduce Pivoting Life, a podcast dedicated to the myriad paths life scientists tread outside the confines of traditional academia.
Dive deep into the heart of unique career narratives.
Discover the rollercoaster of successes and setbacks, and bask in the raw authenticity of our guests’ stories.
Pivoting Life isn’t about achieving a flawless career
trajectory – it’s about embracing the unexpected, learning from each
twist and turn, and finding your own definition of success in science.
Tune in and get inspired to pivot your life towards an uncharted horizon.
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