Angela Priest

Alma.Me

At Alma.Me, we help PhDs kick start their careers in industry through on-demand courses, online communities, networking, and resources to help them make the transition from academia to industry with confidence.

Co-Founder and COO

Groyu

At Groyu, we empower businesses to grow by acknowledging the fundamental importance of people across all aspects of business operations. We use a practical approach rooted in psychology, lean six sigma, agile, and project management best practices to help companies achieve scale, empowering their teams with streamlined processes and sound operational strategies to drive results.

Highlights of accomplishments:

- Led a digital marketing company's organizational structure and customer onboarding overhaul, propelling an exceptional 63% improvement across critical metrics, accelerating the customer onboarding process by 78% (from 67 days to 15 days), doubling productivity, and cutting rework loops by 75%.

- Guided a CPG startup with a results-oriented approach and practical solutions to avert the decline of organizational values, advised the formation of a change management committee to drive the values' integration, articulation of corresponding behavioral guidelines, and narrative storytelling approach to promote buy-in.

Managing Director

wejo

Headed strategy, corporate development, and innovation functions, as an integral part of the senior leadership team, offering strategic guidance to foster growth in a big data, SaaS company while directly reporting to EVP, Strategy, and Innovation.

Highlights of accomplishments:

- Championed and sponsored the successful pilot of an agile innovation approach, driving accelerated R&D with a 75% reduction in ideation and validation cycle time, from six months to just six weeks.

- Represented the organization in various industry events and company investor day as a company spokesperson, playing a key role in generating potential investment capital worth $50M.

Senior Vice President Strategy & Innovation 

GutCheck

Served as a pivotal member of the senior leadership team, overseeing the company's operations, continuous improvement efforts, and business analytics. Acted as a strategic advisor on operational synchronization for all business units while directly reporting to the CEO. Developed and executed a laptop refurbishment program during the pandemic, effectively managing the laptop shortage.

Highlights of accomplishments:

- Orchestrated the timely procurement and integration of 80 new devices, inclusive of system installations, leading to the elimination of daily service incidents, previously averaging three per day.

- Led the centralization and integration of an enterprise-level supplier procurement with a competitive bidding process, and standard contract terms for performance to better manage risks and costs while controlling for redundant purchasing.

Vice President, Operations and Business Solutions 

Provided leadership and guidance to 34 team members and 12 offshores, overseeing supplier procurement, business process improvement, and business analytics. Offered expert advice and insights to the executive team while reporting to the Executive Vice President, Client Solutions and Insights. Engaged in close collaboration with the executive leadership team and internal stakeholders to create annual budgets and business strategies in alignment with organizational objectives.

Highlights of accomplishments:

- Boosted customer satisfaction and retention by introducing an improved post-order customer engagement approach, leading to a substantial 33% expansion in average deal size, while sustaining a commendable 63% gross margin and achieving significant savings of over $500K.

- Architected the integration of customer success and customer delivery teams, leading the design of new roles and functional processes to support a streamlined customer service team.

Sr. Director of Operations, Client Solutions and Insights

Directed and mentored 22 team members and 12 offshores with key responsibilities in supplier procurement, business process improvement, and business analytics. Spearheaded process improvement initiatives for the customer success team following the integration of research operations.

Highlights of accomplishments:

- Drove a substantial productivity boost, scaling monthly revenue 188% without incurring additional costs through streamlining processes, optimizing ways of working, and strategically rebalancing the tenure of talent on the team.

- Utilized customer feedback to bolster department effectiveness by establishing a three-year strategy and aligning manager and individual objectives (OKRs), resulting in an 84% client satisfaction rate and adaptation to aggressive growth objectives.

Senior Director of Research Operations

J.D. Power

Supervised and coordinated quality and process improvement initiatives for a large, globally distributed team of 100+ professionals handling project management, research execution, and field management. Served as a trusted advisor to the CEO, CFO, and Executive Vice President of Global Research Operations, contributing to informed decision-making and organizational success.

Highlights of accomplishments:

- Established and enforced key performance indicators and reporting procedures to ensure timely identification and resolution of critical failures, resulting in enhancing operational visibility by 43%.

- Streamlined resolution process and ownership for reoccurring quality issues and operational failures by conducting impactful Kaizen events on B2C ratings and B2B flagship products, including U.S. Retail Banking Satisfaction Study, U.S. Insurance Shopping Study, Automotive CX and IQS Studies, and others.

Senior Manager, Performance Improvement

Served as Chief of Staff, driving the development of a team consisting of 21 highly competent Project Managers and implementing performance improvement processes to improve quality and streamline B2B business processes.

Highlights of accomplishments:

- Played a key advisory role, contributing to a $1.1B valuation exit for the prior parent company.

- Facilitated the professional development of project managers through hands-on leadership, contributing to a 50% promotion rate to PMO leadership roles within a two-year timeframe.

- Directed the standardization of corporate operational metrics, leading to improved accountability, enhanced objectivity, and validated information by Project Managers, which resulted in a substantial annual revenue recovery of $5M+.

Senior Project Manager, PMO Operations Lead / Chief of Staff

Oversaw the design and execution of research projects for diverse clients in retail, automotive, and public sectors, ensuring the alignment of research methodology with project objectives and deliverables.

Highlights of accomplishments:

- Spearheaded the development of a robust standard operating framework and procedures for the research business unit to drive operational excellence, leading to significant improvements in efficiency and consistency.

- Identified new opportunities for research projects, propelling the growth and expansion of the research business unit.

Research Manager

Administered the design and planning of new syndicated research programs in the Government, Healthcare, Pharmacy, and Retail sectors. Managed a team comprising four interns and two direct reports, providing effective leadership and guidance.

Highlights of accomplishments:

- Drove a culture of continuous improvement by actively seeking opportunities to refine research methodologies, processes, and deliverables, leading to elevated quality standards in customer programs.

- Supervised the successful launch of new syndicated research programs, meticulously coordinating timelines, resources, and logistics for a seamless implementation.

Research Supervisor

Lieberman Research Worldwide

Designed and guided market research, providing advisory services to clients in the entertainment industry.

Vail Resorts

Gathered market research data, performed analysis, and issued weekly reports to guide strategic decision-making related to the guest experience and brand perceptions.

Market Research Interviewer

UCLA Anderson Executive Education

Drove the implementation and refresh of database systems to support executive education programs.

Database Administrator

I'm a data geek and process nerd who loves to build people up and help them grow. For 20 years, I've been turning chaos into order at companies across all stages of growth to ensure that their teams flourish. I'm now throwing my passion for helping people into helping PhDs, PostDocs, and Mid-Career Researchers get jobs in industry. My goal is simple: to help brilliant minds thrive outside the academic world and make real impact in their new careers.

Check out my website to learn more: www.alma.me

Dear Employers - A PhD isn't entry level.

They've already spent years solving complex problems independently.

Start them where their skills below (and please pay them accordingly).

PhD Career Guide | Hiring Manager | 20+ Yrs Building High Performing Teams | COO @ Alma.Me

Dear Employers - PhDs doing REAL work during their degree programs.

Designing and running experiments, innovating new methods and techniques, working equipment, managing data, mentoring, presenting, writing papers.

Oftentimes, they're partnering with companies and other organizations because that's how their work is funded.

And we all know how much of that research and "academic" work is actually used in commercial products.

Please don't disregard that experience in your hiring decisions, just because it was in another environment.

Dear Employers - Please don't confuse lack of industry titles with lack of experience.

PhDs have led teams, budgets, and projects.

But academia uses much more standard, generalized titles.

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A PhD we work with was rejected by a recruiter, but the CEO overturned the decision.


She applied and received a rejection for a Medical Writing position at a small, non-profit.

It had a hard requirement for a bilingual speaker.

After being rejected, she emailed the CEO and he asked his team to interview her given her experience (even knowing she wasn't bilingual).

She was invited for an interview.

This shows that when you contact the right decision-makers, they can flex their requirements for the right candidate.

It's always possible for the right person to change a "no" to a "yes."

If you want to learn how to reach decision-makers, position yourself strategically, and open doors when they seem closed, check out our job search program.

👉 Apply here: www.alma.me

We accept 2 PhDs per week.

#phd #jobsearch #careers

Jobseekers are constantly hearing about everything bad going on in the job market. Here are a few things to know:


💡 Companies are still hiring.

4 people in our job search program have gotten jobs in the past month alone.

💡 But, they are being more cautious in their hires.

It's not enough to just have the skills. You have to also have the personality, temperament, and disposition to fit in with the team.

💡 There are always fewer open positions at the end of the year.

It's budget season. Many companies slow hiring while they get next year's budget's approved.

💡 But, hiring generally picks up at the start of every year.

Now is a great time to get your resume and job search strategy going, so that you can be ready to hit the gas in the new year.

If I could give PhDs one piece of advice to improve their job search, it would be this:

Work on your communication skills.

- In academia, complex language is a signal of rigor to your peers.
- In industry, complex language is viewed as a barrier to action for your stakeholders.

Your job is not to prove you're smart (they know you are or you wouldn't have a PhD).

Your job is to persuade people to hire you. Clarity is the tool of persuasion.

In industry, you will have a lot of non-technical stakeholders.

So, if you're not making it through the interview process or you keep getting passed over for other candidates, ask yourself:

Am I communicating what I've done in a language that everyone in the room understands?

Because clarity builds connection and connection is what gets you hired.

👉 If you want to learn how to communicate your value clearly and confidently in interviews, apply for our job search accelerator program:

www.alma.me

We can help you translate your academic experience into a story that hiring teams understand.

#phd #careers #jobsearch

One of the PhDs we helped get a job called me after he started his new position. 

"I feel like I can't get my work done because of how many discussions I have to have about everything."

That's one of the biggest mindset shifts PhDs face when they transition out of academia. 

The shift can be jarring.

Academia is an individual sport. 
Industry is a team sport.

Each requires different skills and a different mindset.

In academia, your success often depends on your individual output: your projects, your publications, your results.

In industry, success depends on collaboration: how you work across functions, share knowledge, and move things forward together.

You're no longer just the expert on your project. You're part of a larger team working toward a shared goal.

Once he learned about this difference, it was smooth sailing. He no longer felt like he was underperforming and could better integrate himself in the team.

👉 In our job search program, we help PhDs make this transition smoothly, learning how to communicate, collaborate, and show the impact they can bring as part of a team.

Apply here: www.alma.me

Why do some PhDs get hired and others don't, even when their skills are the same?

In 20 years of hiring, I see the same pattern over and over:

The candidates who connect with the humans in the process are the ones who get hired.

Here's what that looks like:

A tenured professor joined our job search program for help transitioning to industry. She was applying for a data scientist role at a startup in the digital learning space.

During our mock interview, I asked her:

💬 "Why do you want this job?"

Her first answer?

💬 "I have the skills. I check all the boxes."

Fair answer, but it wasn't enough.

So I asked:

💬 "Sure, but why do you WANT to do this work?"

She paused. Then said:

💬 "I'm a neuroscientist and a teacher. I've spent my career thinking and
studying how people learn. This role would keep me doing that, just in a
new way."

And that's the shift.

From blending in with every other candidate to being personally aligned with the company's mission.

Needless to say, the recruiter moved her to the next round.

Not just because of her skill set.
But because she made it human.

What most PhDs don't realize is:

- Most recruiters and hiring managers don't have a PhD
- Some have never hired a PhD before
- And many don't actually know what a PhD entails 

So when you lead with your degrees and publications, you may accidentally create distance instead of connection.

The best candidates don't just share what they can DO.
They share why it MATTERs to them.


#phd #careers #jobsearch

What a great end to the week! 3 of the PhDs we're working with got a job in the past week and 2 others are starting their new positions the first week of Dec. So, for all you jobseekers out there, don't lose hope. Companies are still hiring. Your offer might be just around the corner.

One of the PhDs we worked with was spending 3-4 hours tailoring her resume and cover letter.

This meant that she couldn't get into early applicant pools and she lowered her chances of getting her resume seen.

Here's how we got her down to a 30-minute application to improve her results:

1. Define 1 role she wanted to target. Helped her pick her lane and not try to fit every job description.
2. Identified the common skills and requirements across companies for that role to focus her core message.
3. Wrote her resume to center around those themes.
4. Showed her how to adjust her resume in two minor areas to tailor for each company.

That's it.

She now had a resume that could be used universally across companies but FELT specific to each one.

When people say "tailor your resume," this is what they mean.

Not random mass applications, but targeting your resume for your best fit role.

With this approach, you can apply for 3-5 high quality roles per day in less than 2 hours. And voila, now you can compete in your job search at scale.

👉 In our job search program, we help PhDs streamline their applications, build high impact resumes, and apply more strategically, so they can spend more time getting interviews. 

Check it out on our website: www.alma.me

#phd #jobsearch #careers

"I don't know how I would have gotten an offer without your advice."

One of the data science PhDs we worked with recently landed her dream job at nearly 2x the salary she thought was possible.

Before working with us, she hadn't gotten a single interview.

Here's what we advised:
1. Stop applying to entry-level roles and aim for more senior positions.
2. Reframe her resume to highlight applied skills instead of describing tasks
3. Apply consistently and strategically, not in occasional bursts
4. Focus on industries where she had relevant subject matter expertise

When you align your applications with your value, instead of downplaying your expertise, your results will shift.

👉 Are you a STEM PhD struggling to get job interviews?
Apply for our job search program: www.alma.me
We accept 2 new PhDs each week.

"I matched all the skills, applied, and never heard back. Now the role was reposted. What does this mean?"


It's one of the most frustrating things to see.

You apply for a job that's a perfect fit, get no interview, no response, then a few weeks later, the same job pops up again.

It can make you wonder, "Was I not good enough? Did they just not like me?"

Here are a few of the ACTUAL reasons companies repost roles:

* It's an evergreen posting to keep the pipeline warm for future openings
* They're keeping backups in case the first round of candidates falls through
* The ATS or job board automatically closed the post and it needs a refresh
* The role evolved and needs a new level, focus, or skill set
* No one fully met the requirements
* Too few strong candidates to run a full, competitive interview cycle
* They're widening the pool to validate the current finalists
* Compliance rules require the role to stay open for a set amount of time
* HR needs to repost for audit/equal opportunity reasons
* An offer fell through and the search restarted
* Hiring was paused (e.g., budget freeze). Reposting means it's reapproved.

So, try not to take the repost personally.

Keep applying. Odds are the repost is unrelated to your application.

👉 Our job search program helps PhDs understand how hiring really works and position yourself so the right people notice you.

You can apply here: www.alma.me

We accept 2 new PhDs each week.

#phd #jobsearch #careers

Over the past year, we've worked with PhDs, postdocs, and even tenured professors. And no matter how far along they are, they tend to find us at one of four stages:

1️⃣ "I have no idea how to land a job in industry."
They feel lost and overwhelmed.
We help them bring structure and strategy.
Helping them be confident in their search with a clear plan.

2️⃣ "I've been applying for months and not getting interviews."
We help translate their experience into the right language, target roles (and levels) that actually fit.

3️⃣ "I'm getting interviews, but they always go with someone else."
We train them to connect their academic experience to what hiring manager are really looking for and to communicate that confidently.

4️⃣ "I'm interviewing, but I don't feel confident."
We focus on mindset: owning your value, knowing what you bring to the table, and learning how to navigate conversations (and offers) with confidence.

But all of them have one thing in common:

They recognize they're struggling. And they don't want to do it alone anymore.

No matter the stage, we meet you where you're at.

👉 If any of these stages sound like you, or if you're just ready for structure, clarity, and support in your job transition, check out our job search program.

Apply here: www.alma.me

We can help you find your path after academia and help you build confidence in what comes next.

#phd #careers #jobsearch

Most PhDs who come to me for help want to upskill.

But skill is rarely the problem when PhDs transition into industry.

It's communication.

Communicating your value to a new audience, in a new language.
Both in you resume and during the interview.

Learn how to frame the experience you already have in an industry context if you want to get better results. 

This often means simplifying.

👉 Join our job search program (www.alma.me) and learn how to communicate your value clearly and confidently in a way that gets you hired.

#phd #jobsearch #careers.

Having hired and built high performing teams for 20 years, here's what companies usually look for (and how it's different from academia):

💡 Academia is driven by the pursuit of fundamental truth.

In academia, hiring is often focused on publications, awards, achievements, presentations, grants, etc. 

This demonstrates your ability to create knowledge that the university uses to build their reputation and institutional presence.

In other words, your work needs to be polished, precise, and defensible.

The CV is the record that creates that defensibility.

⏩ Industry is driven by the pursuit of creating value.

Hiring is focused on your ability to create impact (i.e., drive action and forward progress). This means creating recommendations, product features, or inform decisions that save time, money, or improve quality.

Speed and impact > precision.

The industry resume is that demonstrates (through examples) your ability to create value.



#phd #jobsearch #careers

Data science, ML & AI @ Walmart | ex-Amazon | Mom of 👦👧 | Sharing Real Stories to Inspire Change ✨

Data Science & AI Transformation Leader | Generative AI Pioneer | $200MM+ Value Creator

As a dynamic leader in data science and AI transformation, I drive enterprise-wide adoption of cutting-edge technologies, delivering generative AI solutions that have unlocked over $200 million in measurable business value. With deep expertise in machine learning, AI strategy, and responsible AI governance, I specialize in aligning advanced analytics with strategic goals to optimize workflows, enhance decision-making, and accelerate innovation.

At my current organization, I pioneered a company-wide AI transformation, architecting robust frameworks, upskilling 200+ team members, and embedding ethical AI practices into mission-critical workflows. I thrive at the intersection of data science and strategy, developing predictive models that improved efficiency by 15% and reduced cycle times by 80%. My leadership approach cultivates high-performing teams that consistently exceed expectations and deliver measurable results.

Beyond technical expertise, my background as an educator and mentor empowers me to communicate complex concepts with clarity, fostering collaboration across engineering, product, and executive leadership teams. I hold a Ph.D. in Economics and am passionate about exploring the transformative potential of data science and AI to build solutions that shape the future responsibly and inclusively.

Specialties: Machine Learning | Generative AI | LLMs | Data Science | AI Strategy | Responsible AI | Causal Inference | Data Storytelling | Team Leadership | Stakeholder Engagement

Let’s connect to explore how data science and AI can drive transformation, optimize workflows, and deliver exceptional business outcomes for your organization.

Irena Palamani Xhurxhi Ph.D.

Every day this week, I will be posting gratitude to someone who shaped my journey.

Today, it is for my kids.

“Can you say no to a job offer?”

My 3rd grader asked this a few months after we moved to Arkansas.

Before we left Seattle, I had asked them both how they felt about moving. They were excited. New adventure. New house. New friends to make.

They said yes.

But saying yes in Seattle is different than living it in Arkansas.

The questions came after we arrived.

Why do you have to work? 
I miss my friends. 
When are we going home?

So I sat down with my daughter and we talked. 

Really talked. About my career journey, about dreams, about why this move mattered to me. About the years of work that led to this moment.

And she looked at me and said: “I get it, Mom. I get it.”

She is 8 years old. And she understood.

This Thanksgiving, I am grateful TO my children.

Not because the move was easy. It was not.
Not because they do not miss their Seattle friends. They do.

But because even when reality hit harder than they expected, they chose to understand. 
They chose to adapt. 
They chose to trust me when trust required faith.

To my kids:
You said yes before you knew what it would cost.
And when you found out, when the homesickness and the newness and the hard parts showed up, you dug deeper.
You stayed brave when brave was exhausting.
You carry the weight of my ambition every single day.

Thank you for making room for my dreams in your childhood.

Thank you for your resilience when I needed it most.

Thank you for getting it.

And to every child who has followed their parents across moves and sacrifices:
Your courage matters.
Your adaptability is extraordinary.
You are the reason your parents can chase what they have worked so hard to reach.

This Thanksgiving, this is for you.

#Gratitude2025

It is Thanksgiving week.
Every day, I am posting gratitude to someone who shaped my journey.

Today, it is for my team.

Six months ago, I joined Walmart’s People Science team.

I cannot believe how fast half a year has passed.

I came from Amazon to lead a team I had never met, in a company I was just getting to know.

And here is what I have learned in these six months: The best teams are not built on hierarchy. They are built on trust, curiosity, and the belief that every voice matters.

When people feel safe to challenge ideas, to ask hard questions, to push back respectfully—that is when real innovation happens.

I found exactly that here.

It started before I even joined.

Amelia was my recruiter. The first person I interacted with as a representative of Walmart.
She made me love this company before my first day. Our conversations were so genuine, so warm, that I knew I was making the right choice.

Then there was Beila, my hiring manager. She welcomed me from day one. Made me feel like I belonged before I even had time to wonder if I did. She set the tone for everything that followed.

And then there is my direct team.

Chih-Ting and Jidhu welcomed me in. They brought me into ongoing projects without hesitation. They shared context, asked thoughtful questions, and made space for new ideas.

Then I had the privilege of hiring Anthony and Weibin. Bringing them onto the team has been one of the highlights of these six months.

As a team, we have embraced change when change was hard, and we show up every day ready to build something better.

Working with them has reminded me why I love this work: using data science and economics to answer research questions that improve the experience of our associates. We are people-led, tech-powered. And that mission matters.

To my broader People Science and WII teams (Ashutosh, Stephen, Amal, Anwesha, Scott, Andrew, Jennifer, Matthew, Suhas, Vivekraj, Ashwath, Albert, Hemakshi, Leela, Nivedita, Mindy, Marti):  
You have made collaboration feel effortless. You have welcomed my questions, shared your expertise, and treated me like I had always been part of this team.
Thank you for making this feel like home.

And to my close partners and collaborators across Walmart:
The teams who trust us with their hardest questions. Who partner with us to turn data into action. Who believe that research can drive real change for our associates.

Your trust means everything. Your partnership makes our work possible.

I look forward to deepening that collaboration in the years to come.

This Thanksgiving, I am grateful for a team that leads with trust.
That asks hard questions and listens to the answers.
That believes the best work happens when everyone has a voice.

To everyone who has been part of this journey:
Thank you for showing me what great teams are made of.

Here is to stronger partnerships and a brighter future! 

#gratitude2025 #walmart #peopleledtechpowered #peoplescience

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It is Thanksgiving week.
Every day, I am posting gratitude to someone who shaped my journey.

Today, it is for the adults in my family.

My mom was a teacher who was never satisfied.

Straight A’s? “You are doing okay, but you can always do better.”

I signed up for extra math and English lectures after school. I brought home perfect grades. It was never enough.

But here is what I did not see then: She was not teaching me to chase grades. She was teaching me to chase knowledge. To learn for the sake of learning. To never stop being curious.

That restlessness, that hunger for more, that is her gift to me.

My dad came from a culture where fathers did not say they were proud.

I worked my entire childhood waiting to hear those words.

It finally happened near the end of college. And when he said it, I realized something: I had spent all those years becoming someone worth being proud of.

He taught me to seek better versions of myself. Even when the words came late, the lesson came early.

My sisters were 5 and 8 when I left home.

For years, I carried the guilt of missing their childhood.

But somehow, we grew up together anyway. Across countries. Across time zones. Across years of distance.

Now they are my best friends. My go-to for every problem. Sometimes just being together, not even talking, is all I need.

My husband was my first deskmate in 1st and 2nd grade.

We used to fight about who got better grades.

It is kind of funny that now we are married.

That ambition we had as kids? It never left. It just grew with us.

Now we are the biggest supporters of each other’s careers. Each other’s dreams. We fight for what is best for our family. We make decisions together.

He is not just my partner. He is my teammate in every sense.

This Thanksgiving, I am grateful for a family that raised me in perfectionism and ambition.

Not the toxic kind. The kind that says: You are capable of more than you know.

My mom taught me curiosity.
My dad taught me resilience.
My sisters taught me that love survives distance.
My husband taught me that partnership means cheering for each other’s wins as loud as your own.

To the families who push us, challenge us, and believe in us even when we cannot see it:
Thank you.

You shaped who we became.

Every day, I have been posting gratitude to someone who shaped my journey.

Today, it is for three women who inspire me every single day.

Shelmina Babai Abji 

I first heard her name at GHC 2023.
Everyone was talking about her session. “You have to go.” “She is incredible.” “Get there early.”
So I showed up an hour before it started and waited in line with hundreds of others.

The session was electrifying.

Shelmina has a way of inspiring women like no one I have ever seen. She does not just talk about empowerment. She makes you feel it in your bones.

One thing she said stuck with me: “Power is what people say about you behind closed doors.”
That session was a wake-up call for my career.

I bought her book, Show Your Worth, immediately. I read it cover to cover.

And here is what amazes me most about Shelmina: Despite everything she has achieved, she is so approachable. So humble. So genuinely invested in helping women succeed.

She is helping women in tech in every corner of the world. And now she has her own AI GPT to scale that impact even further.

Elena Hoffer, PhD

Elena co-founded Alma.Me, a company that helps PhDs transition into industry.
I wish she had been around when I was on the job market. I would have signed up in a heartbeat.

Elena is a beautiful soul, inside and out.
The first time we met, I knew we would have been great friends if we lived closer. There is so much kindness in her heart. She truly wants to help every PhD lead a successful, fulfilling life.

She was so generous to invite me onto her podcast. It gave me visibility I had never had before. It let me express myself in ways I had not done publicly.

That kind of support? It changes everything.

Samira Hosseini

Samira is the founder of Autonomous Academic Accelerator, where she has helped hundreds of academics publish in top journals.

More recently, she became Editor-in-Chief of Artificial Intelligence Advances in Education, a peer-reviewed journal focused on research at the intersection of AI and higher education.

She was so kind to offer me an opportunity to be an advisor on the journal’s board. And she invited me to speak at the SAMYRAD Conference in Sevilla in October 2026.

These opportunities mean the world to me. They push me to grow. They remind me that my voice matters.

These three women inspire me daily.
They are not just role models for me. They are role models for every young professional trying to find their way.

Shelmina taught me to own my worth.
Elena taught me that kindness and ambition go hand in hand.
Samira taught me that lifting others up is the greatest form of leadership.

To Shelmina, Elena, and Samira:
Thank you for your generosity. Thank you for your belief in me. Thank you for showing me what it looks like to lead with purpose and heart.

And to everyone reading this:
Follow their journeys. Learn from them. And when they help you—because they will—pay it forward.

That is how we build a community that truly lifts each other up.

Open article: Alma.Me | Helping PhDs Transition from Academia to Industry by alma.me

Alma.Me | Helping PhDs Transition from Academia to Industry

It is Thanksgiving week.
Every day, I am posting gratitude to someone who shaped my journey.

Today, it is for my LinkedIn community.

It just crossed 30,000 people.

Less than a year ago, there were maybe 500.

I was terrified to post. Terrified that no one would care. Terrified that I had nothing valuable to say.

And then three people changed everything.
Venkata, Dean, and Taha.

Venkata met with me early on and shared his learnings. Dean gave me visibility by shouting out my profile. Taha believed in my voice before I did.

They did not have to do any of that. But they did. And it made all the difference.

Here is what no one tells you about being a creator:
Some days, you pour your heart into a post and get nothing.
No likes. No comments. No sign that anyone even saw it.
And you start to wonder: Am I wasting my time? Does anyone care? Am I adding any value at all?
Those days are brutal. And they come more often than you think.

But then someone comments. Someone shares your post. Someone messages you to say “this resonated with me.”

And suddenly, you remember why you started.
I could not have gotten here without this community.

The people who comment on my posts even when engagement is low.
The people who like, share, and bring my work to their networks.
The people who reach out privately to say “keep going.”

You gave me a voice when I was still finding it. You gave me confidence when I was full of doubt. You showed up on the hard days and made me believe this mattered.

To everyone who has engaged with my content, shared my posts, or sent me a kind message:
Thank you for being part of this journey.
Thank you for making space for my story.
Thank you for reminding me that showing up is worth it.

This Thanksgiving, I am grateful for a community that lifts each other up.
That celebrates wins, big and small.
That believes in people before they believe in themselves.

Here is to the next chapter—together.

To Elena, David, Samira, Andrea, Rohit, Sujoy, Hari, Sairam, Hem, Jorge, Brett, Hina, Andres, Igor, Renuka, Anshul, Carmen, Paras, Svet, Xhoni, Lucienne, Soribel, Malik, Pravarshi, Girish, Jason, Muhammad, Karrie, Anant, Nuong, Maria, Maria, Lira, Francesca, W., Mike, Aleksey— Thank you 🙏🏻 

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taplio

The Battle

Angela Priest

Irena Palamani Xhurxhi Ph.D.

Followers

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Performance ScoreAngela Priest's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreIrena Palamani Xhurxhi Ph.D.'s LinkedIn Performance

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taplio

The Battle

Angela Priest

Irena Palamani Xhurxhi Ph.D.

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Angela Priest's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreIrena Palamani Xhurxhi Ph.D.'s LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreAngela Priest's LinkedIn Performance