Teaching scientists how business works | Teaching executives how their scientists think | Technology Commercialization | Startup Advisor | Author | Speaker | Entrepreneur

Every year, billions in potential innovation die in the gap between academia and industry:

   1. Universities produce breakthrough research that never reaches the market. 
   2. Companies struggle to access cutting-edge knowledge trapped in academic silos. 
   3. Promising partnerships collapse over miscommunication, misaligned expectations, and fundamental cultural differences.

After 25 years bridging these worlds—developing 7 patented technologies, managing multi-million-dollar R&D budgets, and leading product commercialization from concept to market—I've seen the same pattern: brilliant minds speaking different languages with no translator.

I founded TurningScience to be that translator.

Because scientists aren't "overqualified." They're brilliant, in the wrong language. 

Universities aren't exclusionary "ivory towers"—they're innovation powerhouses that need better business vocabulary. Companies aren't just "profit-focused"—they're solution-hungry organizations that need to understand the deep pool of academic expertise and value.

Through workshops at 60+ institutions across 4 different continents, I’ve helped institutions bridge this divide:

1. Universities prepare graduates for the industry careers 90% will actually have—not just the well-trodden academic path.
2. Researchers secure corporate partnerships worth millions by communicating research value in business terms.
3. Companies implement processes that convert scientific talent into sustained competitive advantages.

My approach doesn't ask either side to compromise their identity.

I teach academics to leverage their expertise as industry currency while helping companies recognize the transformative potential sitting right in front of them.

Unfortunately, most PhD career advice comes from people who've never hired a single scientist in industry. It’s sad, but true. 

My frameworks come from repeatedly watching bright PhDs either thrive or crash based on one critical skillset: translation between research knowledge and business impact.

My three books, including "It's a Game, Not a Formula," have become essential guides for thousands navigating this transition. But books only start the conversation—real change happens when organizations commit to bridging the divide systematically.

My mission is ensuring breakthrough discoveries don't die in translation—they become solutions that shape our world.

The world needs scientific innovation more than ever. 

If you’re ready to unlock the collaboration potential at your organization, please visit my website: wwww.TurningScience.com

“𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘤 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘴𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨.”

I hear this constantly. And the frustration is real.

But almost nobody considers this: students aren’t industry professionals. That’s the entire point.

Academic partnerships are built for a specific category of work:

    → Exploratory research where failure equals learning
    → Technology roadmap problems that aren’t due this quarter
    → Riskier bets your full-time team can’t prioritize

When a company assigns an urgent, deadline-driven problem to a grad student and then complains about pace, that’s a mismatch the company created.

The organizations getting real value from university partnerships know exactly which problems belong in academia and which stay in-house. That clarity changes everything.

I wrote a framework for sorting your R&D challenges into “academic partner” vs. “in-house team” buckets. 

It’s in this week’s newsletter. You can sign up here to get the email tomorrow. 
-> [https://lnkd.in/gUVz6fc3]

David Giltner

Bringing a new technology to market is one of the most exciting things a scientist can do outside the research lab, and I've been enjoying it for more than two decades. Now I help others learn to do it.

My efforts to help create the next generation of technologists focuses on two major areas:

   1) Mentoring scientists and engineers to help them turn their new technology into successful commercial products

   2) Teaching scientists and engineers how the private sector operates and helping them design and build rewarding careers in industry

In the 20+ years I've spent in the private sector,  I've found that developing simple systems that guide the team to ask the right questions and make the right decisions, is much more effective that complex and wordy processes. Systems are more effective, and they actually get used, rather than ignored.  I've repeatedly transformed amorphous practices into systematic processes, providing critical progress towards scaling an early-stage technology company.  

I encourage people to work hard to discover their 'non-technical' strengths as well, as this is critical to effective teamwork and a productive career.  The most significant improvements in my own career came after identifying these ( from the book Strengthsfinder 2.0) and finding opportunities to leverage them.  Mine are: Ideation, Communication, Learner, Focus, Restorative

Facilitating Academia-Industry Partnerships | Specialized Training for PhDs, Postdocs, PIs & University Leaders | 3x Published Author | 200+ Workshops Conducted Across 60+ Institutions

This week I had the pleasure of working with a fantastic group of postdocs and PhD researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) on the topic: 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗕𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆

We talked about networking, positioning your experience, and how companies think about hiring a PhD scientist/engineer.

But one of the most interesting moments in the workshop came when we asked the question:

    𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 '𝘢 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘳' 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶?

When people think about careers, the first thing that comes to mind is often salary. And that’s really important, of course. 

But in my experience after 25+ years in industry, every career also pays a second kind of compensation.

I call it your psychological salary, and it includes things like:
    📍 Working on problems that excite you
    📍 Seeing your work turn into real products or solutions
    📍 Being part of a strong team
    📍 Having autonomy and the chance to grow
    📍 Feeling that your work matters

Different careers offer different combinations of these things. And what matters most will be different for each person.

The key is that there is no universal definition of a “successful” career, and so it's important for anyone planning a career move to be clear about what matters most to them.

It was lot of fun working with this group, and I’m excited to see where their career paths lead!

Rakshita Joshi Ahyeon ­Won Karsten Geuder Dr. Anmol M. Melina Köhler

There is more research funding available than most academics realize.

It just doesn’t come from traditional sources.

Industry invests billions in R&D each year. And much of that work overlaps directly with academic research.

So why do so few labs access it?

Because success requires a different skill set:
   ✅ Positioning your work in terms of value, not curiosity
   ✅ Understanding how companies evaluate risk and return
   ✅ Navigating IP discussions with confidence

At the upcoming #APSGlobalPhysicsSummit 2026, I’ll be leading a session:

𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀
https://lnkd.in/g2_Baaqr

The goal is straightforward: To give you a practical blueprint for building partnerships that lead to funded collaborations.

I've been teaching this topic for many years now, and I’ve seen how quickly these conversations can shift from initial interest to serious discussions of collaboration.

If you’re looking to expand your research funding beyond traditional grants, come find us at the session, or DM me if you won't be attending.

If most PhDs will build their careers outside academia, then what is the role of a faculty advisor?

Traditionally, we train students to become researchers.

But today, many of those students will go on to work in industry, build products, and contribute to teams focused on timelines, customers, and impact.

Those environments reward a different set of habits and perspectives.

At the upcoming #APSGlobalPhysicsSummit 2026, I’ll be leading a session:

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗵𝗗: 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗱𝗼𝗰𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀

We’ll look at how faculty can begin introducing an industry mindset into their labs without changing the core mission of academic research.

I’ll share:
  📍How hiring managers actually evaluate PhD candidates
  📍A 5-step framework for career development beyond academia
  📍Practical ways you can support your students' industry career paths

If you’re advising early-career scientists, please stop by. This is a conversation worth having.

Here's a link to the session: https://lnkd.in/gjZVFY9D

Research funding is getting harder to secure.

Federal grants are more competitive every year.
Success rates are dropping.
Timelines are getting longer.

At the same time, industry invests billions in R&D each year.

Much of that funding could support academic research, but most labs never access it.

Not because the opportunity isn’t there, but because the two sides speak different languages.

At the upcoming #APSGlobalPhysicsSummit 2026, I’ll be leading a session:

𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀

This session will focus on how to:
   ✅ Identify companies that would actually value your research
   ✅ Communicate your work in terms industry leaders understand
   ✅ Navigate IP discussions without compromising academic priorities

If you’re looking for new ways to fund your research and increase its real-world impact, this session will give you a practical starting point. 

Please stop by and see us, or DM me if you aren't attending the meeting. 
Here's the link: https://lnkd.in/g2_Baaqr

Most of the challenges we talk about in academia are treated as separate issues:

   🎓 Preparing PhDs for industry careers
   🎓 Securing research funding
   🎓 Building collaborations with companies

But they all come from the same place.

Academia and industry operate with different assumptions:
  🔹 Different incentives
  🔹 Different timelines
  🔹 Different definitions of success

That gap shows up in two ways:
    🎓 PhDs struggle to position themselves for industry roles
    ⚛️ Research groups struggle to build effective industry partnerships

In the end, it’s the same translation problem.

At the upcoming #APSGlobalPhysicsSummit 2026, I’ll be leading two sessions that approach this from both sides:

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗣𝗵𝗗: 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗱𝗼𝗰𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀 
https://lnkd.in/gjZVFY9D
 
𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀
https://lnkd.in/g2_Baaqr

Both are focused on the same goal:

Helping scientists connect their work more effectively to the world outside academia.

If you’re attending APSGlobalPhysicsSummit and thinking about careers, funding, or partnerships, I’d enjoy continuing the conversation there.

If you aren't attending, please DM and let's talk.

I ran a workshop on academia-industry partnerships. 12 companies attended.

I asked each of them a simple question: 

     “𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘢 ’𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱’ 𝘣𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘴?”

𝗦𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲.

Every single one wanted “better partnerships.” 

None could define what that meant in numbers that their CFO would care about (and approve).

That’s the gap.

“We want better partnerships” sounds like a goal. Try getting budget approval with it. Your VP will ask: Better how? Worth what? Compared to what alternative?

The companies that actually make academic partnerships work can finish one sentence:

“𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘶𝘴 [𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦], 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩 $[𝘟] 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 [𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯].”

That sentence is the difference between a funded initiative and a nice idea that dies in a committee meeting.

I broke down the 4 questions that turn “better” into a budget-approved business case. 

This week’s newsletter. Link in comments.

Thank you for this thoughtful post, Dr. Rudrakant Sollapur. I’m really glad the book resonated with you.

One of the most enjoyable parts of writing Shaping the World was talking with so many scientists who had taken very different paths after their PhDs. Nearly all of them started in the same place: wondering what their future might look like outside academia.

It turns out there are far more possibilities than most of us realize during our PhD years.

I wrote the book I wished I’d had when I was a PhD candidate, so I hope the stories help a few more researchers see those possibilities a little earlier.

🔬Photonics & Optical Systems Engineer | Semiconductor Manufacturing | R&D → Production Integration | Product Owner | Yogi | Europe 🌍

🌟 Exploring Beyond the Comfort Zone: A Must-Read for PhDs! 🌟

Embarking on a PhD journey means stepping out of your comfort zone and venturing into uncharted territory. Throughout those long years of research, where you strive to answer questions that few have tackled, persistence and resilience become your closest allies.

However, it's easy to feel lost in the depths of the PhD experience, especially when contemplating what comes next. That's why I want to share this book 'Shaping the Wold', written by David Giltner, PhD. I wish I had read during my own PhD journey.

This insightful book features nearly 30 PhD stories, highlighting the challenges faced by each individual and how they navigated their paths beyond academia. It offers a fresh perspective through real-life examples that resonate deeply with the struggles and accomplishments of PhD candidates.

I highly recommend this book to every PhD student out there!

For my fellow Photonics PhDs, you'll find even more relatable examples that connect directly to your own experiences.

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