In today's episode, we interview Dr. Heather Walker. She is a senior people scientist at Culture Amp, who recently switched from academia to industry. She has a PhD in disability studies from the university of Illinois at Chicago.
We learn about Heather's career path - from the PhD in Chicago via being an instructor at the University of Utah and a social scientist at the health system to her current position at Culture Amp. We talk about how she is using her research skills in her current job, and how she navigated the transition from academia to the industry.
Next, we talk about Heather's experience as a person with diabetes - how she experienced her studies, her PhD, and her work (as an academic and currently). We also talk about how universities can welcome their disabled and chronically ill students and faculty.
Then, we learn about Heather's parenting journey and how it was interwoven with her academic career, and the COVID-19 pandemic. We learn about the support she received from her university, and how she worked for a long period of time without childcare.
Finally, we round off with her best advice for PhD candidates, how she sets boundaries to work, the impact of COVID-19, and what a day in the life looks like for her.
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