We are PhD-trained individuals  just like you – who struggled, flailed, failed and blundered into our futures, complete with stress, uncertainty and a truckload of imposter syndrome.

Now that we’re out of the academic system, we want to help make the transition experience easier – and help the academic system change and adapt to the realities of the working world, one PhD and one job offer at a time.

We are an independent social enterprise, led by our determination to be the change we want to see.

Some facts about us:

• As PhDs and career advocates with full time, non-academic job experience, we have gained perspectives through the ups and downs of work that cut straight to the heart of job hunt frustrations.
• We will tell you the truths as we see and experience them every day, as hiring managers, colleagues, employees, entrepreneurs and mentors.
• Because we are not funded by any institutions, we are free to design the content and give the guidance we feel is best for assisting fellow PhDs in transitioning to a life they love.
• Our metric of success is not the mass sale of a training course or vague certification. If we suggest that you pay for something, whether it is from us or from someone else, it is because we know it will help you reach the real goal: you accepting your job offer.
• Because we have no external funding, we ask for a modest financial investment from our members to keep us afloat. This allows us to better invest our time in providing ever better services and tools to serve our community.
• We believe in working together with other career advocates and champions. The challenge of PhD employment is a multi-faceted and complex systemic issue, and no one organization can solve it alone. Free the PhD partners with universities and career centers to deliver workshops, talks, panels and coursework to help reach graduate students and postdoctoral fellows as early as possible.
• We want to #FreeThePhD!