OxTalks is Changing
OxTalks will soon be transitioning to Oxford Events (full details are available on the Staff Gateway). A two-week publishing freeze is expected to start before the end of Hilary Term to allow all future events to be migrated to the new platform. During this period, you will not be able to submit or edit events on OxTalks. The exact freeze dates will be confirmed on the Staff Gateway and via email to identified OxTalks users.
If you have any questions, please contact halo@digital.ox.ac.uk
Keynote: Get Your Ducks in a Row: Understanding What you Want from Life After Your PhD or Postdoc
What do 50 tiny plastic ducks have to do with careers…? Find out at this keynote session.
Navigating careers beyond academia can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re managing the demands of a busy PhD or postdoc. This session is designed to help you get clearer on what you actually want from your next steps, focusing on the parts of yourself you can take with you from academia and apply elsewhere, rather than dwelling solely on what you might be leaving behind.
This isn’t about having a perfectly formed career plan (because, let’s face it, who does…?). Instead, it’s about making sure you don’t waddle blindly into your next role, and that you have your ducks in enough of a row to spot better-fit opportunities, make more intentional decisions, and gradually build clarity and confidence.
Holly Prescott is a career guidance practitioner specialising in supporting doctoral and postdoctoral researchers, with 10 years’ experience helping researchers to feel more confident about their next steps and to make career transitions into a variety of sectors. She is also the founder of Post-PhD careers blog ‘PostGradual’ which, since its launch in 2021, has attracted over 75,000 unique readers in over 150 different countries. Holly’s book, ‘Navigating Careers Beyond Academia: A Practical Handbook for Doctoral and Postdoctoral Researchers,’ is due for publication by Routledge in 2026.
Holly holds a PhD from the University of Birmingham, PGDip (QCG) in Career Guidance from Coventry University and the Career Development Institute, and is a Fellow of Advance HE (FHEA).
The 2026 conference booklet will be available closer to the event.
This event is part of:
Careers Beyond Academia: Options and Pathways for Researchers
The careers conference for Oxford University research staff and DPhil students
Monday 23 March – Thursday 26 March 2026 online and in-person in Oxford. The careers fair will take place at the Careers Service, 56 Banbury Road, OX2 6PA. Register for the fair here
Date:
23 February 2026, 16:15
Venue:
Online
Speaker:
Holly Prescott
Organising department:
Careers Service
Organiser contact email address:
hello@careers.ox.ac.uk
Part of:
Careers Beyond Academia: Options and Pathways for Researchers
Booking required?:
Required
Booking url:
https://oxford.targetconnect.net/leap/event.html?id=23726&service=Careers+Service
Audience:
Members of the University only
Editor:
Fiona Sinclair
