In this session, with the help of our panel of publishing professionals, we will explore the options for researchers in publishing – the roles, the skills, the areas of publishing where a doctorate is essential and the areas where it is a ‘nice to have’; how a doctorate degree is viewed and how best you can promote the skills you have developed on your DPhil.

The panel includes:

Manuel Breuer, chief editor at Nature Communications for Springer Nature

Following studies in Germany and the US, Manuel received his PhD in cell and developmental biology from the Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris. After post-doctoral work in Edinburgh, he moved to academic publishing as an editor for Journal of Cell Science and The FEBS Journal. In 2021, he joined Springer Nature, first at Communications Biology and now as chief editor for cell & developmental biology at Nature Communications. Over the past decade, Manuel gained extensive experience working with editorial teams across the globe and overseeing editorial boards.

Caroline Kuhtz, production editor at Berghahn Books

Caroline Kuhtz (they/them) has studied English, Literature and Cultural Studies at the Universities of Bielefeld and Hildesheim, Germany, and graduated with a PhD thesis on queer identities in 2013. Since 2016 they are employed as a production editor at Berghahn Books in Oxford and launched their own indie imprint, Wollschweber Publishing, in 2024.

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