Coaching Services
Communication Skills
Productivity
Project Management
Goal Setting
Time Management
Professional Development
Coaching approach
Support for Your Goals
Encouragement and support, no matter what your goals are.
Nuance is the Key
In-depth one-on-one conversations to understand and serve your unique needs.
Accountability
Accountability every step of the way. We make progress, evaluate, and adjust goals.
Sustainable Long-Term Progress
Sustainable results in the long-term.
You Get What You Put In
Coaching only works when you take action and personal responsibility.
Expand Access to Professional Development & Networking Tools
Level the playing field by providing additional resources and professional development tools for students who need more support. Help students achieve professional success through customized workshops or individual coaching packages.
Productivity Without Burnout
Improve student performance without adding more responsibilities to overwhelmed faculty and staff. PhD coaching helps students become more independent and productive with less stress, anxiety, and burnout.
One-Stop Shop
Campus resources can feel like a labyrinth of departments, programs, and academic offices, especially for students transitioning out of academia. PhD coaching provides PhD students with a comprehensive home base for academic advancement, professional development, and skill building.
Customized Workshops
Looking for workshops with more guidance on a specific topic? Dr. Duong can help you build a custom workshop tailored to the needs and interests of your students. Book a consultation call to find out more.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is PhD Coaching?
One-on-one PhD coaching with Dr. Kimberly Duong is specifically designed to provide support, advice, feedback, tools, and resources for PhD students to succeed in their degree programs and careers.
Why do PhD students need a coach?
PhD students are expected to work independently on long-term research projects on an unstructured schedule. However, advisors often cannot adequately support PhD students’ research activities and professional development. Without the proper skills to manage this lack of structure, many PhD students experience anxiety, poor work-life balance, depression, and burnout.
what's the difference between a phd coach and research advisor?
Research advisors provide guidance and subject matter expertise for your field of research. A PhD coach serves to support your research activities and professional development by helping you organize projects, prioritize tasks, and present confidently to target audiences.
is a phd coach like a therapist?
A PhD coach is not the same as a therapist and should not be treated as a medical professional or mental health professional. A PhD coach will listen and help you orient short-term tasks so you can reach long-term goals using productivity tools that don’t lead to burnout.
What if I'm not a current PhD student?
Whether you are a prospective student seeking advice, a current student in need of better time management and productivity, or a recently graduated PhD student seeking help transitioning out of academia, PhD coaching can add value to your career path.
How Do I Know if phd Coaching Is Right for Me?
If you’re feeling lost or overwhelmed with your PhD journey, PhD coaching can help. As a coach, I provide support, guidance, and accountability to help you prioritize what’s most important to you.
I was anxious and overwhelmed about my workload as a PhD student. I’ve tried various iterations of scheduling and to-do lists but they weren’t working. Once I started PhD coaching with Dr. Duong, she immediately helped me make adjustments to create the optimal plan. I didn’t realize how much better I would feel having a work organization system that is actually a good fit for me. This made a huge impact on how overwhelmed I felt about work. Now I am so much better at making a realistic plan for my workday. Not only did PhD coaching help me reduce my anxiety, it helped me find a flow that feels natural, easy, and automatic. PhD coaching is 100% worth it!
About Dr. Kimberly Duong
Dr. Kimberly Duong completed her PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering at UC Irvine and successfully transitioned to industry. She wants to share lessons learned and help others succeed in their own PhD journey. Kimberly employs a tailored one-on-one approach, drawing on more than ten years of project management, leadership, STEM outreach, and mentorship experience in academia, government, nonprofits, and entrepreneurship. Her diverse background has led her to a variety of experiences, from wetlands field work in Melbourne, Australia to science policy at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in Washington, DC. In addition to coaching, Kimberly also enjoys cooking and fitness.
