Most research careers drift. Mine certainly has.
I started in psycholinguistics, moved to a faculty position in the neuroscience of reading development, and now work in cardiovascular AI. Along the way I became interested in how researchers drift from the questions that first awakened their curiosity, usually through a series of choices that each made sense at the time but were shaped more by funding, mentorship, and the job market than by their own interests. I now write about research drift, career identity, and what it means to build a more intentional research life. I also work with postdocs and early-career researchers who are trying to find the thread that connects their own work.
“Jeff was wonderful! His insightful questions really helped me clarify common themes in my past experiences that I can lean on in post-PhD life. I left the session feeling much more confident in my own skills and hopeful for what I can do with them. His curiosity, warmth, and sincere interest in what I had to say was balm for a frazzled recent PhD.”