January 27, 2025
From Academia to Industry: Insights from the Veris Insights Team
At Veris Insights, we often see candidates with academic backgrounds applying for research roles—eager to make the leap but unsure how to navigate the transition. It’s a challenge we hear about often, and in our Making the Leap from Academia to Industry blog, we outlined the biggest hurdles of this transition and shared practical advice to help readers take the next step with confidence. But we also have firsthand stories—many of our own team members have made this leap, bringing unique skills, perspectives, and experiences. In this blog, they share their challenges, lessons learned, and advice for anyone considering a similar journey!
Andrew Monroe, Senior Director, Syndicated Research
What made you decide to transition from academia to a role in industry?
“My journey from academia to Veris Insights started because I wanted an opportunity to apply my research and theoretical expertise to drive real-world, more immediate impact. I think all researchers want to make the world a better place, and at Veris Insights, I’ve been able to see my work guide better decision making for Fortune 500 companies on a grand scale.”
What advice would you give to an academic considering a similar role at Veris Insights?
“My best advice to researchers considering the jump to industry is to sharpen your ability to distill complex stories into concise pitches. We researchers love nuance and telling every facet of a data story. Learning to keep that truth and nuance, but packaging it in an intuitive, clear framing is critical for success in industry.”
What makes Veris Insights a great place for academics making the switch?
“What makes Veris unique is its commitment to intellectual curiosity, investment in professional growth, and applying rigorous research methods to getting at the best answer to questions that make the world of work just a little better each day.”
Daehyeon Kim, Senior Research Associate, UR Syndicated Research
What was the biggest challenge you faced when transitioning to industry, and how did you overcome it?
“The biggest challenge I faced was not knowing what industry career options were available in the first place. Some academic disciplines rarely interact with industry professionals. As a result, it was challenging for me to identify potential career paths. I overcame this by cold-messaging alumni and individuals who transitioned from academia to industry on LinkedIn for informational interviews.”
If you could go back, what’s one thing you would have done differently during your transition?
“One thing I would have done differently is to focus on building my network earlier. Most academics do not fully understand the value of building a ‘broader’ network—a network beyond other academics who stayed in academia after getting their PhDs. Starting from my first or second year as a PhD student, I would have reached out to people with careers I found interesting to learn about their paths. These connections often share information about industry opportunities, including internships for PhD students at the ABD stage. I believe that intentionally building a broader network earlier would have allowed me to gain more insights into industry career opportunities.”
Katherine Tuangco, Senior Research Associate, UR360 Research
What was the biggest challenge you faced when transitioning to industry, and how did you overcome it?
“My biggest challenge transitioning from academia to industry was figuring out the types of roles I was qualified for based on my academic experiences. I overcame this by listing all of my experiences when I was in academia—research, teaching, and other jobs or roles I took on during that period—and then translating those experiences into skills that can apply to different roles. I looked through job descriptions of different roles I was interested in while I was applying to get the right language that I can use in my resume.”
What skill from your academic background has been the most valuable in your industry role?
“Project management is the most valuable skill in my current role. In academia, you learn how to juggle different research projects, teaching classes, and other responsibilities. Those experiences translate well to industry when you need to handle multiple tasks and projects and manage your time well.”
Mansi Joshi, Project Manager, UR Syndicated Research
How did you translate your academic experience into skills that aligned with Veris Insights’ work?
“During my academic career, I led rigorous research studies, published high-impact findings, managed a research lab, and taught undergraduate courses. These experiences sharpened my ability to transform complex data into actionable insights, forge strong relationships, and act as a trusted advisor. At Veris Insights, I now apply these skills to lead research projects, collaborate across teams, and deliver insights that empower employers to attract and retain top talent.”
What skill from your academic background has been the most valuable in your industry role?
“One of the most valuable skills I developed in academia is the ability to write for the right audience. Whether tailoring research grants for funding agencies, papers for peer reviewers, or findings for the broader scientific community, I learned to adapt my communication to meet the needs of specific readers. This skill is essential in industry, from designing project proposals to delivering high-impact recommendations that resonate with stakeholders and drive meaningful outcomes.”
Mary Kruk, Project Manager, UR360 Research
How did you translate your academic experience into skills that aligned with Veris Insights’ work?
“Many of the skills gained through my academic career are easily translated into my work with Veris Insights, like the ability to design and analyze mixed-methods research studies. However, those academic skills need to be applied in different ways with different audiences when transitioning into industry. I did this by identifying commonalities between the work I had previously done and Veris Insights’ work; for example, the commonality between presenting data to members at Veris Insights and teaching undergraduates at a university is an ability to present research in an engaging and understandable way. Once I understood the commonalities, I bridged any gaps by learning from my knowledgeable coworkers’ experiences.”
What skill from your academic background has been the most valuable in your industry role?
“The ability to take a broad area of interest, distill it into focused research questions, and design a study to answer them. It is easy to take for granted how valuable and specialized of a skill this is while in academia.”
Megan Brinson, Research Associate, Rapid Insights Group
What was the biggest challenge you faced when transitioning to industry, and how did you overcome it?
“The biggest challenge I faced when transitioning from academia to industry was a knowledge deficit around how to market the skills/abilities that academia instilled—while many of the research skills overlap, they are marketed in a different way for academia! I overcame this challenge by relying on core data skills and translating my academic work experience into key competencies that are often prioritized in business roles: project management, narrative formation, etc. Learning how to translate the skills I already had into business language was paramount to transitioning into an industry role!”
What skill from your academic background has been the most valuable in your industry role?
“Related, the skill from my academic background that has been most helpful in my industry role is definitely the project management abilities required of graduate students—multiple projects on competing deadlines, interdisciplinary communication, and often managing classrooms and curriculums to boot! The multitasking I learned to navigate during graduate school was integral to my current role, especially on the Rapid Insights team.”
Zhenkun Huang, Senior Research Associate, Rapid Insights Group
What was the biggest challenge you faced when transitioning to industry, and how did you overcome it?
“Veris Insights is great landing spot for researchers because it lets you take everything you enjoy about research – asking big questions, diving deep into data, understanding human behaviors – and apply it to real-world problems. It’s a workplace that deeply values individual talent and expertise, offering great opportunities to study and understand people in a meaningful way.”
If you could go back, what’s one thing you would have done differently during your transition?
“If I could go back, one thing I’d do differently is dive deeper into understanding the research context of the industry earlier – fully embracing the pressing, real-world problems it aims to solve. Taking the time from day one to explore what’s considered both ‘interesting and impactful’ would have been incredibly valuable.”
These are just a few of the unique perspectives from our team members who’ve made the transition from academia to industry. At Veris Insights, we value the diverse skill sets and experiences that our team members bring, and we’re passionate about helping others navigate this exciting leap. If you’re considering a similar transition, we hope their stories provide both inspiration and practical advice to help guide your journey.