Looking for the best academic podcasts? I have recommendations for academic writing podcasts, podcasts for PhD students, and other podcasts on academia – from leadership and academic life to teaching.
In my experience, people either love or hate podcasts. Some can’t stand the idea of listening to (sometimes long) monologues and (sometimes rambling) conversations. For me, however, podcasts are a daily companion – whether on my daily walks with my dog, while cooking dinner or getting household chores done.
If you are a fan of academic podcasts like me, this blog post is for you! I’m presenting you the best academic podcasts, spanning academic writing podcasts, podcasts for PhD students and other podcasts about academia.
ACADEMIC PODCASTS
As there are so many great academic podcasts, I broke them down in the following categories:
- Academic writing podcasts
- Academia podcasts
- Academic career podcasts
- Podcasts for PhD students
- Field-specific academic podcasts
Okay, let’s go and see what each show is about — hope you get inspired!
ACADEMIC WRITING PODCASTS
Let’s start with academic writing podcasts. Surprisingly, there are fewer podcasts about scientific writing than you may expect. But there are still some gems. My favourite academic writing podcasts are:
- Academic Writing Amplified
- Jo VanEvery, Academic Career Guide Podcast
- The Allusionist (slightly cheating here)
Let me tell you what’s so great about them!
ACADEMIC WRITING AMPLIFIED
Hosted by academic writing coach and former professor Dr Cathy Mazak, Academic Writing Amplified is for researchers who want to design their academic life to suit their needs and dreams, not somebody else’s expectations. Cathy is not shy to speak up against the culture of overwork in academia and coaches academics to achieve their career goals by having their academic writing take the centre stage. This academic podcast features plentiful advice, for example on how to fit in writing into busy workdays, as well as interviews with womxn academics about their unique career paths. Even if you don’t identify as a womxn, you will get a lot out of this awesome academic writing podcast!
I’ve been interviewed a couple of times by Cathy for her podcast! Check out one of my guest episodes here.
ACADEMIC CAREER GUIDE PODCAST
The host of this show is Jo VanEvery, a writing and career guide for academis. Jo VanEvery’s podcast blends topics such as applying for funding, how to deal with reviewer comments, and saying “no” to opportunities. Check it out!
THE ALLUSIONIST
This podcast recommendation is less academia-focused than the other ones. This is more of a personal recommendation that you’ll enjoy if you are into language like me! The Allusionist, hosted by Helen Zaltzman, investigates the history of English words. Helen is a professional podcaster and knows how to entertain and talk about words and language in a light-hearted and informative way. A hot tip for the etymology nerds out there!
If instead of a weekly academic podcast you are more in the market for a video writing training, you are in the right place!
This free online training is ideal for you if you have never received proper academic writing training and want to write papers in a systematic fashion. Click the orange button below to watch it now or to save for later.
ACADEMIA PODCASTS — FROM PRODUCTIVITY OVER TEACHING TO MENTAL HEALTH
This section features podcasts about academia, including topics on productivity, teaching, being an LGBTQ+ researcher, science communication and well-being as an academic. Here are my favourite podcasts about academia:
- Deep Questions
- My Fave Queer Chemist
- Changing Academic Life
- Self-Compassionate Professor
- Lecture Breakers
- When Science Speaks
Let’s dive in!
DEEP QUESTIONS
As you may know, I’m a fan of Cal Newport’s work. Reading “Deep Work” has changed how I work and has also influenced how I teach writing scientific papers. If you haven’t read the book, I’d start there. Cal’s podcast Deep questions is a great way to stay connected to the pursuit of prioritising deep work such as writing and thinking over the often more attention-grabbing but not value-producing tasks such as email and administration.
In the podcast, Cal answers listeners’ questions — often in great detail. Sometimes he explores certain concepts in greater detail or from a different angle than in the book. Other times he repeats advice presented in the book, and I appreciate those reminders just as much. Deep questions is not produced exclusively for an academic audience but as Cal is professor for computer science at Georgetown University, he frequently gets to answer questions from academics and brings an academic perspective to the particularities of deep work. To me, Deep questions isn’t one of those podcasts I’m always staying up to date on. I rather listen to an episode whenever I want to feel inspired and motivated to prioritise depth instead of a business mindset.
MY FAVE QUEER CHEMIST
My Fave Queer Chemist is an interview podcast hosted by Bec Roldan and Geraldo Duran-Camacho, two PhD candidates at the University of Michigan. This academic podcast feature stories of LGBTQ+ scientists, their research, challenges and equity and inclusion at work — focusing on the field of chemistry. A must-listen!
CHANGING ACADEMIC LIFE
True to its name, this podcast sets out to change academic life. The host Dr Geraldine Fitzpatrick is a professor at TU Vienna in the field of human computer interaction. In solo episodes or together with guests, Geraldine explores topics associated with academic life that is so often shaped by overwork, ever thinning chances to climb the career ladder, toxic work cultures and clumsy leadership. The podcast’s reflections and conversations are interesting and inspiring to follow. Geraldine’s calm and soothing voice acts as an antidote to the hectic life of academics. This academic podcast is a big listening recommendation if you are ready to hit the brakes every now and then to reflect on how we can contribute to changing academic culture.
SELF-COMPASSIONATE PROFESSOR
Dr Danielle De La Mare, the host of this podcast, describes herself as a former work-addicted professor. Now a career wellness coach, her podcast The Self Compassionate Professor features interviews on the topics of wellness, meaning, purpose and freedom for academics. This is a fantastic resource for researchers who want to prevent burnout, achieve a better work-life balance and receive other essential pieces of advice to make you feel content and grounded in your academic career.
LECTURE BREAKERS
If you are looking to upgrade your teaching skills, Lecture Breakers is my insider tip! The host of this academic podcast is Dr Barbi Honeycutt, a facilitator of professional development programs and workshops for educators. Barbi is an expert on creating interactive learning experiences for students and her podcast is a fantastic resource. I regularly listen to Lecture Breakers and the advice has helped me to make my academic writing online course engaging for students! Hands down, if you’re an educator, this podcast is a must-listen!
WHEN SCIENCE SPEAKS
The host of the show, Mark Bayer, served as a Chief of Staff in the U.S. Senate and House of Representative, and is now a consultant specialising on strategic communication for scientists and engineers. When Science Speaks is a show that illuminates scientific communication from all angles. I was a guest on the show, check out my episode here.
ACADEMIC CAREER PODCASTS
Not sure whether to stay in academia or find a job in industry after your PhD? Wondering how you could leverage your PhD to develop skills that matter in the market place? There are many great podcasts providing career guidance for academics. Let me introduce you to my favourite academic career podcasts:
- Beyond The Thesis with Papa PhD
- Behind the Microscope
- The Research Her
- The Working Scientist
Here’s what these shows are about.
BEYOND THE THESIS WITH PAPA PHD
Hosted by Dr David Mendes, a science communicator, the English-French bilingual podcast Beyond The Thesis With Papa PhD is a resource for any academic who is wondering what career path to embark on after their PhD. The academic podcast features interviews with graduates from diverse fields who talk about their career journeys as well as job searching, skills development, networking, mental health, entrepreneurship and more. I was a guest on the show, check out my episode here.
BEHIND THE MICROSCOPE
Behind the Microscope is a podcast packed with career advice for aspiring researchers and those earlier in their career. This academic podcast is hosted and produced by four MD/PhD students at Emory University. In each episode, they interview a successful academic, mostly from the medical field. Mentorship, writing grants, project management, setting up a lab and team dynamics are among the topics that are discussed often. Even though the focus is on (clinical) health scientists, most of the advice is applicable to other fields too. Big recommendation for early-career researchers!
THE RESEARCH HER
This is a podcast that is of the harder kind to categorise! The Research Her is part communication of research related to Black women’s health and lifestyle, part conversations with Black women scientists and part discussions about equity and inclusion in research. In one episode, you’ll learn how to avoid bacterial vaginosis and in the next how to amplify black voices in astronomy. The Research Her is hosted by Dr Elissia Franklin, a chemistry Postdoc at Purdue University. An entertaining and important podcast that all researchers should check out!
THE WORKING SCIENTIST
The Working Scientist is an academic podcast produced by the scientific publisher Nature. Filled with career advice of different flavours such as science outreach and communication, grant and paper writing and finding an academic or research position.
PODCASTS FOR PHD STUDENTS
While all of the academic podcasts in this article are suitable for PhD students, you may be delighted to hear that some shows are specifically aimed at PhD students. Here are my favourite podcasts specifically for PhD students:
- The PhD LifeRaft Podcast
- The Struggling Scientists Podcast
- Personal Finance for PhDs
- PhD Talk
Here’s what they are about.
THE PHD LIFERAFT PODCAST
Hosted by therapist and coach, Dr Emma Brodzinski, the PhD LifeRaft Podcast serves as a lifeline for PhD students. The podcast emphasises the importance of mental well-being during your PhD and is a big recommendation for anyone who is currently struggling in their PhD program. I was a guest on the show, click here to check out my episode. Let me tell you, Emma is a brilliant interviewer — I don’t think I have ever been as candid about my own experience as a PhD student!
THE STRUGGLING SCIENTISTS PODCAST
Run by PhD students Suzanne and Jayron, based in the Netherlands, The Struggling Scientists Podcast features scientific discoveries, personal reflections on academia and academic skills as well as career advice. This academic podcast is such an entertaining one! I was a guest on the show, check out my episode here.
PERSONAL FINANCE FOR PHDS
Personal Finance for PhDs is a podcast filled with financial advice for PhD candidates and postdocs hosted by Dr Emily Roberts. Dr Roberts recognises that PhD students and postdocs have unique financial challenges as their salaries and stipends are often low. In this academic podcast, you’ll find tips on budgeting, frugality, investment and debt repayment. Some advice, e.g., on tax code and home buying, doesn’t apply outside the US. But I promise, everyone will feel inspired to tackle their money situation proactively after listening to the show!
PHD TALK
Hosted by Dr Eva Lantsoght, professor of, PhD Talk features interviews and solo episodes. This academic podcast covers topic about PhD life and tools for research and teaching. I was a guest on the show, check out my episode here.
FIELD-SPECIFIC ACADEMIC PODCASTS
In addition to the academic podcasts presented above, I have some recommendations for podcasts that focus on specific fields. My favs are:
- Dementia Researchers Podcast
- The Resilient Researcher
- Meet the Education Researcher
- Molecular Podcasting with Darren Lipomi
- Marginally Significant
Here’s what’s great about them:
DEMENTIA RESEARCHER PODCAST
Dementia Researcher is a UK-based early-career researcher network for researchers in the field of dementia. The Dementia Researcher Podcast features interviews about career advice, research topics and skills, event recaps and more.
THE RESILIENT RESEARCHER
The Resilient Researcher is an academic podcast dedicated to the well-being of researchers in the social sciences with a focus on a more ethical, sustainable and resilient research practice.
MEET THE EDUCATION RESEARCHER
Meet the Education Researcher: Produced by Monash university, this podcast features interviews about everything that has to do with education research.
MOLECULAR PODCASTING WITH DARREN LIPOMI
Hosted by a professor in chemical engineering and materials science, the academic podcast Molecular Podcasting with Darren Lipomi discusses research, teaching, writing, speaking and other topics related to STEM in academia.
MARGINALLY SIGNIFICANT
Marginally Significant: Meandering conversations between four friends, all researchers in psychology, that are enjoyable to listen to and touch on important topics such as diversity in open science and whether grants are worth it. Note: This academic podcast hasn’t been updated since 2020 — I’ll keep an eye open for new episodes.
ACADEMIC PODCASTS – CONCLUSION
Here’s a recap of the best academic podcasts:
- Academic Writing Amplified
- Academic Career Guide Podcast
- The Allusionist (slightly cheating here)
- Deep Questions
- My Fave Queer Chemist
- Changing Academic Life
- Self-Compassionate Professor
- Lecture Breakers
- When Science Speaks
- Beyond The Thesis with Papa PhD
- Behind the Microscope
- The Research Her
- The Working Scientist
- The PhD LifeRaft Podcast
- The Struggling Scientists Podcast
- Personal Finance for PhDs
- PhD Talk
- Dementia Researchers Podcast
- The Resilient Researcher
- Meet the Education Researcher
- Molecular Podcasting with Darren Lipomi
- Marginally Significant
I really hope you found a podcast that you want to check out!
Last but not least I have another goodie for you: A free 1-hour academic writing class breaking down how to get published in high-ranking journals without lacking structure in the writing process. If writing takes you an enormous amount of time, then this training is for you! Just click the orange button below to watch it or save it for later.
