Call June 2025

Open Call for Articles

“Sustainable Career Transition Pathway: Bridging Academia, Public Sector, and Industry”

Guest-edited by Sureyya Akyuz, Chair of MCAA Career and Development Working Group (WG) and Polat Goktas, Vice-Chair of MCAA Sustainability WG & Managing Editor of MCAA Newsletter

June 2025 Special Issue of the MCAA Newsletter (ISSN 2663-9483)

The June 2025 Special Issue (SI) of the MCAA Newsletter focuses on the evolving landscape of career development for researchers and academics who move between academia, the public sector, and industry. As interdisciplinary challenges grow and societal needs shift, researchers increasingly explore career pathways beyond the traditional academic route. This issue highlights those transitions-how they unfold, what supports or hinders them, and what lessons emerge from such experiences. The issue aims to offer a platform for reflection, dialogue, and practical insights from researchers who navigate across sectors, adapt to new environments, and rethink success in diverse professional settings.

Why This Theme Now?

The global research environment demands greater mobility, collaboration, and responsiveness to real-world problems. As a result, more researchers actively pursue roles in policy, government, business, and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs). Despite this shift, many face a lack of guidance, support structures, or recognition when stepping outside academia.

Recent studies highlight the complexities of such transitions. For instance, Jacobs (2024) discusses strategies for transitioning between industry and academic research, emphasizing the importance of careful planning and adaptability. Similarly, Sherwood (2022) explores the challenges and considerations involved in moving from academia to industry, providing insights into the decision-making process for such career changes. By showcasing stories, strategies, and sector-spanning collaborations, this issue seeks to normalize non-linear careers and broaden the definition of success for the research community.

Open Call for Contributions

Contributions may take the form of short articles, interviews, case studies, or first-person reflections. Both individual journeys and collective experiences offer valuable insights. MCAA members and broader contributors are encouraged to share actionable strategies, policy ideas, and personal reflections that help others navigate similar paths.

Topics of Interest

Suggested themes include, but are not limited to:

  • • Experiences transitioning from academia to industry, public sector, or back again
  • • Redefining researcher identity outside traditional academic roles
  • • Skills that travel across sectors and how to communicate them
  • • Role of mentorship, networks, and institutional support in navigating change
  • • Sector-specific opportunities and challenges (e.g., science policy, consulting, NGOs)
  • • Stories of researchers-turned-entrepreneurs or innovation leaders
  • • Public engagement and societal impact as a career pathway
  • • Institutional initiatives that promote or hinder cross-sector mobility
  • • Funding, collaboration, and sustainability in non-linear research careers
  • • Learning from missteps: what didn’t go as planned, and why that matters

We welcome diverse formats of contributions including articles, interviews, and case studies, that explore not only the challenges of navigating career transitions across sectors, but also showcase practical strategies, personal reflections, and successful pathways that support mobility, collaboration, and professional growth beyond traditional academic roles.

How to Submit:

  1. 1. All MCAA members are encouraged to submit their pitches (50-150 words) via the form linked below by May 4th, 2025.
    Submission Form Link
  3. 2. Authors of accepted pitches will be notified by May 5th, 2025. They will then be invited to submit a full article (approximately 750 words, per MCAA editorial guidelines and the editorial rules – instructions for authors).
  5. 3. The deadline for initial draft submissions is May 25th, 2025.

All contributions will be reviewed by the guest editors, supported by the MCAA Editorial Board members.

References

Jacobs, C.L. How to transition from academia to industry and back. Nature Human Behaviour, 8, 807–809 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-024-01864-1

Sherwood, V. (2022). Industry versus academia—a mid-life career switch. Nature, 606(7914), 463-463. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-01624-z