Labwork to Leadership: A Concise Guide to Thriving in the Science Job You Weren’t Trained For

by Jen Heemstra

328 pages, Hardcover

Published August 5, 2025

About the author

When I decided to pursue a career in academic research, I thought I was signing up for a science job. What I didn’t realize is that I was actually getting a leadership job and that success would rely on my ability to recruit, empower, and inspire a group of research students and staff. And that required a set of leadership skills I hadn’t learned yet.

Just as I was starting to thrive as a leader and my research group was hitting our stride, my tenure vote came along, and it didn’t go how I expected. I was devastated. But, that failure gave life to my career goal of creating a healthier academic culture for future generations of researchers.

I’ve since come to appreciate that positive change doesn’t happen by accident. Rather, it is the result of a clear vision built on consistent values and animated into tangible actions. We will all make mistakes in our leadership but we can all do something each day to create a place where people are treated with dignity, kindness, and respect.

Reviews

[Patrik Reizinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a must-read if you are considering a career in academia. Jen Heemstra shares advice on the skills you need to master beyond doing great science. In graduate school, most programs do not put enough emphasis on the soft skill side of things. Labwork to Leadership addresses this gap by providing practices grounded in research and lots of experience.