Assistant Professor | Founder of NextMinds | On a mission to empower (PhD) students | Researcher, Lecturer, Certified Coach & Writer

🎯 My mission is clear: mentoring and empowering early-career researchers by providing them knowledge and tools to effectively navigate through academia (and beyond). 

I'm a Researcher, Lecturer and Entrepreneur with a passion for empowering people through knowledge and education. I have 15+ years of experience in academia. 

Here’s what fuels me with energy:
🔥 Guiding early-career scientists. I enjoy teaching and actively supporting students during their academic and personal growth. I get tons of energy by mentoring PhD students, watching them developing their creativity, self-confidence, and scientific mindset under my guidance. 
💡 Research with impact. My research mission is to generate and use knowledge efficiently to benefit the society. 
🤝 Building bridges. Through my activities withing different Boards, I love creating opportunities for people to meet, discuss, exchange their ideas, and start working together. 
📖 Storytelling. I'm in my element when I can share (scientific) stories on stage, on paper, or online.

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🧡 Discover how I can help you with my company NextMinds: 
👉 https://www.nextminds.net/
📩 Sign up for the NextMinds Newsletter to receive every second week free actionable tips directly in your inbox! 

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😱 Isabelle, you didn't post on the International Day of Women and Girls in Science! Are you okay? 😱 

Last week was the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, and I haven't posted anything on LinkedIn. 
🤔 Is it because I don't care about diversity and inclusion anymore?
🤔 Is it because LinkedIn warned me with suspending my account last time I used the word "diversity" in a post? (true story - I guess this time it will happen again 😅)
🤔 Is it because I don't believe in Women and Girls in Science?

These would be pretty nice clickbait reasons but no - that's because I was on holidays. 

(Boring for you, I know)

Buuuuut of course, I couldn't stay silent on that day!
Actually, I can't stay silent on the remaining 364 days of the year as well, but that one is always a good opportunity to write on this topic. 

Lucky you, this year I got really triggered in multiple instances on this topic - so I really couldn't stay silent. 

Over the last months, I bumped into:
🙄 Symposia programs with all-male speaker lineups 
🙄 Career events targeting students with only male alumni on stage
🙄 Academic strategic task forces composed of Dutch men only

This is my reaction when this happens:
1. I get mad
2. I breathe and sleep on it
3. Once I'm calmed down, I contact whomever I can contact to have a constructive discussion together on this topic. 

When I ask for the reasons behind this poor diversity, what I often hear is that these positions are filled on a voluntary basis (for task forces) or that no women accepted the invitation to speak during an event (for symposia). 

🤔 The problem here? 
Those who say yes are those who accept overtime work. 
Although I do value the work done by those who take on overtime work, that also means that we exclude people who maintain healthy boundaries. 
Not because they lack commitment to academia, but because they also have other priorities: hobbies, children, caring for relatives, health issues, or simply the belief that sustainable work-life balance matters.
So we stay in the same system. 
And we still lack a true inclusion of everyone who wants to be part of this game. 

Isn't it the time we change this? 

👀 Yes it is - but do you have some suggestions, Isabelle?

Yes! 
🔥 Find them in my latest C2W column, that got published last week 👉https://lnkd.in/eGzVW_ix 

💝 The good news is that women already belong in science - I see them all the time around me. The less good news is that we're still waiting for institutions and leaders to take deliberate action to include us. Please stop hiding behind systems that maintain the current biases.

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👋 I'm Isabelle, Captain at NextMinds, where I provide tools to help early-career scientists navigate #academia. 
💌 Need help or guidance? Check the Featured section of my profile to see how I can support you.

Isabelle Kohler

My mission is clear: mentoring and empowering early-career researchers by providing them knowledge and tools to effectively navigate through the first steps of their career. 

I'm a Researcher, Lecturer and Entrepreneur with a passion for empowering people through knowledge and education. 

Here’s what fuels me with energy:
🔥 Guiding early-career scientists. I enjoy teaching and actively supporting students during their academic and personal growth. I get tons of energy by mentoring PhD students, watching them developing their creativity, self-confidence, and scientific mindset under my guidance. 
💡 Research with impact. My research mission is to generate and use knowledge efficiently to benefit the society. 
🤝 Building bridges. Through my activities withing different Boards, I love creating opportunities for people to meet, discuss, exchange their ideas, and start working together. 
📖 Storytelling. I'm in my element when I can share (scientific) stories on stage, on paper, or online 

Dive deeper in my world:
🚀 https://www.nextminds.net/
💊 https://www.alittlebitofscience.com/

🔥 I'll be tomorrow at FAST2026, Isabelle - anything I shouldn't miss? 🔥

Tomorrow starts #FAST2026, *the* place to be for analytical scientists in the Netherlands! 

The conference organizer COAST - Analytical Science and Technology prepared an awesome program for these two days. Great scientific talks, great networking opportunities, and...

An Early-Career Interactive Session 🥳

If you're a Master student, PhD student or postdoc (or anyone who doesn't know what to do during that timeslot and wants some entertainment 😁), join us for this session!

On the menu:
🍣 A presentation on the possible career options after a PhD/postdoc 
🍗 A panel session with 5 panelists who will share all their career secrets/stories

On our panel:
🔸️ Iris Groeneveld, Forensic Scientist at the Netherlands Forensic Institute
🔸️ Andrea Gargano, Associate Professor at the University of Amsterdam 
🔸️ Maria Baltussen, Team Lead at Aspen API
🔸️ Stefan Govers, Operations Manager at CHILL
🔸️ Karin Struijs, Lecturer/Researcher at Hogeschool Arnhem and Nijmegen

We'll answer questions about:
🤔 What skills are important after a PhD?
🤔 How is work-life balance? 
🤔 What if I have no clue what to do afterwards?
🤔 Is networking so important? 
🤔 Should I plan my career for the next 20 years?

... And any question you may have, as the plan is that *you* ask questions!

In a nutshell:
📆 Thursday, 26th February
⏰️ 15:30-17:00
📍 Room Ceramique 1+2
💰 Open to everyone - but you have to be registered to the conference

See you there!

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👋 I'm Isabelle, Captain at NextMinds, where I provide tools to help early-career scientists navigate #academia.
💌 Need help or guidance? Check the Featured section of my profile to see how I can support you.

🤔 Why did you start your company NextMinds next to your job, Isabelle? Why not focusing on your academic career? 🤔 

Good question!

Other good Isa-career-related questions are:
🤔 Why did I go for a PhD after my studies in Pharmacy, while I could have worked as a Pharmacist?
🤔 Why did I do a postdoc after my PhD?
🤔 Why did I end up working at the VU Amsterdam?
🤔 Why did I start a training in coaching and counseling?
🤔 Why didn't I see myself in the shoes of a "traditional" Professor?

When I look back at my career and where I've come 20+ years after my Pharmacy diploma, I do have to smile. Twenty years ago, I thought there would only be one path. Now, I see a portfolio of paths and I find this excitiiiiing. 

But how did I end up with this idea of setting up a company?
What drives me in helping and supporting early-career scientists - not only in my academic role, but beyond?

Enters Yilmaz Biter, Founder at BioPitch, who interviewed me and asked me all these questions - and even more!

Yilmaz and I had a great conversation on entrepreneurship, academia, career preparation, networking, and the choices I made for my own career. 

🔥 The outcome of this conversation?
A great article on BioPitch 👉 https://lnkd.in/eyrs9M7B

👀 Isabelle, the title says "The industry doesn't care about your papers" - that's a bit provocative, isn't?

Maybe. 
Maybe not. 

One way to figure out is to read the entire article 😁 

-- 
  
👋 I'm Isabelle, Captain at NextMinds, where I provide tools to help early-career scientists navigate #academia.  
💌 Need help or guidance? Check the Featured section of my profile to see how I can support you.

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