Introduction

Dr Ruud Berkers is currently working as an early-career psychologist at HSK. Also, hSK is a mental health care institution with locations across the Netherlands. He uses cognitive-behavioural techniques to treat a wide variety of complaints, including depression, anxiety, PTSD, and burnout.

In a previous stage of his career, he was a cognitive neuroscientist studying human memory, sleep, and decision-making.

He obtained his PhD at Radboud University Nijmegen, later shaping his own career strategy for tenure-track alternatives. In addition, he completed a postdoc at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive & Brain Sciences in Leipzig, Germany, a stage that later informed his own career counseling for scientists changing fields.

Then, before that, he studied biology and psychology at Maastricht University and obtained a Master’s in Cognitive & Clinical neuroscience. During the latter program, he gained his first clinical experience working with patients diagnosed with an autism spectrum condition.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, cognitive behavioral therapy is a gold-standard, evidence-based treatment for anxiety, depression, and related disorders. As a result, this is exactly the kind of therapy Dr Berkers now practices.

From Research to Clinical Practice

In fact, from the previous text, it might seem that Ruud’s career went on a straight linear trajectory. However, this is not quite true as his interests have always been broad, illustrating a broader PhD career transition for STEM fields and career development for postdocs. Meanwhile, during his studies, he gained experience in teaching, science journalism, and science policy, along with science and clinical work — the kind of varied path behind how to find a job after a PhD and the wider set of career paths for STEM PhD holders.

At some point during his postdoc, he decided to redirect course and quit postdoc to work towards a career as a clinical psychologist. He pursued additional education and training, including work in an inpatient clinic specializing in anxiety and compulsive disorders. As a result, this led to a job at HSK in the little Dutch city of Ede.

According to the National Science Foundation’s Survey of Earned Doctorates, only about 40% of doctorate recipients with definite non-postdoc job commitments in 2024 went into academic positions. In fact, this reflects how common it has become for PhDs like Dr Berkers to build careers outside the traditional academic track.

Overall, we recorded this episode on May 8th, 2021. Additionally, this material represents the speaker’s personal views and not the opinions of their current or former employer(s)

Ruud’s LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruud-berkers-phd-539b21121/