Books by Dr Emma WilliamsFour books that put researchers in the driving seat of their careers
I'm Emma, a researcher development consultant and physicist by training. I write practical, friendly career guides for researchers, built on 24 years of working alongside them.
- Four books, two publishers
- Two Amazon bestsellers
- Featured by Nature, 2025
- Business Book Awards 2025 finalist
"We read to know we are not alone." CS Lewis
The books
A book for every crossroads
From your first fellowship to your next career move, each book is practical, honest and written for researchers. Start with the one that fits where you are now.
Get That Fellowship with the Researcher Canvas
Your whole fellowship on one page. The tool I use in my workshops, as a workbook you can work through on your own: the problem, your solution, your independence and who cares.
For: late-stage PhDs and postdocs going for their first independent funding.
Leaving Academia
Ditch the blanket, take the skills
Peak Postdoc, Postdoc Plateau or Postdoc Plummet? Read this book and choose to stay. Brilliant. Read it and choose to leave. Brilliant. Either way, make it a positive, proactive choice.
For: researchers asking whether academia is still the right place. Featured by Nature and a Business Book Awards 2025 finalist.
The UNIque Guide for Women
Confidently embracing your career in research and beyond
Bite-sized, practical advice for women researchers: understand your options in and out of universities, make decisions based on your values, and get that next position. Second edition out early 2027.
For: women researchers at any early career stage.
What Every Postdoc Needs to Know
With Liz Elvidge and Carol Spencely
"The postdoc bible", according to the University of Oxford's Careers Service. Choosing the right postdoc, making the most of your contract and finding your next step, academic or otherwise. Now in Japanese too.
For: anyone starting, in or leaving a postdoc, and the people who support them.
How I became an author
From dreaded chore to four books
At school I never enjoyed writing. Physics and maths came with problem sets and answers. Writing projects came with a blank page, and I dreaded them.
My thesis was a chore too, until it finally clicked. I was telling the story of my research journey, and it was mine to tell.
- 2017
What Every Postdoc Needs to Know. When I was approached to co-author it with Liz Elvidge and Carol Spencely, I had my doubts. We were all scientists. Could we really do this? It turned out writing with purpose was fun: sharing what I'd worked on with hundreds of postdocs, in the hope of reaching many more, one manageable chunk at a time. Working with a large academic publisher opened my eyes to the book world. Fun. Weird. Very complicated. The second edition followed in 2024.
- 2023
The UNIque Guide for Women. Solo this time, and I knew the risk. I'm a typical Obliger, as Gretchen Rubin would have it: without accountability, I make very slow progress. The lessons from my online course had sat in an electronic heap, gathering dust, until a mutual friend introduced me to Debbie Jenkins. Her publishing house, Intellectual Perspective Press, is small, agile and friendly, with just the right amount of structured deadlines. Having a team help me build the book was amazing.
- 2024
Leaving Academia. I joined one of Deb's writing cohorts. Four women. An hour of writing and accountability, early every morning. Usually in my pyjamas, always with a large cup of coffee. More deadlines, and a short, valuable book structure I loved writing. People tell me they love reading it.
- 2025
Get That Fellowship with the Researcher Canvas. This one brought one of my tools to life: a workbook I use on my courses, and one postdocs can work through by themselves. Design was key, and I'm very grateful to Jayr Cuario on Deb's team for such an inventive approach.
- 2027
Next up: a second edition of The UNIque Guide for Women.
Why I write
Every book starts the same way: share what works with hundreds of researchers, in the hope of reaching many more.
Our world needs researchers in every sphere. Books reach the ones I'll never meet in a workshop.
What readers say
In their own words
One voice for each book, from researchers and the people who support them.
"This is a must-read for all academics, whether or not you have ever wondered about careers beyond academia. Should be required reading when you start your academic career. As someone who took 10 years wondering whether to leave academia (and then ultimately doing so) much of this book deeply resonated with me and I wish I had read it sooner."
"As a final year PhD student with several career changes already under my belt, this book was a blessing! Emma's wisdom and encouragement leap off the page thanks to her humour plus it is brilliantly informative and practical. I can hear Emma cheering us all on!"
"Not only a must-have for every postdoc, but for every careers adviser too! Each chapter has provided a wealth of advice perfect for supporting researchers in 1:1 appointments and group workshops."
"I think the Canvas is very useful for structuring research proposals (not only for funding applications)."
For universities
Bring the books into your programme
Book clubs, copies for a cohort, or a workshop built on one of the books.
Tell me what your researchers need this year and we'll work out what fits. And yes, I'm always happy to sign a book.
