From PhD candidate to research consultant: What students often don’t realise (yet)

In mid-December, we ran a free research consultancy taster session … with over 150 PhD students and early-career researchers signing up! That level of interest confirmed something we hear again and again: many researchers are curious about what’s possible beyond traditional academic pathways, but don’t have clear, practical information about how their skills translate.

At Kohlrabi, we’re passionate about supporting PhD researchers to build meaningful, impactful careers, whether within or outside of academia. Our research consulting journey over the past five years has given us a deep sense of competence and validation in our skills and mindset— something a PhD alone didn’t provide.

Here are some of the key lessons we shared in our taster session:

1. At its core, research consultancy is about applying rigorous research thinking to real-world problems. Charities, public bodies, and industry partners need evidence to make decisions, improve services, and demonstrate impact — and they increasingly turn to researchers to help them do this well. The work looks different from academia, but the foundations are familiar: asking good questions, choosing the right method, analysing data, and communicating findings clearly .

2. What often surprises early-career researchers is that consultancy doesn’t require a dramatic career pivot. You don’t need to leave academia, rebrand yourself overnight, or have years of commercial experience. Consultancy can sit alongside a PhD or post-doc, happen in short, well-defined projects, and take many different forms — from independent work to small teams or blended academic careers.

3. Another common misconception is that you need to be fully ready before you begin. In practice, consulting values clarity, collaboration, and credibility more than perfection. Many strong consulting case studies come from PhD research, volunteering, public engagement, or small applied projects — not from prior consulting roles.

Making the transition does, however, require confidence, structure, and an understanding of how consulting actually works — things rarely taught in doctoral training. That’s why we run short courses and our flagship 12-week PhD to Consultant Accelerator, designed to help researchers explore consultancy in a realistic, supportive way.

Find out more and sign up:

• PhD to Consultant Accelerator (12-week course; ~ 3hours/week)

  • We run cohorts every Jan-March and Sept-Dec.

  • Learn more here

  • Register your interest here or email training@kohlrabi.uk for information

• Research consultancy skills for academics and researchers (3-hour course)

  • We have spaces for our January 27th and April 14th courses.

  • You can sign up directly here

  • Cost: £85