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The one thing Caitlin Vander Weele liked more than doing research was talking about it, but when she took a job in biomedical communications after finishing her Ph.D., it just “never really clicked,” she says. “I realized I love building and creating things.” So six years ago, she started her own company—Stellate Communications—and has never looked back. She spoke with The Transmitter about how she launched a successful communications business by leaning hard on the creative intuition and problem-solving skills she had honed during graduate school. “The thing about Ph.D.s,” she says, “is they can figure stuff out.”
This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
The Transmitter: What does your company do?
Caitlin Vander Weele: We’re a strategic communications firm at the intersection of science and everything it touches: technology, health, art, community, policy. We work with academics, universities, science-driven nonprofits and some for-profit companies. We specialize in proactive public relations—helping our clients get their science in the news—as well as social media, newsletters and websites. For some clients, we delve more into technical writing and grantsmanship. We also help on the academic administration and management side, taking things off investigators’ plates to help them focus more on doing the science.
TT: Can you describe the path you took to entrepreneurship?
CVW: In hindsight, you can make a straight line, but it was anything but straight. I was gunning to have my own lab. I had papers in Cell, Nature and Science. But at the end of my Ph.D., I realized the principal investigator path wasn’t the healthiest for me. It was like I’d been climbing up the ladder with blinders on. I got to the top and realized it was not where I wanted to be. I was really burnt out. I wasn’t sure what else was out there, though. I was really good at sticking small things in rodent brains, but what else could I do?
I knew I liked talking about science. I had started a communications project called Interstellate, where I would use Twitter to share beautiful images of the brain that were “failures” for whatever reason and were never going to be seen. I started collecting images from researchers around the world and raised money to publish books to give away for free at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience. If it wasn’t for that, I don’t know if I would have finished my Ph.D. I needed that creative outlet and community.
After I defended my Ph.D., I did some freelance science communication to rehab my mental health. I actually worked for a company whose technology I used during my Ph.D., and for Columbia University. Although I enjoyed the work, it was certainly a hustle to do it freelance. When I turned 30, I was like, “I can’t afford to do this anymore.” I then took a job in communications at a biotech company, but it never really clicked. So I started picking up freelance work on the side, doing what Stellate does now. I knew right away there was something there—a need for this kind of creative science-communication company. I thought, “If I don’t do this, someone else will, and I’ll be kicking my butt for the rest of my life.” That’s how Stellate came to be. Our first client from six years ago is still our client today.
I’ve certainly made a lot of wrong turns along the way, but I learned from them. They made this career possible, made this company possible, made my family life possible.
TT: How did you need to grow to go from sticking things in rodent brains to running your own company?
CVW: The thing about Ph.D.s is they can figure stuff out. For two or three years, I was doing all the paperwork associated with running a business myself. Eventually, I hired an accountant, a tax consultant and a lawyer. I remember handing all the paperwork over to them and worrying they were going to say, “Oh, we have to fix all this.” But they said, “It’s actually really good.” I was like, “Excuse me? Well, thank you!”
Now we have a staff of about 20 people, mostly Ph.D.-trained communicators. It’s my dream job. It’s very fast paced. We get to be very close to science and think deeply about science and how it makes its way out into the world. And we get to form really close relationships with our clients because we have a shared vision.
TT: What skills did you carry over from your Ph.D.?
CVW: I love building and creating things. I think that’s very common among Ph.D.s, and I think it sort of predisposes us to starting businesses or initiatives. We can also work independently and research the crap out of something—really get to know the nuts and bolts. When you’re doing a Ph.D., you have to figure out the project and all the details and troubleshoot along the way. That’s why I love hiring Ph.D.s. They can work independently, think strategically, put their heads down and really figure things out.
TT: What’s your advice for Ph.D.s looking to pivot away from academia?
CVW: Talk to people. See what other folks are doing with their degrees. And then try things. I think it’s hard for Ph.D.s because we’re so used to signing up for something for five or six years at a time, and it’s scary to think about committing to something new without an end date. But I remember an ex-boyfriend telling me, “Caitlin, it’s just a job. You can always change your mind.”
Figure out what you like, what you don’t like, get your feet wet, meet people, and when something stops serving you, find whatever that next step is.
