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I revise scientific proposals, papers, and talks to achieve exceptional clarity and optimal impact on your audience.
I empower early-career scientists to take control of anxiety and "impostor syndrome" and to communicate more effectively with supervisors.
How can I help?
• Ready to write your best grant proposal yet?
• No time to revise and polish those paper drafts for submission?
• Want to enhance your writing skills and writing confidence?
• Want someone else to help your student/postdoc revise their paper?
• Want an original and effective NSF Mentoring Plan that saves you time?
• Are you a student or postdoc looking for safe, confidential coaching?
Dr. Laura Wasylenki
Natural sciences editor and coach
Services listed below can be customized to fit your need.
Email me to request a free introductory meeting.
Proposal Consulting/Editing
For your NSF Mentoring Plan
Many people find proposal writing stressful (and it is), but I love it, and it's my best strength. Once you have a draft, I can help with optimal organization, clear logical flow, and emphasis on parts of your project that will most impress reviewers. Even if your area of expertise is a big reach for me, I can spot weaknesses and help you proactively address potential reviewer criticisms. Previous clients have said that the questions I asked during proposal revision led them to make their science stronger and that my writing improved the proposal document itself. Send me a message to request a free meeting, and I'll be happy to learn about your project and how I might help you get funded.
Manuscript revision/proofreading
How's that paper you meant to submit last summer? And that draft your student left behind three years ago? Feel no shame—you're busy! Would you like someone else to read the draft with fresh eyes and an outsider's perspective, re-organize text to clarify the logical story, craft excellent topic sentences, fix any grammar errors, proofread and/or format your document? I work on papers, dissertations, tenure packets, and more. I can help you or your student make headway (see "Coaching on Writing"). Let's talk!
Coaching on writing
I have decades of experience coaching students, postdocs, and other faculty to write more clearly, more concisely, and more impactfully and grow their confidence. Rather than revise text myself, I can engage in iterative revision of a draft, offering comments and suggestions that teach the author how to grab readers' attention and make their experience as smooth and pleasant as possible, so that the intended audience will appreciate, fund, and/or cite what they read. While advancing their own work, writers can learn to better organize their stories, provide subtle but effective "road signs" at just the right places, and arrange words and sentences in the order that best conveys their science. The same also applies to oral presentations. Please contact me to talk about whether you or someone you know would benefit from coaching. I can also serve as a writing accountability mechanism and cheerleader!
NSF now requires every proposal that will fund a graduate student or postdoc to include a written Mentoring Plan. We all want students to learn rapidly to manage time well, cope with the inherent stressors of graduate school, and communicate maturely and productively with their advisors. Even with excellent advising, however, this doesn't often happen automatically, which can impede progress and make everyone very uncomfortable. As an experienced academic and a Certified Life Coach, I can help. I provide safe, supportive, confidential, and sometimes firm guidance to help students build soft skills while respecting their autonomy and individual backgrounds. I encourage advisors to meet with me, too, to they can tailor their mentoring efforts to each student. You can demonstrate your commitment to excellent mentoring and look forward to happier, more productive advisees by budgeting for coaching in your next proposal. Contact me if you'd like to learn more!
Coaching for grads and postdocs
Graduate school is stressful. Are you good enough? Are you working hard enough? Does your advisor think well of you? If you are normal, you agonize over these questions, sometimes to the detriment of your productivity and even your relationship with your advisor.
Talking with a recently retired, warm, comforting Professor who has 20+ years of experience helping students manage these stressors might help. I have had some formal training as a coach, but the most important thing I can offer is the "wisdom" I've gained from getting to know many, many students and helping them progress with greater ease and productivity. Our conversations will be confidential, and I'll guide you to find your own ways to cope with the small and big stressors you're dealing with. You'll build skills to help you now and throughout your life!
I have a sliding scale for students without access to funds. Drop me a note. We can meet (for free) to talk about what you need.
My education and path to Scientific Editing and Coaching
1986-1991: Stanford University
BS in Geology & BS in Symbolic Systems
1992-1999: California Institute of Technology
PhD and MS in Geology
1999-2002: Assistant Professor
Hartwick College
2002-2004: Postdoctoral Researcher
Virginia Tech
2004-2010: Research Scientist (soft money)
Arizona State University
2010-2018: Assistant and Associate Professor
Indiana University-Bloomington
2018-2024: Associate and Full Professor
Northern Arizona University
After 25+ years in academia, I am transitioning from Full Professor to Scientific Editor and Coach. As Principal Investigator, I had a 100% success rate with NSF and NASA proposals, won over $4.0M in federal funding, and published dozens of peer-reviewed papers that are well-cited. Writing is my best strength; others have described my writing as "magnificent" and "really, really clear." I truly enjoy revising other people's writing and coaching them to make their own writing better.
Like most academics, my career path has been rich in stressors, self-doubt, and setbacks, all the way from undergraduate researcher to Full Professor. As my "wisdom" has grown over the years, I have coached dozens of students and postdocs (mostly not my advisees) to work well while managing anxiety and to have more productive and comfortable interactions with advisors. I'm excited for this work to be a big part of my new career chapter. I've recently enhanced my skills by becoming an ICF-accredited Certified Life Coach and completing training in Motivational Interviewing, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, and the NCFDD Faculty Success Program.
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