Dr Melanie Smith, Founder & Academic Coach

About Me

I’m a published author of multiple peer-reviewed papers, chapters, books, and edited collections, with 18+ years of experience in research, publishing, and academic program development. I’ve served as a consultant to the European Parliament, held a tenured Associate Professor position at Cardiff University for over 13 years, and led faculty writing courses to help academics sharpen their research and publishing skills.

As an EU law scholar by training, I’ve worked across disciplines, from the High Arts (research as practice) to the hard sciences—and everything in between. My clients range from Dance and Fashion to the humanities, social sciences, health sciences, and the biological and natural sciences. I believe that good writing is good writing, no matter the discipline.

My Mission

I founded Academic Coach in 2019 to provide the mentorship, skills, and strategic coaching I wish I had earlier in my career. Drawing on cutting-edge research in writing productivity, neuroscience, and behavioral psychology, I help academics build a sustainable, confident, and highly effective writing practice—maximizing output while minimizing time investment.

To date, I’ve coached over 1000 academics and delivered 50+ training events for Universities worldwide, helping faculty, postdocs, and PhD candidates transform their writing habits, publish with greater ease, and advance their careers.

How I Help

Through The Framework for Writing Success, I provide targeted coaching and training that bridges the gap between theory and practice. I work with individuals, institutions, and universities to:

✅ Build sustainable writing habits that work within demanding academic careers
✅ Optimize publication pipelines for long-term success
✅ Develop writing confidence and clarity to produce high-quality work efficiently
✅ Apply evidence-based strategies to streamline the writing process

Whether you’re struggling to carve out time for writing, battling perfectionism, or trying to publish more consistently, I’m here to help you write more, stress less, and thrive in academia.

📢 Want to take your writing to the next level? Let’s work together.

ways to work with me

Choose one of my 4 programmes….

Real Client Success: Transform Your Writing, Accelerate Your Career

Join the many academics who have revolutionized their writing, increased their publications, and unlocked new career opportunities with expert coaching.

📌 Career Advancement & Job Security

✅ Secured new academic positions thanks to a rapid increase in publications—boosting marketability, job security, and better working conditions.
✅ Achieved promotions by increasing publication output and receiving hands-on support in drafting promotion applications.
✅ Developed the skills to strategically navigate their careers, choosing projects that align with long-term goals and professional growth.

📌 Writing & Publishing Success

✅ Learned to start and finish papers faster—with confidence, ease, and clarity.
✅ Published consistently in top-tier journals, elevating their research impact.
✅ Mastered feedback interpretation and implementation, increasing acceptance rates and reducing time-to-publication.
✅ Transformed stalled projects—finally completing and publishing major pieces that had been lingering in draft form for years.
✅ Won prizes for papers, books, and conference presentations.

📌 Productivity & Mindset Shifts

✅ Overcame the overwhelm of competing demands, making meaningful progress in research—even in a time-scarce environment.
✅ Rediscovered joy and motivation in writing, mastering techniques that made the process both productive and fulfilling.
✅ Learned to identify and select projects strategically, ensuring maximum motivation and balanced workloads.
✅ Developed efficient writing habits that eliminated procrastination and enabled steady progress, even during busy periods.

📌 Elevating Writing Quality & Impact

✅ Clarified arguments, contributions, and research significance for maximum impact in the field.
✅ Moved from “also-ran” contributions to top-tier journal publications, learning how to craft high-impact papers.
✅ Gained the confidence and skills to produce high-quality writing with greater efficiency, setting them apart from their peers.

Are you ready to take control of your writing, publish with confidence, and accelerate your academic career?

📌 Let’s make it happen. Work with me and transform your academic writing today.

What Kind of Coaching Do I Offer?

The coaching industry is vast, and finding the right fit can be overwhelming. Not all coaching is created equal, and choosing the right coach is essential for achieving your goals.

I am not an executive career coach or a general life coach. You won’t find generic career exercises here—I won’t ask you to fill out a “wheel of life” or guide you through a career change to a different field. Instead, I offer specialist coaching in academic writing and career development—the key skills that drive success in academia.

My coaching is designed for academics who want to master writing—a notoriously challenging skill that is essential for career progression. I help scholars write with greater clarity, efficiency, and impact, eliminating procrastination, refining their ideas, and increasing their publication output.

In addition to writing coaching, I provide academic career training because, in academia, your career advancement is directly tied to the quality and quantity of your writing. Whether it’s securing tenure, winning grants, or establishing yourself as a leading expert in your field, mastering the writing process is non-negotiable.

How to Choose the Right Coach

Selecting a coach is a personal decision, and it’s important to find someone who aligns with your goals and working style. Here’s how I help you make that choice:

✅ Free Resources – You can explore my free coaching materials, blog, and courses (find them in the FREE COURSES section of the menu). Subscribe to my newsletter for additional insights and training.

✅ Clear, Transparent Programs – My paid coaching services and programs are detailed on this website, with links to my Learning Platform for more information.

✅ No-Obligation Consultation – Before committing to 1:1 coaching, I offer a free consultation call. This ensures we are a good fit, and if I’m not the right coach for you, I’ll point you toward other resources that may better suit your needs.

✅ Proven Expertise & Results – Experience matters. I bring 22+ years of academic experience and a track record of helping academics publish, progress, and thrive. You can read client testimonials on my homepage, testimonials page, and social media to see the impact of my coaching.

🚨 A Word of Caution – Always choose a coach who is transparent about their qualifications, experience, and pricing. If these details are hidden or unclear, that’s a red flag.

If you’re ready to take control of your academic writing and career, I’m here to help.

👉 Want to know why I coach? Read my short blog post which explains it all.

Current writing projects

Books

M. Smith The Academic Coach’s guide to being a happier writer (2025)

Publications

Please click here to see my full publications list as of when I finished working in an institution, including my professional consultancy work.

CV

Please click here to see a summary of my teaching qualifications and academic roles.

I have also trained with Patoss in ‘Enabling Students with SpLDs to Succeed in HE through Effective use of Study Skills Certificate’ in order to support writing and study skills for dyslexic and other neurodiverse students.

Continuing professional development is a core aspect of Academic Coach’s mission to offer the best coaching and teaching to our clients and all the programmes are developed with reference to the latest research on writing and writing productivity.