My name is Phuong (my birth name is Kieu-Phuong Ha). I am Vietnamese of origin and 43 years old. I am very fortunate to have experienced different stages of an academic career, from Magister, PhD to Postdoc. From 2016 to 2024  I worked in the Human Resources Department at the University of Cologne where I coordinated mentoring programs for early career researchers. These programs are designed to support scholars from Germany and abroad in their career planning and personal development. Since 2019 I am certified mentoring manager, since 2021 certified coach, and since 2023 Stanford ambassador and facilitator of Applied Compassion.

The reason why I have decided to become a coach, is that I would like to build a bridge between what we have learnt from science and research (e.g. the analytical thinking, different ways dealing with data, experiments and methods) with the question of how we really grow personally. With my background of 10 years in research, 25 years in Germany and 8 years in science management, I am familiar with the challenges international scholars often face, e.g. language barriers, (inter)cultural differences, gender inequality, job insecurity and self-uncertainty. Having gone through all of the ups and downs in work and personal life, I have learnt how to recognize and (re)activate my own (inner) resources and integrate them to plan my career and my life in a meaningful way.

In my coaching I will help you clarify your goals and resources by tailoring my tools and methods to your needs and values. You will gain more clarity and come up with concrete solutions and action plans on your own that help you head to where you want to be.

MY QUALIFICATIONS:

German Linguistics & Chinese Studies (Humboldt University Berlin) | PhD in Linguistics (University of Cologne)

Systemic Coaching (Institute for Applied Psychology, Cologne) | Certified Mentoring Manager (Netzwerk Mentoring e. V. Baden-Württemberg) | Consulting for Students and PhD candidates with Psychological Instability and Illnesses (University of Cologne) | Trauma-Awareness (Internationale DAAD Akademie) | Awareness Training (Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center and the Awareness Training Institute, University of California) | Membership and regular further education at SIETAR (Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research) | Applied Compassion Training (at CCARE – Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education, Stanford University)