The edtech company Academia.edu encourages its people to be assertive in sharing their ideas, which Isabel Zhang considers one of the most valuable abilities she has honed during her six-year tenure.
She hasn’t always been proficient at balancing confidence with collaboration, especially when she joined Academia.edu as a full-stack software engineer straight out of college. But over the years, Zhang shared that she has learned how to be a strong leader, which has helped her discover and pursue her career goals.
Zhang, who currently works as an associate director of product and technology, credits her peers and managers for being pivotal in her growth journey. Along with their support, she explained, she has had the chance to tackle projects across multiple disciplines and take advantage of various growth resources, enabling her to decide where she wants to go with her career — and how she’ll get there.
“Academia.edu has been an incredible place for exploring and developing my interests,” Zhang said.
As the company continues to scale, she’s looking forward to enhancing her existing skill set — and helping others do the same. Below, Zhang shares more about her career journey so far, the ways in which she finds support for her professional development and the work she’s looking forward to accomplish next.
The Power of Knowledge
Academia.edu’s platform enables researchers and scholars to share their work, discover research and connect with other academics across the globe. The platform also allows academics to track when people cite their research or mention them in other works and gauge the amount of traffic their research is receiving online.
Give a snapshot of your career journey so far. What has been your path until this point?
I’m the associate director of product and technology for Academia.edu’s publishing initiative. I joined as a full-stack software engineer right out of college. Over the last six years, I’ve worked on a wide variety of projects across the business, which has given me great opportunities to learn about product development, user experience and business strategy. I’ve taken on various roles, such as technical lead, product manager, engineering manager and data analyst, which has allowed me to gain a broad perspective on how different cross-functional teams contribute to our business goals. Now, I manage the engineering and product team for our publishing business. The guidance and willingness of my teams and managers to share knowledge have been instrumental in my development.
How does working for Academia.edu help you progress toward your career goals?
When I first started, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to focus on the back end, the front end, infrastructure or product. The company’s flexibility allowed me to work on a range of meaningful projects, building a well-rounded skill set that I rely on daily. Much of my growth has been made possible by the incredible support and collaboration of my teams and managers. This supportive environment has helped me discover where I can make the biggest impact and feels authentic to my strengths.
“This supportive environment has helped me discover where I can make the biggest impact and feels authentic to my strengths.”
What makes Academia.edu a unique place to work from a professional development perspective?
Academia.edu has a very dynamic and impact-driven culture that encourages innovation and proactive problem-solving. If you have an idea, you’re empowered to put together a three-day demo and present it. If a project is veering off course, you’re encouraged to speak up and help find solutions. With the company growing quickly, there are always challenges and equally as many opportunities to rise up to those challenges.
For example, my current role began as a three-month “tryout.” During that time, I worked closely with leaders from publishing, product and engineering, meeting one-on-one for weekly feedback and mentorship. Their direct and continuous guidance provided actionable insights that helped me grow, and their genuine investment in my success made me feel supported. Through this consistent mentorship period, I developed many strategies for tackling the wide variety of challenges that arise day to day and quarter to quarter.
How have you grown professionally at Academia.edu? What skills have you learned?
I’ve developed a strong urgency mindset. Academia.edu’s culture values urgency and action, encouraging me to make decisions and implement solutions quickly and proactively. This often meant stepping into unfamiliar areas, such as taking on a product role during a gap or learning to negotiate contracts. These experiences have expanded my impact and allowed me to contribute meaningfully to critical projects.
I’ve become much more assertive in advocating for my ideas, driving projects forward and voicing my opinions — even when they differ from those of other leaders at the company. This has been one of the most challenging areas for me to work on, as it requires balancing confidence with collaboration and navigating difficult conversations. However, it’s also where I’ve seen the most growth and has made me a more effective leader and collaborator.
Career Growth Tools and Resources at Academia.edu
Zhang shared that she has benefited from several professional development resources during her time at Academia.edu. The two most impactful have been one-on-one coaching with an external career coach — which has helped her overcome complex leadership challenges — and individual mentorship meetings with senior leaders.
“They’ve been instrumental in my growth, offering personalized support and actionable feedback for the challenges I face,” Zhang said.
In addition, she has benefited from the company’s annual professional development budget, which she has put toward books and courses that have helped her improve her technical and managerial skills.
“These resources help me bring new strategies and ideas to my teams, allowing us to experiment and find what works best to increase our overall impact,” Zhang said.
How are managers involved in the career development of direct reports?
Managers at Academia.edu are supportive when it comes to career development of their team members. They provide regular, constructive feedback, which not only helps refine skills but also builds confidence and encourages continuous improvement. Beyond feedback, managers take a proactive approach by identifying and suggesting opportunities tailored to each individual’s goals. This might include recommending rotations on different teams to broaden experience, setting up mentorships with senior colleagues to offer guidance or aligning team members with projects that help them develop new or specialized skills.
How has Academia.edu positively impacted your professional and personal journey?
Joining Academia.edu has had a hugely positive impact on both my professional and personal journey. Professionally, I’ve really benefited from the company’s supportive environment. The combination of regular feedback and valuable mentorship has been instrumental in boosting my skills and confidence. For example, owning the analyses and project execution around our publishing team’s quarterly targets has given me the opportunity to propose and drive forward business goals while also improving my own skills. I’ve also received valuable mentorship that has guided my career path, like learning different ways to give feedback.
These experiences have taught me to handle complex problems with more confidence, both at work and beyond. By regularly stepping outside my comfort zone and becoming more assertive, I’ve grown more adaptable and resilient in the face of challenges.
What are you excited to accomplish next at Academia.edu?
I’m eager to take on more strategic projects and deepen my product thinking to make a real impact at Academia.edu and in the research community we serve. I’m also excited to strengthen collaboration across our teams and to support team members in taking ownership of their work and growing their skills.
