About Me

Carol Kiriakos

I have a Master’s degree in Social Psychology from the University of Helsinki (2004), and a Ph.D. in Social and Political Science from the European University Institute, Florence, Italy (2010). During my doctoral studies I was also a visiting researcher at the University of California, Berkeley between 2006 and 2008.

For most of my working life I have been affiliated with a university while also coaching writers outside the academia. I worked as a researcher and a writing coach at the Department of Management Studies, Aalto University School of Business for over 10 years in 2010-2021.

My current location is in Helsinki, Finland where I’m the principal teacher at the Critical Academy’s program for non-fiction writers. In addition, I coach writers in various universities and organizations, mostly in Finland but also globally.

My article with Janne Tienari, Academic writing as love won the Management Learning Best Paper Award in 2018.

I have published a writing guide for academic writers with Kimmo Svinhufvud in the Finnish language, called Tohtoritakuu (‘Ph.D. Guarantee’, 2015).

Prior to developing writing support, my academic interests included the global mobility of highly skilled professionals, virtual work, the meaning of place and distance, and work engagement. I have a comprehensive understanding of writing in different professional contexts.

I have coached writers in numerous universities in Finland and elsewhere, including

  • Aalto University
  • University of Turku
  • University of Helsinki
  • University of the Arts, Helsinki
  • Hanken School of Economics, Helsinki
  • Åbo Akademi, Turku
  • National Defence University Finland
  • Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, Helsinki
  • University of Lapland
  • University of Eastern Finland
  • Lappeenranta University of Technology
  • University of Tampere
  • European University Institute, Florence, Italy
  • Hertie School, Berlin, Germany

In addition, I have taught professional writers in private and public organizations.