Testimonials
Jennifer van Alstyne works with professors and researchers around the world on online presence. View services.
Academic Website Design
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Social Media | Consultations | Bio Writing
“I recognised that while I had the intention to redesign my website, I never got around to doing it. It was a case of a task that was ‘important (to me), but not urgent’ (considering other work priorities. Seeking support from Jennifer helped me overcome this barrier and commit to the process.
Having a broad research agenda works for me, but it can be challenging to craft a coherent “meta-narrative” – a story of how the different elements of my research agenda connect and intersect. Doing my website and bio with Jennifer gave me the opportunity and support to revisit that story and to have it reflected in my bio. Jennifer helped me carefully consider my audience and how to best communicate with this audience.
I see my website as a living document that will continue to evolve. In the future, I hope to expand my website by sharing more information about the research teams I’m part of, showcasing our collective work and team members’ achievements more explicitly. I also aspire to expanding the research section of the website by adding high-level information on current and past research projects that I’m particularly proud of, including the academic and social impact they’ve made.
Working with Jennifer on the redesign of my website has been incredibly valuable to me. I have already recommended Jennifer’s services to several colleagues who are similarly seeking to develop and communicate their academic “brand” and online presence.”
— Ramón Spaaij, PhD
Bio Writing
Personal Academic Website Redesign | Website Strategy, and updates/enhancements the following year
“I have been in academia for 25+ years doing many projects and in a number of roles. One area I study is health communication and the importance of connecting and telling stories for health and wellbeing. I was hoping to find a way to better organize and tell the story of the various projects and teams I have been fortunate to work on over time (rather than just relying on a long academic CV). Working with Jennifer to do this vs doing this myself was important as I really don’t have the skills or time do a website that would do this efficiently and beautifully.
I would 100% recommend Jennifer. I have now worked with her on 4 different websites for various projects. She is the best!
She was knowledgeable about the design and function of the websites (with tips and tools in this area from best practices) as well as the aesthetics and worked with me in a very organized way. She was very patient when I was on travel/swamped with work and it took a long time to gather things or had to change meetings. She was flexible in discussing options, designs, and timing, including ensuring the process and product worked for me to meet my goals.
Jennifer is clearly experienced with academic processes, contracting, and needs as well as strategic design considerations. She runs a great business in this space. She is very timely, organized, and supportive in communication, and is creative and artistic as well. Besides the product of the beautiful websites, it was nice to also learn some basics on how to update them in WordPress (with videos and materials to support this in the future for when I will invariably forget all I have just learned about this).”
— Tetine Sentell, PhD
Personal Academic Website Design | VIP Day
Research Group Website Design | VIP Day
Research Project Website Design | VIP Day (2)
Academic Entrepreneur Website Design | Website Set-Up Consultation
“I have been wanting an academic website for several years. There are several times I started one or tried to have a staff member on my team start one and never finished it. It seemed like too much work to create and keep up with. With my new job and move to a new city I felt it was essential to create an online presence to help build partnerships and spread my work around.
Working with Jennifer was a breeze! She showed up to every meeting prepared and with a smile on her face. She took the time to get to know my work and me as a person. She seemed invested in making sure my website was the best possible version it could be. I am still in awe of the final product! It was way better than I could have created or even could have imagined!”
— Courtney Zulauf-McCurdy, PhD
Bio Writing
Personal Academic Website Design | Website Strategy
“I reached out to Jennifer because I was looking to revamp my website and online presence. I wanted something that could appeal to non-academics. I wanted someone to look at my website and be able to find things easily, but also want to engage with me beyond my CV. I find most academic websites follow a similar template and are heavily dependent on text. Jennifer was helpful in getting me to simplify my writing, allowing my website to focus on getting people to the information they need.
Jennifer’s approach focused on getting me to understand why my work was important to the broader community, not just academia. Every meeting with Jennifer was a revelation; she was constructive in her feedback, yet collaborative in her strategy. My website engagement has increased significantly. I can’t thank or recommend Jennifer enough. Jennifer would be great for any early career academic who is trying to promote their work to broader audience, or the mid career/seasoned academic who needs to refresh their website/online presence to meet the demands of the academy today.
Jennifer was tremendous in distilling my professional experience into longer and shorter narratives. The multiple bios are extremely useful to use when funders and publishers request bios that require different lengths and pieces of information. Jennifer was able to help balance the right amount of personal information and professional information that I feel represents me well.”
— Emmanuel Balogun, PhD
Bio Writing
Faculty Profile
Personal Academic Website Redesign | Website Strategy
Squarespace website developed by Iggy + Stella Creative Studio
“After hearing a few of Jennifer’s recordings, I realized that it would be cost-effective to pay for her insights and expertise. I would 100% recommend Jennifer to other academics. She is knowledgeable and focused; she has invested a lot into developing a very specific expertise. In addition, she is pleasant and fun to work with.”
— Neil Kressel, PhD
Personal Academic Website Design | VIP Day
LinkedIn Profile | VIP Day
“Working with Jennifer is a wonderful experience; she helps me organize my thoughts when I am feeling scattered and supports strategic thinking in what to present on my website and how. She has been patient as my vision has changed and her detailed follow-up with videos and ‘how-tos’ mean I can make changes as I need.”
— Heather Lanthorn, ScD, MPH
Bio Writing
Personal Academic Website Redesign | Website Strategy
Personal Logo Design
“We would recommend Jennifer for any project where academic research needs to conveyed onto websites and social media. Jennifer’s strategic website plan was detailed and well-organized providing suggestions to make our web redesign effective for our center’s audience (e.g., industry and the general public).
The social media plan helped us put in place a communications schedule and tools that will increase the amount of exposure we have on those platforms. Her approach to collecting feedback from the whole team before writing a plan helped align the vision for the team.
Working with Jennifer was easy and enlightening. We hope to hire her again in the future for one of her trainings or further development work.”
— Matt Hotze, PhD, NEWT Engineering Research Center (Rice University, Arizona State University, University of Texas at El Paso, Yale University)
Research Center Website Redesign | Website Strategy
Social Media and Communications Strategy
Professional Development Workshop for Grad Students
Congratulations to the NEWT Alliance and the WaTER Institute at Rice University!
“I wanted support because as an A.B.D. graduate student my time is limited. While I thought it was important to establish an online presence for future employers to see, my focus is on finishing the dissertation. Taking the time design a website by myself would take away from dissertation writing.
It’s amazing! The website looks professional and fits my aesthetic tastes. I would highly recommend academics working with Jennifer. She listens attentively to the needs of her clients, and brings a lot of expertise to website design and academia. Her guidance and suggestions helped clarify aspects of the website I would not have thought about.”
— Tashi Treadway
Personal Website Design | Quick Website
“I had done my own personal website design in the past, which was just ‘OK.’ As I transitioned to a tenure track position I really wanted my online footprint to make a statement and I thought it be to seek support with my website. In the interest of time it was better to seek professional services.
The 1:1 sessions where Jennifer really drilled down to the “why” of the website was most helpful. The team VIP day was very successful. I felt having two amazing creative minds [Jennifer van Alstyne and Brittany Trinh] was instrumental to my unique website design. I was surprised by how much work was accomplished in a VIP day. One of the most rewarding things coming out of working with Jennifer was improved clarity of my vision for my research lab and my own career.”
— Makella S. Coudray, PhD
Bio Writing
Faculty Profile
Personal Academic Website Design | VIP Day
Research Lab Website Design | Team VIP Day along with Brittany Trinh
Jennifer also did the SHEER Lab logo and branding, testimonial below
“I knew I wanted to establish my research lab and build my academic brand. I have followed Jennifer’s work for some time and I was sure she would be the best person to design my lab logo.
Now that my logo is complete, I am 100000% sure this was the best decision. Throughout the entire process, Jennifer was engaging and really thoughtful. She had a unique way of bringing out key concepts that were important to me but might have been hard for me to communicate. The quality of my logo is truly immaculate. It truly speaks to the work of my lab today and the future projects we plan to work on. The logo aligns well with both my lab website and personal website.
I also appreciated receiving the logo in different formats. I am now able to have promotional items (e.g. tote bags, pens, etc.) printed with my logo. I am literally showing anyone who gives me 2 minutes this logo. “
— Makella S. Coudray, PhD
Research Lab Logo Design
Branding, social media graphics, and professional development workshop for the SHEER Lab | Online Presence VIP Day
“The original FromPhDToLife.com website was launched December 12, 2012. I’ve updated the theme once or twice over the years, but I’m not a designer, so it was always a bit of a hack job. Not super embarrassing, but just not really working for me. It wasn’t what I wanted to communicate to people. I felt like my old website was stuck in the 90s. I wanted to bring it into the modern era.
The redesigned website has more color, which is fun. It has more pictures. I was always intimidated, where do you find pictures? Do they have to be of you? There’s still a lot of text there, but it’s organized in a much more useful fashion. It’s much nicer for me now to be like, “go to my website” because I’m not embarrassed. Hire JvA because then you won’t be embarrassed.”
On the new PhD Career Clarity Program sales page: “I knew because JvA is great with my website and because she knows my audience in general, she gets the sensibility and she knows me that I trusted her to do a whizzbang job, and she did. It’s really great. There’s a lot of design elements I would’ve just been completely overwhelmed from. Never would have happened. I’m really proud to share that link with people and have them check out the program.” Watch video testimonial.
— Jennifer Polk, PhD
Academic Entrepreneur Website Redesign |Website Strategy
“For the logo, I wanted a visual identity to instantly give people the right vibe for what the business, From PhD to Life, is all about. I wanted it to be a bit cute without being cutesy. There were mockups to look at where we could adjust them. Opportunities to pick the colors, change the size, and talk about my vision. I love it. It’s good. I put it everywhere immediately.”
— Jennifer Polk, PhD
Logo Design
“Working with Jennifer on the creation of a website was a wonderful experience. She took the material I provided — my CV, links to writings and other relevant information — and shaped it into a cogent site that is easy to navigate and deftly reflects the various dimensions of my long history as an art critic, educator, scholar and speaker.
She has a keen understanding of how academics and arts journalists reach an audience and interact with those who would want to engage with their work. In addition to creating the site, she synchronized it with social media sites to genuinely excellent effect.”
— Robert L. Pincus, PhD
Bio Writing
Personal Website Design | Website Strategy
Art With Bob Pincus | YouTube and Social Media Strategy
Bob is Jennifer’s father-in-law 💚
We’re redesigning this website in October 2025 to better share his new YouTube channel, Art With Bob, which Jennifer manages and does strategy for.
Video editing and producing by Jennifer’s husband, Matthew Manly Pincus, PhD
“Jennifer was able to bring together professional, academic content that not only reflected the team and our approach to research but also met the expectations of our University. I could not have managed this process without her experience and strategic support.”
— Natasha Lannin, PhD, Brain Recovery and Rehabilitation Research Group at Monash University
Academic Webpage Content | Website Strategy
Video and Flyer
“It would have been too difficult and time consuming to make my father’s website myself. Working with Jennifer was wonderful. She is so receptive, so charming, and responds to every email promptly. She is very knowledgeable, and explains everything well. She is also very patient, capable, and understanding. She went above and beyond in her work with us. I highly recommend her.”
— Dr. Lyna Atiyeh
Dr. Lyna Atiyeh and her brother, Dr. Ghassan Atiyeh, hired Jennifer to build their father, Dr. Naim N. Atiyeh’s personal website to celebrate the legacy of his academic career.
Personal Academic Website Design | VIP Days
“Jennifer was extremely thorough in her research and professional in her delivery of her recommendations. Meetings were well organized and I knew exactly what I needed to do and what to expect each step along the way.
At the end, I received a comprehensive report and recommendations that were exactly what I needed to take the next step. Her command of the space is extraordinary and her recommendations are well founded in research and real world evidence. It was a pleasure to work with Jennifer.”
— Paula McCree, MS, Awake and Aware
Academic Entrepreneur Website Strategy
Paula completed set-up of her own website
Dan considered DIYing his personal academic website with Google Sites. We decided to work together because, “Jennifer answered every question I had about creating a website. She provided a set of options and helped me weigh the alternatives.
Jennifer was incredible. She was incredibly responsive and efficient. I would recommend her to each of my academic colleagues.”
— Daniel P. Murphy, PhD
Personal Academic Website Design | VIP Day
Social Media for Academics
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Websites | Consultations | Bio Writing
“I really wanted the help of an expert who could help me take my professional social media presence to the next level. I had felt like I had plateaued and needed insight from someone else.
Working with Jennifer was super helpful and affirming. I appreciated how there were different options that we could work on. Sometimes it’s hard to know what to even start on so having different options that Jennifer created as starting points was super helpful.
I knew Jennifer would be amazing, but it was just really affirming to work with someone who found the balance between what needed to happen to be successful and also not making anything we worked on feel out of my depth. I felt Jennifer blended her insight with my interest for my social media pages amazingly.”
— Zori A. Paul, PhD
Social Media VIP Day
“I guess I’m old fashioned. I wasn’t on social media. I’m more of an in-person networker. A lot of people know me by networking. But in terms of being on social media, that wasn’t the case. I was in this professional development program and they provided opportunities for improving your footprint on social media, and I took advantage of it. I was able to get in touch with Jennifer and she helped me set up my LinkedIn page. Jennifer helped me get on social media and I’m so appreciative of what she did.
Great relationship. Great rapport…She’s been a godsend and still helping me, still helping me even to this day, a year after we started. I have nothing but great things to say about her in terms of her being a great resource, very knowledgeable. If she doesn’t know the answer, she’ll find the answer and come back the next time with the answer. I completely give her my full endorsement of having someone that can help you navigate as a faculty member, as a researcher, as a scientist, in terms of improving our presence on social media.”
— Antonio T. Baines, PhD
Bio Writing
Faculty Profile
LinkedIn VIP Day
“I was amazed how much you Jennifer was able to fine tune her plan based on the interviews. I really liked the level of strategic plan – not too simple, not too advanced for my level of SM knowledge. Jennifer really opened my eyes to what is relevant for a Social Media Strategy and gave me clarity on what I want to do. She had some very useful tips that immediately translated into improvement of visibility on SM. Since our consult I have gone back multiple times to her strategic plan and adjusted my activity.
I am so happy with the results that I recommended her to the Dean of our graduate school who is in the process of improving our social media presence.”
— Dennis A. Bente, DVM, PhD (@BenteLab)
Social Media Strategy
P.S. Jennifer did work with the graduate school and loved supporting their Social Media and Communications Strategy.
“Jennifer possesses not only a profound understanding of strategic social media and communications engagement tailored for academics, but also excels in meeting individuals at their current level and guiding them towards more effective and efficient engagement. She was able to engage each of us individually and move us forward as a team.
She played a pivotal role in assisting our program in crafting a unified strategy, with each faculty member enhancing their communication and social media involvement. Not only is she organized, responsive and thoughtful in her approach, Jennifer left our team invigorated with a well-defined path for engagement.”
— Katherine A. Dondanville, PsyD, ABPP, STRONG STAR Training Initiative (The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio)
Social Media and Communications Strategy with Faculty Training
Group Online Presence VIP Day
“I am capable of turning the record, pressing the record, clicking the record button and having my camera turned. I am capable of doing this, but did I ever do it in the years and years of running my business? No. JvA asked me questions and it was very natural because I could answer. Maybe they don’t come out so eloquently all the time, but that’s where the editing comes in. I could have done it years ago, but now it’s done. It was fun to do it. I can be proud and share it with people. Yes, I recommend.
I really appreciate that things got done quickly with limited homework for me to do. Somebody with my instinct is always like, I can do it myself, but the reality is I don’t do it. I like that there was a follow up meeting because it allowed us to catch any small things that weren’t quite right. It was all very organized.”
— Jennifer Polk, PhD
YouTube Channel Makeover, Video Creation, and Blog Makeover | Team Online Presence VIP Day with Matthew Pincus
Online Presence Consultations with Jennifer
VIP Day testimonials are not in this section. Please see the Websites or Social Media section.
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Websites | Social Media | Bio Writing
“Working with Jennifer is a breath of fresh air! She is not only knowledgeable and skilled in establishing an extensive social media strategy, Jennifer is especially helpful in supporting her clients in mapping out a cohesive and comprehensive marketing plan to ensure they are able to get their message across to their intended audiences.”
— Chinasa Elue, PhD
Online Presence Consultations
“As a new graduate student, I didn’t understand the impact that a well-designed website (read: simple, user-friendly, clear and accessible) could have on my academic work and networking…I have to say that [my website] has been incredibly valuable, both for documenting my writing, publications, and teaching, but also for helping others find me on my LinkedIn, social media accounts, and helping to build my network…”
— Hannah E. Chapple, PhD
Quick Website VIP Days Service
“Jennifer was so prepared for our session, and made the hour consultation just packed with useful guidance. She really listened to what I was interested in, gave me innovative ideas, encouraged me, and shared her expertise through concrete action steps I can take. I am implementing everything she told me and look forward to a follow up session!”
— Laura Baecher, EdD
Social Media Consultation
“Thank you, Jennifer van Alstyne, of The Academic Designer LLC for helping me make my academic website a reality. Now I have a hub to share my research, publications, and evaluation consulting. Rather than learning website design, I can continue focusing on what I do best: teaching, research, and evaluation!”
— Azucena Verdín, PhD
2 Consultations to make her personal academic website together
“I had been wanting to create a personal website for probably over a year. I researched ways on how to create it on my own, but would get bogged down with even how to start. With a full time job and family obligations, it was a project that was easy to put aside. I knew I needed someone to help me with the platform and design.
Jennifer really cared about me and wanted my site to be personal to me. The icons she chose, the placement of information and photos, color all suggested an emphasis on a personalized experience. Jennifer is professional and approachable. I appreciated her approach to our communication with our consultation and her onboarding document that captured my goals for the website. Showing me the ways to edit the site in WordPress was incredibly beneficial as I am now aware of how to make changes depending on my evolving needs and desires.”
— Marcella Gemelli, PhD
Website Consultation to make her personal academic website together
“I consulted with Jennifer about how I can use LinkedIn to find clients for my academic business. Working with Jennifer was a fantastic experience! She came to the call well-prepared providing customised feedback on my LinkedIn profile and activity and talked me through the step-by-step LinkedIn strategy she had created for me.
I have had LinkedIn training in the past but what stood out to me about Jennifer’s advice was that it didn’t feel icky to implement (no cold private messaging!). I got a whole new view on how I can use the platform in a way that feels authentic. As a result of her consultation, I have started to use LinkedIn in a more intentional way, which has saved me countless of hours I’d have otherwise wasted on ineffective activities.
If you are looking for help with LinkedIn, I highly recommend working with Jennifer!”
— Anna Clemens, PhD
LinkedIn Consultation
“I used to hate LinkedIn…until I worked with Jennifer on a consulting call. In a short amount of time Jennifer was able to train me on how to use LinkedIn effectively. I had read a lot of articles about LinkedIn and tried the DIY approach for years, but nothing “clicked” for me and I still avoided the platform.
Somehow, Jennifer was able to explain LinkedIn to me in a way that made sense, was actionable, and actually made me want to dive in and use it more. She was engaging during our call, and I felt comfortable asking her a lot of questions–and she answered them all. Thank you, Jennifer!”
— Echo Rivera, PhD
LinkedIn Consultation
“I recently had a valuable and helpful consultation with Jennifer van Alstyne, The Academic Designer, regarding my new writing and editing business, HCS Ink. Our conversation left me feeling inspired, motivated, and more focused.
Jennifer provided much needed insight on the specific steps I need to take to move forward with clearer purpose and vision. Jennifer’s practical advice and knowledge regarding business and networking made me feel more confident and organized. I highly recommend The Academic Designer for writers and academics who are looking to expand their careers or businesses. Jennifer is a pleasure to work with!”
— Heather Sweeney, MFA
Online Presence Consultation
“Jennifer was wonderful to work with. She came into our meeting prepared with invaluable insights, and information I would not have gathered on my own. Jennifer was able to pinpoint the overall essence, and goals of what I am moving towards achieving through creating a new website. Not only was she able to give clear direction, with direct explanations behind why choices for my site would be beneficial, she was able to see my vision, and reflect back the value of what I am trying to achieve.
As a poet and academic, who also works in the healing space, utilizing energy practices, I was self-conscious about how to move forward with this content on one website. Through her insights, and integrity of process, Jennifer was able to strengthen my commitment to the new website, and demonstrate how these parts can and do work together, and how this can be done successfully. What a gift! I am so grateful to be able to work with someone who was so brilliantly able to provide clarity and specific design pathways to every aspect of what I am trying to bring forth on my website. I came out of our session energized and ready to redesign. Once complete, I know I am going back to The Academic Designer for further website review!”
— Chelsea Palermo, MFA
Website Consultation
Bio Writing (Done-For-You)
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Websites | Social Media | Consultations
Most of our bio writing clients are website clients. Please view the website testimonials for more on bio writing with Jennifer.
“I’m a community psychologist and researcher. I’m an evaluator for the government sector and develop workshops for universities. I’m just starting off, so I don’t have materials such as a great bio that really summarizes where I’ve been and where I’m going with my values in social justice. I realized I really need an expert to help me with this process in creating a bio that I would just be able to share out. It’s always easier for someone else to write about me. I always have a hard time with that. And there was an upcoming podcast that I needed to submit a bio for.
The questions that you asked were really insightful and thoughtful. Those were questions that I never think about but they’re in my head and so I really appreciated unpacking that with you, and you created that in a really concise way. You always work better with someone else. There was a lot of plain language in the structure of the writing. I would never have done that. I would have made it more complicated because of my position as a researcher. That was really helpful to have someone who prioritized that kind of plain language.
I’ve already been talking about you. Yes! I definitely plan to recommend you. Thank you so much. You are a pleasure to work with. Thank you for being understanding. It was easy to talk with you and share about my work.”
— Tatiana Elisa Bustos, PhD
Bio Writing
“Jennifer makes people feel comfortable with something that’s often hard to do, but essential in business: talking about one’s self. She synthesized my accomplishments and developed a resource I’ve used again and again; it’s saved me immeasurable time and cognitive energy. Well worth the expense.”
— Meredith D. Clark, PhD
Bio Writing
Let’s talk
Jennifer van Alstyne is happy to help with your online presence too if you want support. View services.
Let’s chat about working together on your website, social media, or bio writing.
