Cybelle Smith
Science and research career coach for PhD and fellowship applicants
| Hourly rate range | $90 to $185 an hour |
|---|---|
| Focus areas | |
| Works with | Students and Professionals |
| Also coaches | Admissions consultant |
| Credentials | PhD in Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience; MS in Applied Statistics |
Cybelle Smith is a science and research coach who guides people along their chosen career paths, including PhD applications and fellowships. She holds a PhD in Psychology with a focus on cognitive neuroscience and an MS in Applied Statistics. She has over 10 years in the field and now works in neural tissue engineering. She won the NSF-GRFP and NRSA F32 fellowships and was accepted to every PhD program she applied to.
What Cybelle helps with
Cybelle helps scientists and students plan their career paths in research and related fields. She also supports people applying to PhD programs and fellowships.
- Applying to PhD programs
- Applying for fellowships and postdoc programs
- Changing fields in science after a postdoc
- Career paths in science and research
- Careers in biotech and medical devices
- Data science and business analytics careers
- Moving into freelancing or founding a startup
Background and qualifications
Cybelle is a career scientist with a PhD in Psychology, specializing in cognitive neuroscience, and an MS in Applied Statistics. She has over 10 years in cognitive neuroscience and psycholinguistics. She then moved into neural tissue engineering. She is a postdoctoral fellow and data analyst in the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Pennsylvania and a VA Medical Center. She builds analysis pipelines for electrophysiology and calcium imaging data. She has mentored undergraduates, graduate students and PhD colleagues. She is now moving to part-time freelance consulting and coaching while she applies for grants and founds her own start-up.
Cybelle Smith pricing
Programs and services
- Mentoring and career coaching
- Data analysis and scientific consulting
Cybelle Smith reviews
Cybelle Smith has a 5.0 out of 5 rating from 8 reviews on Leland, as of September 2026.
The CoachVouch take
She changed fields after her first postdoc and now freelances and is founding a company, so she can speak to unusual science career paths.
Best for scientists and students who want help with PhD applications, fellowships or a change of field.
Common questions
How much does Cybelle Smith charge?
Coaching with Cybelle runs $90 to $185 an hour. Message Cybelle from this page for an exact quote.
What does Cybelle Smith help with?
Cybelle Smith helps with applying to PhD programs, applying for fellowships and postdoc programs, changing fields in science after a postdoc and career paths in science and research.
Does Cybelle Smith have reviews?
Cybelle Smith has a 5.0 out of 5 rating from 8 reviews on Leland, as of September 2026.
Is Cybelle Smith certified?
Cybelle Smith lists: PhD in Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience; MS in Applied Statistics.
Will Cybelle do coursework or degree work for me?
No. She does not perform work toward a degree program that must come from the student.
Does Cybelle offer data analysis or consulting?
Yes. She is open to work as a data analyst or scientific consultant if that fits a client's needs better than coaching.
How do I contact Cybelle Smith?
Send Cybelle a message from this page. It's free and takes a minute.
Similar coaches to compare
Tick "Compare" to message several coaches at once.
Adam B
Adam B is a career and admissions coach who helps MBA and Master's applicants, and people breaking into consulting, banking and private equity. She spent seven years at Citi in EMEA, then earned an MBA at London Business School as a Merit Scholar. She now works in post-merger integration at Accenture. She coaches candidates worldwide and speaks Arabic. She has deep experience with international applicants, including many women from the Gulf and emerging markets.
Adil M.
Adil M. is a career coach for software engineers, engineering managers, and machine learning and AI engineers. He is an Engineering Leader at Amazon with 10 years of professional experience. He is also an Amazon Bar Raiser and interviews candidates for all levels and roles. He has interviewed more than 60 candidates, and he has helped more than 50 job seekers improve their resumes and land interviews and jobs at top companies.
Ahmed Zaeem
Ahmed Zaeem is a career coach for people who want to become a Chief of Staff. He is a Chief of Staff at Atomic AI, where he works in machine learning and structural biology. Before that he worked in consulting at Parthenon and in strategy at LinkedIn and Dropbox. He also founded an edtech company for trade schools. He has coached 20 people on networking, negotiation and finding the right roles, and has had more than 10 Chief of Staff clients.
Akul Loomba
Akul Loomba is a career and life coach who helps people in tech find clarity, confidence and direction. He also coaches on product management. He worked as a Product Manager II on the Microsoft Security team, on Entra ID Protection. Before that he worked as a Network Engineer at Verizon. He holds a computer science degree and is finishing a master's with a focus on machine learning.
Browse related
Last updated September 2026. Request a correction.