Evan Sandsmark is alumni of the Department of Religious Studies at the University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. His dissertation explored how our most fundamental religious and philosophical beliefs influence our approach to moral problems.
Evan interned with the American Academy of Religion under the mentorship of Alice Hunt. He previously participated in the PhD+ Communicating Research and Future Faculty modules.
What are your post-PhD career aspirations?
I am open to a range of different careers. While I positioned myself for potential faculty jobs during my time in the PhD program, I also pursued a range of other opportunities related to journalism and media (writing op-eds, producing podcasts, editing book reviews, etc.). My current position as the Publications Coordinator for the American Academy of Religion, with whom I did my PhD Plus internship, allows me to draw from both my scholarly and journalistic experience.
Please summarize your PhD Plus internship
My internship was through Reading Religion, the book review website published by the American Academy of Religion. My initial task was to strategize about ways that Reading Religion might expand its audience, and while doing so learn more about the world of scholarly publishing. This is in fact what I did, but since there was some turnover at AAR during my internship, I volunteered to assume duties performed by a departing employee and ended up playing a more central role in the daily operations of Reading Religion, including helping with a major redesign of their website. This led to a job offer in December 2021, and so I ended my PhD Plus internship after the fall semester, becoming an employee of AAR in January 2022.
What professional skills did you develop during your internship?
I primarily built on existing skills related to editing and online publishing. I also learned a lot about web development as we worked to redesign the Reading Religion website.
How did the internship support your career development?
The internship led directly to a job, which provided me with a degree of security as I finished my dissertation and contemplated my career moving forward. With my PhD in hand and my current position at AAR, I think I am well-positioned for a number of different careers, and this includes faculty positions at universities, should a good opportunity present itself. However, I am not limited to the traditional academic track, which is liberating.
What advice would you give peers on utilizing PhD Plus internships for career development?
My first piece of advice is to do a PhD Plus internship in the first place. It's a fantastic opportunity with essentially no downside. In the worst case, you discover that you aren't actually interested in a line of work you thought you might be interested in. In the best case, it positions you to pursue a variety of alt-ac careers, giving students a much broader range of opportunities after graduation. A more specific piece of advice: don't allow the initial parameters of your internship to overdetermine your experience. The internship should ultimately serve your ends, of course, but you should also be responsive to the needs of the organization or company you are interning for. Whenever possible, take the initiative to assume responsibilities that address those needs, proving your value as a potential employee (for the institution you are interning for or for anyone else).