Imposter Syndrome as a Neurodivergent Early Career Academic

This publication is included in the Autistic Autism Scholarship Project. one author of this publication is identified as autistic in the project.

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Phan, J. M. (2026). Imposter Syndrome as a Neurodivergent Early Career Academic. In Navigating Academia as a Neurodivergent Academic (pp. 57-75). Emerald Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83662-556-820261005

Publication date: 25 Aug 2026 Added to AutiHub: 26 Aug 2026 Type: Book chapter Article language: English
Publisher source (DOI) OpenAlex source

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Authors

Publication authors
1
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 1 (100.0%)
  1. Jenny Mai Phan *

Abstract

Abstract This chapter explores the unique manifestations of imposter syndrome among neurodivergent early-career scholars in academia, challenging framings that locate the problem within individual psychology. Drawing from lived experience as an autistic researcher and scholarly literature on neurodiversity, stigma and academic culture, Jenny examines how imposter syndrome emerges at the intersection of neurodivergent ways of being and institutional structures designed around neurotypical norms. The chapter identifies three primary sources of imposter syndrome: self-imposed perceptions from comparisons with neurotypical peers and internalised ableism; externally imposed pressures through well-meaning but neurotypical-centric professional development advice and mentorship; and institutionally mandated practices that conflict with neurodivergent cognitive styles and sensory needs. These challenges are further compounded for neurodivergent researchers with multiple marginalised identities. Rather than treating imposter syndrome as an individual deficit, Jenny reframes it as a rational response to systemic exclusion, exploring how academia’s hidden curriculum and infantilisation of autistic individuals contribute to persistent feelings of fraudulence among competent neurodivergent scholars.

Bibliography cited by this reference

Cited references are imported from external metadata sources when they are available. The list may be partial.

Cited bibliography overview

These indicators describe the bibliography cited by this publication. An author name is counted each time it appears in one cited reference, so the same person can be counted more than once. Names not yet linked to an author already present in AutiHub are treated as unknown, not as non-autistic. Last computed: 12 Sep 2026 01:04.

Cited references
15
With a DOI
15
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
0
7 / 15 (46.7%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
0 / 15 (0.0%)
References with detected author names
15 / 15 (100.0%)
Without detected author names
0
Without a structured title
0
Without a stable identifier
0
References with raw author names still to review
0
References with external metadata lookup issues
0
These indicators apply to cited references displayed on this page, after technical duplicates have been merged. A reference without a DOI can still support author statistics when a title and author names are available.
Author names detected in the cited bibliography
50
From DOI or external metadata
50
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
0
34 / 50 (68.0%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 16 / 50 (32.0%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
11 / 50 (22.0%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 11 / 34 (32.4%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 9 / 47 (19.1%).
  1. Ami Tint , Jonathan A. Weiss (2018). A qualitative study of the service experiences of women with autism spectrum disorder . Autism, 22(8), 928-937. SAGE Publications.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1177/1362361317702561 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2754922100
    Crossref OpenAlex
  3. Nicole Brown , Jennifer Leigh (2018). Ableism in academia: where are the disabled and ill academics? Disability & Society, 33(6), 985-989. Informa UK Limited.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1080/09687599.2018.1455627 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2796429341
    Crossref OpenAlex
  6. Lynn Clouder , Mehmet Karakus , Alessia Cinotti , María Virginia Ferreyra , Genoveva Amador Fierros , Patricia Rojo (2020). Neurodiversity in higher education: A narrative synthesis . Higher Education, 80(4), 757. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1007/s10734-020-00513-6 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W3025382457
    Crossref OpenAlex
  7. Damian Mellifont (2023). Ableist ivory towers: A narrative review informing about the lived experiences of neurodivergent staff in contemporary higher education . Disability & Society, 38(5), 865. Informa UK Limited.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1080/09687599.2021.1965547 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W3193543301
    Crossref OpenAlex
  9. Joshua Spier , Kristin Natalier (2023). Reasonable adjustments? Disabled research higher degree students’ strategies for managing their candidature in an Australian university . Disability & Society, 38(8), 1365. Informa UK Limited.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1080/09687599.2021.1997718 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W3214202665
    Crossref OpenAlex
  10. Emily Hotez , Julianna A Rava , Shirley Russ , Allysa Ware , Neal Halfon (2023). Using a life course health development framework to combat stigma-related health disparities for individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disability (I/DD) . Current Problems in Pediatric and Adolescent Health Care, 53(5), 101433. Elsevier BV.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1016/j.cppeds.2023.101433 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4387849841
    Crossref OpenAlex
  11. Julie R. Posselt (2020). Equity in science: Representation, culture, and the dynamics of change in graduate education . Stanford University Press.
    Type: Book DOI: 10.1515/9781503612723 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4243500290
    Crossref OpenAlex
  13. Jennifer L. Stevenson , Bev Harp , Morton Ann Gernsbacher (2011). Infantilizing autism . Disability Studies Quarterly, 31(3), 1. The Ohio State University Libraries.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.18061/dsq.v31i3.1675 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W4246781226
    Crossref OpenAlex