Vanderbilt postdoctoral fellows, commonly known as postdocs, are professionals who have earned doctoral degrees and are, in most cases, temporarily pursuing additional scholarly training, experience and research progress necessary for a wide range of career paths. Postdocs play an important role in Vanderbilt’s research enterprise and are integral to the discovery and learning mission of Vanderbilt University and Medical Center. At any given time, Vanderbilt has more than 450 postdocs across both VU and VUMC.
Vanderbilt provides exceptional postdoctoral opportunities with rich mentoring experiences, and resources. Faculty, students, postdocs, and staff work closely together to examine challenging questions across a wide range of disciplines. As a result, postdocs at Vanderbilt have the opportunity to further enhance their skills and prepare for future careers while working with leading scholars in the biological and physical sciences, engineering, humanities, law, business, and social sciences.
Mission
The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (OPA) is responsible for planning and managing programs and services for Vanderbilt’s postdoctoral community. OPA supports Vanderbilt-affiliated postdocs as well as faculty and staff administrators who work with the postdoctoral population. OPA is the central resource for postdoctoral services and serves as a liaison among postdocs and central University administrative offices. OPA also works closely with the Vanderbilt Postdoctoral Association (VPA) to address the interests and concerns of postdocs.
Postdoc Training at Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt University is an internationally recognized private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. It offers undergraduate programs in the liberal arts and sciences, engineering, music, education and human development, as well as a full range of graduate and professional degrees. Faculty, students, postdocs, and staff work closely together to examine challenging questions across a wide range of disciplines. As a result, postdocs at Vanderbilt have the opportunity to further enhance their skills and prepare for future careers while working with leading scholars in the biological and physical sciences, engineering, the humanities, law and business, and the social sciences.
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450+
Postdoctoral Scholars
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3,100
external awards received by VU and VUMC in 2021
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$1B+
received in research funding in 2021
The Vanderbilt University Office of Postdoctoral Affairs is a proud member of the National Postdoctoral Association.