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Dear Postdoctoral Community,
First, I would like to thank everyone for making the annual spring postdoctoral awards a success. It was exciting to see so many attend the awards ceremony and reception. It was a pleasure to gather together to celebrate the accomplishments of our community. Congratulations to our award recipients for their successes in research, mentorship, and service to the community.
I hope you are able to take time this summer to relax and recharge. While there are fewer campus activities occurring, we are planning for a full Fall semester. Please save the date for Postdoc Appreciation Week September 18 - 22. More information on activities for the week will be forthcoming.
As always, please do not hesitate to reach out if there is anything we can do for you or the postdoc community.
Best,
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C. André Christie-Mizell
Vice Provost for Graduate Education
Director, Office of Postdoctoral Affairs
Dean of the Graduate School
Centennial Professor of Sociology
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| 2023 Postdoctoral Award Winners
Congratulations to all of our 2023 Postdoctoral Award Recipients!
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2023-2024 VPA Executive Board Nominations Open
The Executive Board helps to promote scholarly learning, social activities, and postdoc advocacy. This is an excellent opportunity to get involved in the postdoc community and enact any changes you would like to see in postdoc culture on campus. Self-nominations are welcomed and encouraged. Postdocs with any number of years of experience are encouraged to apply.
Available positions are:
- President
- Vice President
- Scholarly Advancement Chairs (2 openings)
- Community Building Chairs (2 openings)
- Postdoc Advocacy and EDI Chairs (2 openings)
- Career Development Chairs (2 openings)
More information on the VPA can be found on their website. Information on the purpose and function of the VPA and each elected position can be found in the VPA ByLaws.
Nominations are open through Wednesday, June 14 with voting to follow. Elected members will attend the July VPA Executive board and take over thereafter.
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| Now Open! The Postdoc Academy
The Postdoc Academy: Building Skills for a Successful Career is a 7-week course launching June 5 on edX. To register for the course, please visit their site here. This course will help postdocs build foundational professional skills to launch them into their desired career pathway. Themes and topics explored include:
- Leadership
- Building & Supervising a Team
- Project Management
- Applying Teaching Skills Beyond the Classroom
- Strategic Communications
- Preparing Job Application Materials
Other highlights include two live discussions to engage and network with professionals from various fields. The project will also offer PALS (Postdoc Academy Learning Sessions), synchronous, weekly meetings for participants to further discuss course content.
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OSTP Listening SessionsThe Office of Science & Technology Policy is hosting a series of webinars this summer, all open to graduate and postdoctoral level researchers.
Open Science Possibilities for Career Advancement: Perspectives from Early Career Researchers on Opportunities and Challenges in Career Progression and Trajectory
Open Science Possibilities for Training and Capacity Building: Perspectives from the Early Career Researcher-Supporting Community
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NISS Grant Writing Workshops
The National Institute of Statistical Sciences is looking for individuals to join their Annual Writing Workshop for Junior Researchers at JSM 2023! The workshop is designed for researchers with a Ph.D. awarded or anticipated during 2017-2023 in statistics, biostatistics or related field. Applicants attending the Writing Workshop will be limited (30) and applicants should be within 6 years’ post-PhD. The goal of the workshop is to provide instruction for junior researchers writing journal articles and grant proposals. Participants will be required to provide a recent sample of their writing, which will be reviewed by a senior mentor. The sample could be a current draft of an article to be submitted for publication or an early version of a grant proposal. Senior mentors will be former journal editors and program officers, who will critique the submitted material and provide individual feedback. Participants will be expected to initiate a revision in response with additional feedback from their mentors. Deadline for the Writing Workshop application submission is June 30, with notification of acceptance soon thereafter. Find out more information and register for the workshop series here.
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| NIH IPPCR Course
Interested in expanding your clinical research knowledge base? Registration for the 2022-2023 NIH Introduction to the Principles and Practice of Clinical Research (IPPCR) course is still open for registration!
The NIH Office of Clinical Research Education and Collaboration Outreach (OD/OCRECO) offers this free, self-paced online course now through August 1, 2023. Graduate students, post-doctoral scholars, medical, dental, and pharmacy students, scientists, nurses, and other health professionals are encouraged to enroll now. The syllabus can be found here.
The IPPCR course is a lecture series from thought-leaders around the world covering:
- Study Designs, Measurement and Statistics
- Ethical, Legal, Monitoring, and Regulatory Considerations
- Preparing and Implementing Clinical Studies
- Communicating research findings and other topics
To register, please visit the IPPCR website and if you have any questions, please contact the course coordinator at ippcr2@mail.nih.gov. Individuals with disabilities who need reasonable accommodation to participate in this event should contact Rebecca Hwang, Office of Clinical Research Education and Collaboration Outreach, at ippcr2@mail.nih.gov or 301-451-1468.
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Graduate and Postdoc Academic SuccessThe Graduate & Postdoc Academic Success (GPAS) are here to support graduate students and postdocs with anything that keeps them from doing their best academic work. They provide strategies to address concerns around progress and productivity, as well as, navigating academic relationships. They address your needs through 1-on-1 consultations and success planning sessions. Additionally, both of their staff members are Gallup-Certified Strength Coaches and able to give you access to the CliftonStrengths Assessment to help you accomplish your best work utilizing an authentic approach to who you are and how you show up. If you are interested in meeting with one of the staff members, you can schedule an appointment here. If you ever feel like you are “stuck” in your writing and/or research, we hope that you will reach out and connect with them.
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1-1 Meetings
1-1 Meetings with Stacey and Nick will be offered throughout the summer. Please feel free to reach out or connect as needed. The schedule is listed above on their flyer, but you can also sign up using their online calendar here.
Weekly "Co-Working" Sessions
The GPAS staff will also be offering weekly 'co-working' sessions on Wednesdays between 10:00AM and 11:30AM (Stacey) and on Thursdays between 2:00PM and 3:30PM (Nick) in Alumni Hall Graduate Student & Postdoc Lounge (Room 100) for anyone to come by and work alongside them. This time can be used for writing, planning or other academic projects. Nick & Stacey will begin each session with setting goals for the time and provide free coffee! If you are interested in participating in these sessions via Zoom, please contact Nick or Stacey directly to set those up.
Summer Critical Conversations
GPAS will have two offerings of their 3-part series this summer entitled 'Critical Conversations'. The June session will be in person on campus and the July session will be online via Zoom. Participants do not have to attend the full series, but can pick and choose. You can sign up for either the inp=-person or virtual sessions below.
Navigating Academic Relationships - Maintaining a positive relationship with your faculty and research advisor is very important and can be achieved through frequent, open and candid communication, as well as establishing clear and aligned expectations. We will also discuss important principles for working through conflict and managing up.
Building Self-Efficacy - Self-efficacy is a belief one has in his/her ability to successfully complete a given goal or task. In other words it is situation specific self-confidence. We will discuss the sources of self-efficacy and strategies for building your research confidence and independence.
Receiving & Responding to Feedback: GPAS will work to (1) Identify the intent behind statements and questions, (2) understand the role of constructive feedback and improve communication between trainees and their mentors, (3) Assess the influence that mentors have on their confidence in their abilities and (4) Devise strategies to cope with and respond to feedback that negatively influences their confidence.
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BRET Office of Career Development ASPIRE Program
The BRET Office Career Development ASPIRE Program provides career and professional development services and enrichment activities for PhD students and postdoctoral fellows in the biomedical sciences at VU and VUMC.
Upcoming Events Hosted by the BRET Office of Career Development:
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| The Margaret Cuninggim Women's Center is an on-campus office and resource to help celebrate and empower women in both their professional and personal aspirations, helping to boast their overall lives as they navigate through their time at Vanderbilt University. You can read more about the Women's Center on their website.
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| Connect with the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (OPA)
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| Connect with the Vanderbilt Postdoc Association (VPA)
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| Postdoc Spotlight: Katie Young, Ph.D.
Katie Young is a postdoc in the Biomedical Engineering in the Reinhart-King lab at Vanderbilt studying the mechanical properties of cells and how they play a crucial role in several biological processes, such as wound healing, stem cell differentiation, immune function, tissue development, cell death processes, and cancer. Read about their work and how she mentors students in Vanderbilt's Next Steps Programs in our June postdoc feature here.
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Save the Date! 2023 Postdoc Symposium
The 2023 Postdoc Symposium will take place on Friday, November 17 in the Student Life Center. Look out for more information as we get closer to the event.
For more information on past symposia, please visit the VPA website.
Get involved by joining the Symposium Planning Committee.
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The Career Center is proud to present their free, self-service photo booth. Just step inside, pose, and share!
Located in the Student Life Center, this resource is free and available to the entire Vanderbilt community. The photo booth is available for use anytime the Student Life Center is open. Check out this flyer for more details!
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National Postdoc Association
NPA SmartSkills: Recipe for Success - How to Mentor (and be Mentored)
Everyone finds themselves in the role of being mentored and of being considered a mentor, critical components of success at work and in life. This is explicitly true of postdocs – they serve as mentors to undergrads, graduate students and postdocs, while also seeking guidance from their peers and faculty mentors. However, few of us have been formally trained to be a mentor. This session will cover best practices in both identifying mentors and being a successful mentor. Register here for the June 27 virtual course.
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Libraries' Digital Scholarship and Communications Office (DiSC)
The Libraries’ Digital Scholarship and Communications (DiSC) Office will present a variety of workshops and lesson series this spring to help you build your technical skills. For more detailed information and registration links, visit their website here.
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| Employee Affinity Groups
Employee Affinity Groups (EAGs) are open to all Vanderbilt employees, regardless of identity. Staff, faculty, and postdoctoral scholars who identify as part of or have a close affinity to these groups are encouraged to attend. You can learn more about which group you identify most with from our options below:
Association of Vanderbilt Black Faculty and Staff (AVBFS)
Women & Working Moms
To learn more about Employee Affinity Groups or to join, visit the EAG website.
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| Nature Masterclass
Nature Masterclasses are developed by Nature Research and provide professional development training for researchers by drawing on the expertise of Nature Research journal editors and experts. Faculty, staff, postdocs, and students of Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center are free to sign up at https://masterclasses.nature.com/.
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