Having trouble viewing this email? View as a webpage.	Share this:

January 8, 2025

Dear colleagues,

I hope your new year is off to a wonderful start. Please find important updates and reminders from the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs below. We hope you enjoy this edition of our newsletter.

If there is anything the office can do for you or your postdoc, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Sincerely,

C. André Christie-Mizell
Vice Provost for Graduate Education
Dean of the Graduate School
Director, Office of Postdoctoral Affairs
Centennial Professor of Sociology

Recognizing Postdoc Success

The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs wants to recognize your postdoc's success. If they have been awarded a new fellowship, had their book accepted for publication, or accepted a faculty job offer, we want to know! Complete our Postdoc Recognition and Success form so we can celebrate their success and tell their story.

Postdocs will be recognized on our Celebrating Excellence website and the Vandy OPA social media accounts.

Reporting Postdoc Classification Changes

If your postdoc is moving onto a training grant or individual fellowship or coming off one of those funding sources, they may undergo a classification change. This change affects their benefits. It is very important that this funding change be reported to the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs as soon as possible, but no more than 30 days following the change. This can have benefit implications to the postdoc.

If you have any questions about postdoc classifications, please do not hesitate to reach out to OPA@vanderbilt.edu.

Enhance Academic Communication for International Postdocs

The English Language Center (ELC)’s Academic Communication for Postdocs course is now available on Brightspace, offering a flexible opportunity to develop English communication skills. This self-paced online course allows postdocs to improve their oral and written communication at their own convenience, supporting both their current research and future career goals.

Modules cover a range of communication skills, and postdocs can also take advantage of personalized 1-to-1 consultations with ELC experts for individualized feedback. Postdoc's can sign up here: https://forms.office.com/r/wShP5haDUe.

Spring Postdoc Awards

Each spring the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (OPA) partners with the Vanderbilt Postdoctoral Association (VPA) to recognize postdocs who demonstrate excellence in research, service, mentorship, and a commitment to the postdoc community, as well as their mentors who demonstrate a willingness to share expertise and advice, service to the community at large, along with other mentoring activities. The 2025 Postdoc Awards nominations will open in early February. A separate email will go out with links to nominate your postdoc.

Postdoc Recruiting Resources from the OPA

The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs provides information for prospective and incoming postdocs on our website. If faculty have postdocs visiting campus for interviews or lab visits, the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs is happy to meet with them for 30 minutes to discuss benefits and resources provided to postdocs. Alternatively, the OPA can set up a Teams or Zoom call with any prospective or incoming postdocs not on campus.

New Resource: Vanderbilt Postdoc Handbook

The Vanderbilt Postdoc Handbook is a resource for incoming and current postdocs as well as faculty and staff that work with the postdoc population. The handbook lists information regarding moving to Nashville, onboarding, campus resources, and institutional policies. Effective January 2025, postdocs receive the link to the handbook upon signing their appointment letters.

Resources

Office of Postdoctoral Affairs

Vanderbilt Postdoctoral Association

Events for Postdocs

Faculty and Staff Resources

Click here to Opt-Out of all Office of Postdoctoral Affairs emails.

Vanderbilt University Office of Postdoctoral Affairs | 615.343.1990
117 Alumni Hall | 2205 West End Ave, Nashville, TN 37240