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Dear Postdoctoral Community,
With the fall semester in full swing, I hope you are feeling the excitement around campus. I look forward to all the contributions you will make this year in teaching, mentorship, and discovery.
As a reminder, National Postdoc Appreciation Week will be held the week of September 15-19. This week is a celebration of the many contributions postdocs make to Vanderbilt and the Nashville community. Below, you will find a full line-up of events offered by OPA and other campus partners. I look forward to celebrating with you!
There is still time to register for the 19th Annual VPA Symposium which will be held on Tuesday, October 14. The deadline for lightning talk abstracts closes today, September 3, but general registration and poster abstracts will stay open through September 12.
Finally, the 2024-2025 Annual Report for OPA has been published. Please take a look. The report represents an opportunity to look back on the previous year. It features the exciting events that took place and all that we accomplished together.
As always, please do not hesitate to reach out if I can be of assistance.
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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| National Postdoc Appreciation Week
September 15-19, 2025
National Postdoc Appreciation Week is a time to celebrate the successes and accomplishments of the postdoc community. There will be many activities throughout the week including our annual picnic.
Postdoc Appreciation Week Kick-Off at Vanderbilt Women's Soccer
Friday, September 12 | 7:00 p.m. | Vanderbilt Soccer Complex
Kick off NPAW by cheering on the Vanderbilt Women's Soccer Team. We will meet outside the stadium and walk in together at 6:45. Free game entry and families welcome! RSVPs encouraged, but not required.
Postdoc Appreciation Breakfast
Monday, September 15 | 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. | Location: TBA
Start your week with a hot breakfast on us! RSVP here.
National Postdoc Appreciation Week Kickoff Event
Monday, September 15 | 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. | Virtual
The National Postdoc Association (NPA) is kicking off the week with a virtual event for all postdocs. The 2025 kickoff will include remarks provided by leaders across the postdoc community, with a brief keynote by Gretchen Goldman, PhD., president of the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), a long-standing partner organization of the NPA. You can register for the webinar here.
Complimentary Professional Headshots for Postdocs
Tuesday, September 16 | 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. | Alumni Hall 202
Reserve your headshot time here.
Lightning Talks Competition
Tuesday, September 16 | 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. | Virtual
In collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee, a lightning round competition will take place with presentations from postdocs from all three institutions. The link to register and attend will be available closer to the event date.
Annual Postdoc Family Picnic
Tuesday, September 16 | 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. | Fannie Mae Dees Park
RSVPs Required!
Morning Mentoring Roundtable with GPAS
Wednesday, September 17 | 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. | Location: Alumni Hall 100
Light refreshements will be served.
RSVP Here!
Free Cookies with the BRET Office
Wednesday, September 17 | 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. | Light Hall North Lobby
Complimentary Professional Headshots for Postdocs
Wednesday, September 17 | 12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. | Alumni Hall 202
Reserve your headshot time here.
OPA at the Farmer's Market
Thursday, September 18 | 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. | Medical Center Plaza
Stop by our table at the farmer's market!
VPA 'SpeakEasy' Talk Series
Thursday, September 18 | 5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. | 100 Alumni Lounge
RSVP Here!
Free Treats at the Women's Center
Friday, September 19 | 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. | Women's Center
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Fall 2025: Becoming A Resilient Scientist SeriesThe NIH OITE is pleased to offer both Resilient Scientist Series this fall. Trainees and fellows at all levels will have the opportunity to develop skills needed to thrive in research and healthcare careers. Faculty and staff will be supported in mentoring trainees in the biomedical, behavioral, and social sciences.
For students, trainees and fellows at all levels, we offer the BECOMING A RESILIENT SCIENTIST Series. There are five units in the series. Each includes a lecture followed by a facilitated small group discussion allowing trainees to share their experiences and learn from peers. Each lecture will run from 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. ET followed by 30 minutes of Q&A. To register and to learn more information, please visit our webpage.
- Unit 1. An Introduction to Resilience and Wellness (9/29/25)
- Unit 2. Exploring our Self-Talk: Cognitive Distortions and Imposter Fears (10/20/25)
- Unit 3. Self-Advocacy and Assertiveness for Scientists (11/3/25)
- Unit 4. Developing Feedback Resilience (11/10/25)
- Unit 5. Managing Up to Maximize Mentoring Relationships (11/24/25)
Note: There will be a combined group for Units 3 & 4 and no group discussion for Unit 5.
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Enrolling Now for CompassNIH Early-Career Leadership Development ProgramSpring Application Deadline December 26
Compass is a remote training and mentoring program for early-career faculty and postdocs across research disciplines who want to develop essential leadership and management skills for the research environment. We provide knowledge, skills, and tools to help Scholars identify new and refined approaches to their work that foster their achievement and fulfillment as scientists. This series runs for 6 weeks and is free to postdocs.
Learn To
- Create a productive work environment
- Build good relationships and team
- Navigate managing projects and peopl
- Ensure rigorous, trustworthy researc
- Engage effectively as a mentor and mentee
Key Program Features
- Practical Tools and Strategies
- Collaborative Learning Community
- Insights from Experienced Mentors
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Grant Pacing Workshops for February 2025 Submissions
Edge for Scholars is once again offering their grant pacing workshops for individuals planning for a K or R award for the February submission deadlines. The Edge for Scholars Grant Pacing consists of two in-person, three-hour workshops. During the workshops you will have many opportunities to ask questions, troubleshoot problems, and work on your upcoming submission.
Space is limited. You must be submitting to NIH in February 2026 (January for AIDS-related proposals or around this time for foundation or other grants) to participate and commit to both sessions. Each workshop is limited to 16 individuals.
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The Office of Research Weekly Update delivers the latest news, events, and funding opportunities from across the School of Medicine. All postdocs are invited to subscribe here!
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Writing Studio Graduate Writing GroupsThe Writing Studio offers weekly writing groups for graduate students and postdocs during the Fall and Spring semesters on Tuesday afternoons from 2-5pm and Friday mornings from 9am-12pm. Students are welcome to attend one or both days and are encouraged to commit to attending each week. Each group meeting begins with a brief 10-minute check-in during which participants are invited to share their writing goals for the session. Participants then check in again at the end of the session to share their progress. A Writing Studio facilitator is available throughout to provide an additional sense of community and accountability. To participate, please complete this registration form.
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The VPA is looking for current Vanderbilt Postdocs to serve as mentors for their new Postdoc BuddyProgram!
The goal of this program is to systematically match new, incoming postdocs with current Vandy postdocs based on multiple factors that the buddies deem fruitful for a match to help build a supportive, welcoming community! As a current postdoc, your insight about Nashville and Vanderbilt will serve as a key resource to those who are transitioning into new positions. Remember that one hour of support/advice from a peer is worth more than 100s of pages of Word documents with lists of resources!
This is an excellent way to gain mentorship and academic leadership experience. We encourage our buddies to meet at least once during the new postdoc’s transition to Vanderbilt (virtually or in-person at one of the VPA sponsored events!). Otherwise, the mentor buddy will serve as a point of contact for incoming postdocs for any informal questions, advice, and support! The VPA will check in with mentor buddies each quarter to give volunteers the opportunity to recommit to an additional semester.
To get started, please complete this quick survey located here.
The VPA team will notify you as soon as possible, when you have been matched with an incoming postdoc!
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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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| | Fall 2025: Weekly "Co-Working" Sessions
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The GPAS staff will also be offering weekly 'co-working' sessions throughout the fall semester on Thursdays from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. 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. Stacey or Nick will be there to discuss any goals setting or accountability questionsdd you may have. If you are looking for a quiet space to work on projects in the company of colleagues, this is the place to stop in. They will also provide free coffee (and sometimes snacks)! See you there!
No registration required.
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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 ASPIRE Up series is a monthly workshop series for biomedical Ph.D. students and postdoctoral scientists to aide in advancing their career and professional skills. Topics will include navigating career choices, grant writing, job search skills and more! Please see the list below for the full lineup of events for the 2025-2026 academic year.
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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 and by attending some of their upcoming events below!
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| | PCB: Health, Wellbeing & Belonging Workshops
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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: Lorenzo Gavassino, Ph.D.
Lorenzo is a postdoc in the Mathematics department at Vanderbilt University where he has taught undergraduates for the past three years. His work explores the pursuit of truth through math, where clarity and order offer refuge from today’s information overload. Beyond research, he is passionate about sharing knowledge across disciplines and encouraging others to approach their studies with curiosity and philosophical reflection. Read more about his work in our September postdoc feature here.
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SAVE THE DATE! VPA 2025 Symposium
Mark it in your calendars! This year, the Vanderbilt Postdoctoral Association's Symposium will be held in the Student Life Center on Tuesday, October 14.
The VPA is excited to announce that Dr. Matthew Johnson-Roberson, inaugural dean for the new College of Connected Computing, will be the 2025 Keynote Speaker.
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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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| Holy Days CalendarAs a reminder, the Vanderbilt Holy Days Calendar provides a broad list of major holy days throughout the year and includes recommended accommodations for community members observing each holy day. For more information, please read the communication here.
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National Postdoc Association
NPA SmartSkills: Science Advocacy for Early Career Scientists
This session will discuss how independent science and analysis can and should inform public policy to secure equitable and impactful policy outcomes for people and the planet. They’ll share their experience in engaging scientists, engineers, public health professionals, social scientists in science advocacy. Register here for the September 23 virtual course.
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| Join VPA Slack Channel!
Join the VandyPostdocs Slack channel, where they offer dedicated channels for all general announcements, calendar events for all postdoc-related activities, job postings, social events (both formal and informal), and discussion about anything and everything!
How to sign into VandyPostdocs Slack:
- Visit the Vanderbilt Postdoctoral Associatiion website.
- Click the link at the bottom (vandypostdocs.slack.com).
- Sign up with your VU or VUMC email.
- Launch Slack in your browser or download the app.
Then you should be all set! Feel free to post a message in any of the channels or request to start a new channel based on an interest you may have.
Important Note:
Must be signed in with VU/VUMC email to access VandyPostdocs Slack workspace.
Explore the VandyPostdocs Slack Channel today and connect with your fellow postdocs. For any assistance, contact the OPA (opa@vanderbilt.edu). Let's build a stronger, more connected postdoc community together!
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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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