May 2026

Happy May!

May is a time of endings and new beginnings. This month is a great time to reflect on your academic and professional accomplishments and goals.

We are extremely proud of how you've contributed to the University through your research, mentoring of undergrads and graduate students, and your scholarly accomplishments as a member of the academy.

To learn more about our office and to see a complete events calendar, please visit our website. We also invite you to join our listserv to get timely communications about upcoming events.

Feel free to email us at postdoctoralaffairs@utexas.edu with exciting updates of your accomplishments or with any questions.

Lydia and Del

Early Career Scholars Postdoctoral Fellowship Program - Deadline May 8
Travel Grant Applications Open
News
Upcoming Events
- Connecting to Career Opportunities Through Strategic Networking
- Building a Successful Research Laboratory: Creating a Home for Science and Collaboration
Professional Development
- Beyond the Professoriate: How to Build a Standout LinkedIn Profile
- NPA SmartSkills: Designing Your Life: Frameworks for Navigating Career Pathways

Early Career Scholars Postdoctoral Fellowship Application - DEADLINE MAY 8

The Early Career Scholars Program is aimed at postdoctoral scholars interested in exploring academic careers. The program offers guidance, mentoring and a strong professional network to early career scholars.

Application deadline extended to May 8, 2026.

Apply Here

Travel Grant Applications Open

The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs offers a limited number of travel grants with a maximum of $750 to postdoctoral fellows presenting their scholarly work at professional conferences and meetings.

Applications for conferences taking place between Sept. 1 - Dec. 31 are due June 1.

Applicants who have not received acceptance notification prior to the application due date may still apply.

Apply Here

News

UT Library Newsletter for Postdocs

Finding, managing and preserving research data can be a complicated aspect of the research lifecycle. Learn how the library helps make the data management process go smoothly in the UT Libraries Newsletter for Postdocs.

Read more

Sign up for NSC 098D: Investigating Career Options for STEM Advanced Degrees (Fall 2026)

This interactive career exploration course helps you explore career options, clarify goals and design actionable plans using a life design approach. This is a zero-credit hour course, graded on a credit/no credit basis, that meets in-person on Mondays from 5 p.m.-6:15 p.m. during the fall semester.

Sign Up Here

UT Postdoc Association "Walk at Zilker Park"

On April 11, UTPDA hosted a fun walk at Zilker Park. Postdocs joined us for lunch and a stroll on a beautiful sunny day overlooking the Austin Kite Festival. Look out for future opportunities to chat, relax, and connect with the UT postdoc community!

Check out the International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) Blog!

The ISSS blog published through Texas Global provides relevant and timely information for international scholars.

Read the Blog

Upcoming Events

Join us for our summer 2026 monthly professional development workshops!

NPA SmartSkills: Connecting to Career Opportunities Through Strategic Networking

Tuesday, May 26, 2 p.m.-3 p.m., Virtual

This workshop will share tips for finding and identifying individuals to intentionally connect with to help you access the hidden job market: the portion of jobs that are never posted publicly. You will need to log in with your free NPA membership to attend.

Register

NCFDD: Building a Successful Research Laboratory: Creating a Home for Science and Collaboration

Tuesday, June 9, 1 p.m.-2 p.m., Virtual

This NCFDD webinar will explore strategies for building and sustaining a successful research laboratory that supports collaboration, mentorship and productivity while working towards a long-term research vision. You will need to log in through NCFDD to attend.

Register

Professional Development: Webinars

Beyond the Professoriate: How to Build a Standout LinkedIn Profile

One of the most important tools PhDs can leverage in their job search is LinkedIn. LinkedIn can help you connect with key people and organizations during your job search, learn industry trends, and build a community of professionals in your new career field. This webinar is designed for doctoral students, PhDs, and postdocs from all academic disciplines, including those exploring non-academic careers.

Watch Here

NPA SmartSkills: Designing Your Life: Frameworks for Navigating Career Pathways

Speaker: Caleb McKinney, Ph.D., M.P.S., Senior Associate Dean for Training, Program Development, and Academic Innovation, Biomedical Graduate Education, and Professor, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Georgetown University School of Medicine.

This workshop applies a design thinking approach to career development, transforming career planning from a linear planning process into an iterative and reflective experience. The goal is to empower attendees to leverage a growth mindset to take charge of their professional growth, and to navigate career transitions during uncertain times.