The Graduate School and Office of Postdoctoral Affairs at Stony Brook University observed National Postdoc Appreciation Week (NPAW) from September 15 to 19, highlighting the work of postdoctoral scholars within the university and their impact on research.
Events during the week included networking opportunities, professional development sessions, and wellness activities aimed at fostering community among postdocs. The annual NPAW has been organized by the National Postdoctoral Association since 2009 to recognize postdoctoral scholars' contributions to research in the United States.
“We celebrated NPAW this year with a slate of events designed to recognize our postdocs and all the work they do, while also enhancing their professional development for their next career steps,” said Molly Lotz, director of research training initiatives in the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs. “The theme for the week was ‘communicating your research,’ so a common theme at our events was how postdocs might be communicating their research to a variety of audiences.”
One event, a “Women in Research” mentoring session, allowed attendees to meet women leaders from across campus for informal discussions. Celia Marshik, dean of The Graduate School and professor in the Department of English, said: “The mentoring event was moving and meaningful, and it was inspirational to hear about some of the hurdles female faculty in STEM cleared to get where they are. Each speaker offered advice that I know will be of lasting benefit to our postdocs. As the Postdoc Office always says, ‘postdocs drive research,’ and NPAW events offered strategies, tools, and community to support our postdocs. Since postdocs are spread out across East and West campus, events that bring them together are so valuable, and we love seeing them get outside of their labs.”
A virtual career panel featured former Stony Brook postdocs discussing their paths after completing their positions at the university. Kaitlyn Thompson described her transition from pharmacology research at Stony Brook into teaching high school science on Long Island: ”When I was at Stony Brook, I worked in the pharmacology department and got my PhD in pharmacology. I was doing work with multiple sclerosis, looking at glial cells’ roles and therapeutic targeting of glial cells, and I shifted into breast-to-brain metastasis work.” She is now employed as a high school research teacher.
Jinnette Tolentino Collado spoke about her experience working on protein dynamics as a Stony Brook postdoc before becoming an assistant professor at SUNY Farmingdale. Katherine Gallagher shared her trajectory from holding two simultaneous Stony Brook postdoc appointments—one studying penguins with Professor Heather Lynch in Ecology and Evolution; another researching marine robotics with Lesley Thorne in SoMAS—to joining Northeast Fisheries Science Center as a government contractor.
Panelists addressed topics such as salary negotiation strategies, identifying transferable skills gained during doctoral training or postdoctoral positions, assessing job fit based on qualifications levels, among others.
Jessica Roman led a resume workshop tailored for those pursuing careers outside academia. Bahman Khalvatifahlyani commented: “The resume workshop was especially helpful; I learned a lot and have already updated my resume based on the presentation. I met new friends and even kept in touch with one of them afterward. I also had great conversations with Molly Lotz and a colleague from HR which I found very valuable. Everything was well-organized and I really enjoyed the postdoc appreciation events.”
Social gatherings concluded NPAW activities along with distribution of tote bags and hats bearing “Postdocs Drive Research.” Lotz stated: “That small but powerful phrase solidifies our commitment to supporting and celebrating postdoctoral scholars and all they do to move our research enterprise forward here at Stony Brook... We heard from incredible women faculty at Stony Brook who shared their insight...as well as former postdocs who have found ways to translate their love of research to a range of jobs. We are thankful to the Graduate School and Office of Research and Innovation for the generous funding that made this possible.”