Celebrating National Postdoc Appreciation Week

National Postdoctoral Appreciation Week was different this year due to COVID-19 event restrictions. Unfortunately, the Annual Appreciation Breakfast and end-of-the-week family picnic were both canceled. In their place, however, a robust collection of postdoc research was presented during the Second Annual Arizona Postdoctoral Research Conference.

The ASU Postdoctoral Affairs Office partnered with the University of Arizona Office of Postdoctoral Affairs to co-produce the event filled with 12 minute Research Talks, and three minute Lightning Talks. The event featured over 30 presentations from postdocs all over the state.

Joining the event for the first time were postdocs from Northern Arizona University and Barrow Neurological Institute, who rounded out the slate that included University of Arizona and ASU.

The event planning committee was chaired by Grace Niemiro, a postdoc from University of Arizona. Arizona State University Postdocs Devon McAslan, Eric Chen, and Tara Nkrumah also helped with the planning. The University of ArizonaA “hosted” the three-day virtual event.

“I felt that the event went well despite the many challenges we have been experiencing during this pandemic,” Niemiro remarked. “Our presenters showed up and asked incredibly intelligent questions of their fellow presenters.”

The Graduate College is looking forward to next year’s Arizona Postdoc Research Conference and is hoping normal activities can resume in time for National Postdoc Appreciation Week 2021.

More stories from the Graduate Insider

Grad15: Mapping Your Mentor Network

Mentorship is one of the most critical components of graduate student success, and one of the best ways to design your mentorship experience is by creating a mentoring map.

Grad15: Mindfulness for Stress Reduction

For graduate students, mindfulness offers more than a popular approach to stress reduction. While it can certainly ease stress, its benefits extend much further — fostering resilience, sharpening focus and supporting success in every area of life, whether as a student, researcher, professional or individual.

Grad15: Individual Development Plan Tools

Career planning isn’t a one-time decision. It’s a journey that evolves with your goals, values and life circumstances. Whether you’re just starting a graduate program or nearing the start of your professional career, your priorities might change. Understanding how to make good decisions about career is just as important as the decisions themselves. That’s why using tools like Individual Development Plans (IDPs) can be so helpful. They give you the structure to assess, reflect and plan intentionally.