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Message from the Director of Postdoctoral Affairs
As we work to wind down from a most unusual year, I want to send another message of thanks and recognition to you – our FAU Postdocs – for all you have endured this year. Perhaps your projects and lab work did not go quite as planned. Perhaps travel and conference opportunities fell through. However, despite possible disappointments, or the need to pivot and reassess, be sure to reflect on this year and learn from it. Use it to your advantage. You have likely found another layer of strength that you did not realize was there. You may have found a new layer of creativity that surprised you. Know that, within times of uncertainty, we can often discover personal character strengths that will help us over future bumps in the road. Always know that there can be hope for growth and new opportunity around every corner – no matter what the circumstance.
I look forward to interacting with you at future Coffee Hours or professional development workshops. Check our website and watch for our announcements. If you have an idea how we can improve your time at FAU, reach out to me directly at kscarpinato@fau.edu or simply email our office at postdocaffairs@fau.edu with suggestions.
The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs wishes you a safe and restful holiday season and all the best for a fruitful and productive 2021.
- Karin Scarpinato, Ph.D.
Senior Associate Vice President
for Research at FAU and Director
of Postdoctoral Affairs
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Anant Jain, Ph.D.
Anant Jain, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, said he fell in love with science in high school after attending a biology lecture on the circulatory, respiratory and nervous systems. Yet, it was his studies in neuro-oncology at Harvard Medical School that cemented his passion to become a neuroscientist.
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Richard Adams, Ph.D.
Richard Adams, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, researches genetics and how human deoxyribonucleic acid, (DNA) has changed over time. Ultimately, he said, he hopes his work will improve the methods and tools for studying genome evolution.
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Share Your Story
The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs continues to collaborate with the Division of Research Communications' team to tell your unique story.
Keep an eye out for an email inviting you to share your journey to FAU, your research interests and your future goals. Your story may be used in a future Postdoc Spotlight, Division of Research newsletter or Research Daily.
The information you provide to us can also aid in the completion of your Individual Development Plan each year. Be sure to include a list of your authored or co-authored articles published while a postdoc at FAU.
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Do you want to enhance your postdoc experience? Do you want to affect change for current and future postdocs? If yes, then make an impact and join the FAU Postdoc Association Board.
The next Postdoctoral Association Board meeting will be held on Jan. 14 and all interested names will be considered for all open board positions. To view the current mission statement of the board and the different membership roles visit bit.ly/3qGaINC.
To declare your interest, please email postdocaffairs@fau.edu. All interested candidate submissions should be received by COB on Tuesday, Jan 12.
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Beyond the Ph.D.
More than 80 people from at least four different universities joined FAU’s Postdoc panel discussion called Beyond the Ph.D., to talk about what it means to be a postdoctoral fellow.
Ken Dawson-Scully, Ph.D., a professor in the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science and current postdoc mentor, was the keynote speaker. The panel included six current FAU Postdocs. This two-hour virtual event was co-hosted by FAU’s Office of Postdoctoral Affairs and the Graduate College. Dawson-Scully and the panelists talked about their postdoctoral experience, offering insights into the research enterprise, tips for navigating the postdoctoral application and the interview process.
To read more, click here. To watch recorded event, click here.
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Workday Tips:
Did you know that you can modify your Workday settings to ensure you receive an email notification when there are new action items in your Workday inbox? This includes receiving a notice when your annual individual develop plan has been sent to you for completion and subsequent routing to your supervisor. Here’s how:
Here's how:
- In Workday, View your Profile by clicking on your picture to see a dropdown menu.
- Go to My Account
- Change Preferences (Scroll down to the Channel section and select the Email Tab)
- Go to the section for Parent Notification Type-Business Processes
- Change frequency for all sections to Immediately
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Enhancing the Postdoctoral Experience
The FAU Postdoctoral Association thanks you for your participation in events and meetings this year, and wishes you happy holidays.
Here's a look at some of the Postdoctoral Association's 2020 accomplishments:
- Maintains effective communication with the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, bringing interests from the postdoc community to the administration, as well as helping communicate news from the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs to the postdocs.
- Launch of the Career Talk webinar series, in partnership with the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs.
- Provides visibility of postdocs' accomplishments through nominations for the Postdoc Highlights section in the Parliament newsletter.
- Co-found a South Florida Joint Postdoc Symposium, a collaboration with Florida International University, to promote professional development and networking.
Reminder, the FAU Postdoctoral Association is looking for new members for 2021. All positions are available. See more information here.
Your feedback on postdoctoral-related issues is welcome. Send comments or questions to Lorena Areal, Ph.D., at lbianchineareald@fau.edu.
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Meet Your Neighbor
Ever wonder who has similar research interests to yours and would make a great new collaborator? Join a Meet Your Neighbor meeting from 9 to 10:30 a.m. on the below dates, to virtually network and get to know others' research interests.
These meetings are open to all FAU faculty and postdoctoral fellows.
Upcoming dates and topics are here. Select a date to register*:
*Registration requires the submission of a brief description of your relevant research interests that will be distributed to all participants. Contact Karin Scarpinato, Ph.D., for more information kscarpinato@fau.edu
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Resources
The Cheeky Scientist has free eBooks available, covering topics from crafting a resume to negotiating a salary contract.
The award-winning books were written and designed by doctorates working in industry.
The books were published by Nature, Fast Company, the Guardian, Wiley and more.
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Call for Webinar Presenters
The Division of Research’s “Research in Action” webinar series is working on populating its 2021 schedule. This year we’d like to open this up to postdoctoral fellows. This webinar series is a way to communicate FAU research to the general public and provide an opportunity to engage with the community. The webinars are about an hour long, consisting of a 45 min. presentation and around 15 minutes for Q&A.
To see examples of past RIA webinars, visit Research in Action's website here. Interested Postdocs should email the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs at postdocaffairs@fau.edu with the following information for consideration:
- Proposed webinar title
- Short presentation description
- Short biography
If selected, you will be contacted to find a mutually agreeable date. If you have any questions, please let our office know!
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Postdoc Insights: Propel Your Career
4 p.m., Feb. 3, Zoom
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2020 Art of Science Photo Contest
To view all 2020 Art of Science photography contest winners, click here. |
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Research in Action:
with Ramin Pashaie, Ph.D.
1 to 2 p.m. EST, Jan. 14, Zoom
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Research in Action:
9 to 10 a.m. EST, Jan. 20, Zoom
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View all Research in Action talks here.
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FAU Research Daily
Be sure to read the Research Daily website each day for your daily dose of FAU research, scholarship and creative activity happening throughout the colleges and campuses.
Check out Research Daily now, here.
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