The Doc Report - September 2017

September 18^th – 22^nd marks the eighth annual National Postdoc Appreciation Week (NPAW) sponsored by the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA). Officially recognized by the U.S. House of Representatives since 2010, institutions across the nation have used NPAW to raise awareness and acknowledge the hard work and substantial contributions that postdocs make to the national (and international) research and teaching enterprise.

The postdoctoral training period allows researchers to focus on their research and career development, transforming them into major drivers of research productivity. Postdocs at CU Boulder are impacting the research landscape not only by growing the body of knowledge in the social, physical and biological sciences as well as engineering and mathematics, but also by making significant contributions advancing technology, infrastructure, and policy worldwide.

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CU Boulder's core mission is to educate students and engage in cutting-edge scholarship and creative work, research and discovery. The success with which we carry out this mission determines our ability to accomplish our strategic imperatives, which are to shape tomorrow’s leaders, positively impact humanity and be the top university for innovation.

To ensure continuing success, the campus is now ready to embark on a conversation called Academic Futures: Rethinking the university – the futures of learning and discovery. We enter this conversation from a position of institutional strength built upon the chancellor's strategic imperatives, on budget and operational stability, and on a spirit of confidence in our collective ability to control our future in a time of rapid transitions.

Volunteering to serve on the Academic Futures committee  represents a chance to provide campus leadership and to make your voice heard. Postdocs inhabit a unique position within the research community, and their perspectives are valuable in shaping campus directions.

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The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs will be closed from Monday, October 2^nd through Friday, October 6^th, and Drop-in Advising will be cancelled on Wednesday, October 4^th. Normal operations will resume on Monday, October 9^th.

By Rob Wallach | Science

Later this month, postdoctoral researchers and representatives from research associations around the United Kingdom will gather in Cambridge, UK, for the first National Postdoc Meeting, also the inaugural event of the latest Postdoc Centre of the University of Cambridge. This gathering coincides with the United States National Postdoc Appreciation Week and marks increasing, though long overdue, attention for this group of early-career researchers. What are the major challenges?

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By Roda Niebergall | NatureJobs Blog

As an undergraduate and PhD student, I was unsure of how to continue my career. Volunteering helped me to explore alternative career paths, find my niche and get ahead.

For university graduates, volunteering is a great opportunity to gain some work experience. Even if you’ve already advanced in your career and are planning to switch fields, volunteering is a powerful tool to convince your future employer that you’re serious and enthusiastic about changing your profession. Many PhD students and postdocs quickly realize that they either do not want to or cannot continue their career in research. There are many exciting alternative careers out there, like science management, teaching or publishing. But when applying for these jobs, researchers cannot solely rely on skills gained in the lab.

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Weill Cornell Medicine is conducting a study to evaluate motivating factors for postdocs to pursue academic research careers. Completing this short survey will enter you in a drawing for a $100 Amazon gift card.

Learn More & Complete the Survey