They鈥檙e an integral part of Dal鈥檚 research community 鈥斅燽ut they鈥檙e neither faculty nor students. And you may not always take note of them, spread as they are around campus in different disciplines.
But at any given point. there are around 170 individuals across the university working as postdoctoral fellows, helping lead some of the university鈥檚 most important research.
The AV俱乐部 Postdoctoral Society helps connect postdoctoral fellows across Dal for activities like social events, professional development opportunities and more.
鈥淲e鈥檙e volunteering our time because we recognize that the postdoc period can be difficult sometimes: it鈥檚 a real transition from being a student to being an academic,鈥� explained Emily Reeve, a postdoctoral fellow in Geriatric Medicine Research and co-president of the society.
Last Thursday, the AV俱乐部 Postdoctoral Society hosted its annual Research Day, which featured a lunch, poster displays, three-minute thesis presentations, a panel discussion and a resource fair.
鈥淧art of the event is about bringing everyone together to support each other and discuss both issues and opportunities,鈥� said Alice Kane, who is co-president with Dr. Reeve and a postdoc in Pharmacology. 鈥淲e also want to share what postdocs are doing with the broader university, share the important role they play 鈥斅爋ne that often falls between the cracks.鈥�
Dr. Alice Kane (left) and Dr. Emily Reeve.
鈥淚t鈥檚 also to enable networking,鈥� adds Dr. Reeve. 鈥淲e all know how important interdisciplinary research is at the moment, so if I鈥檓 sitting here with my medical science brain and I hear someone from the social sciences or health professions say something that relates to me, or using a method I鈥檓 interested in, it gives me the opportunity to meet them, make that connection.鈥�
Some of the three-minute thesis presentation topics from postdocs included the design of enzymes, the psychology of romantic expectations, assessing climate change through analyzing the earth鈥檚 crust and more. The afternoon鈥檚 discussion panel focused on pathways to success for postdocs, and featured four different Dal academics: Ryan Pelis (Pharmacology), Chike Jeffers (Philosophy) and Sheri Lynn Price (Nursing).
Marty Leonard, dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies (which also supports postdocs on campus), thanked the organizers for putting together the event.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 really wonderful that people can come together today and have the chance to talk to others who are at the same career stage,鈥� she said in her opening remarks. 鈥淭here is great value in that opportunity.鈥�
The winners of the three-minute thesis and poster competitions were:
- Three-minute research presentation: Dr. Sarah Vannier, Psychology and Neuroscience
- Highly commended three-minute research presentation: Dr. Catherine Mottram, Geology
- Best Poster: Dr Somayyeh Mohammadi, Health Professions