Welcome to the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs & Postdoctoral Association

Header Photo Credit: Postdoctoral Research Associate Dr. Mina Bagheri Varzaneh, College of Dentistry Department of Oral Biology

A postdoc is an individual with a doctoral degree who is engaged in a temporary period of mentored research and/or scholarly training for the purpose of acquiring the professional skills needed to pursue a career path of his or her choosing.

Official NIH/NSF Definition

Empowering postdocs, building careers Heading link

The joint mission of the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (OPA) & Postdoctoral Association (PDA) is to enhance the postdoc experience at UIC by providing support, creating opportunities, measuring success, and building community.

If you are interested in joining UIC as a postdoc or if you are a new postdoc at UIC, check out our UIC Postdoc Community page where you can learn more about UIC.

Make sure to stay tuned with our activities by joining the listserv, checking out upcoming events, and following us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

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Contact info for OPA and the PDA

Headshot of Postdoc Office Director Valerie Miller, who is wearing an orange blazer and black floral jumpsuit against a gray background

The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (OPA) serves as an advocate, resource, and central point of contact for the postdoctoral community. OPA was established in 2018 to advance the UIC research enterprise by supporting the development of postdoctoral training programs, maximizing the effectiveness of our postdoctoral research training, and enhancing the quality of the postdoctoral experience at UIC.

Photo of members of the 2022-2023 PDA Career Development Symposium Committee at the 2023 PDA Career Development Symposium. L-R: Muhammad Irfan, Lindsey Ramirez, Katie Przybysz, Luis Morae, Natalia Do Couto, Hasmat Buchad, Nitin Minocha, and Valerie Miller

The Postdoctoral Association (PDA) was established in 2010 and serves as the voice for the UIC postdoc community. The PDA is run by the PDA Board, a postdoc-driven volunteer organization that plans regular community building events, professional development activities, seminars of special interest to postdocs, and the Annual Career Development Symposium in collaboration with OPA.

2023-2024 Postdoc Association Board Members Heading link

Headshots of the PDA Board Members in a pie-chart clockwise from top: Lindsey Ramirez, Kathryn Przybysz, Hasmat Buchad, Emilce Artur de la Villamois, Nitin Minocha, Jack King, Muhammad Irfan, Anabel Miguelez Fernandez, Stephanie Heard, Ronhni Bano, Daniela Rebollar Ramos, Jacqueline Cavalcante Silva, Talha Khan, Kruthika Iyer

Communications Committee:

  • Jacqueline Cavalcante Silva, PhD – Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition-College of Applied Health Sciences
  • Kruthika Iyer, PhD – Department of Microbiology & Immunology-College of Medicine
  • Kathryn Przybysz, PhD – Department of Psychiatry-College of Medicine
  • Lindsey Ramirez, PhD – Department of Psychiatry-College of Medicine
  • Daniela Rebollar Ramos, PhD – Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences-College of Pharmacy

Programming Committee:

  • Emilce Artur de la Villarmois, PhD – Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology-College of Medicine
  • Hasmatbanu Buchad, PhD – Department of Biological Sciences-College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
  • Nitin Minocha, PhD – Department of Chemical Engineering-College of Engineering
  • Jack King, PhD – Department of Chemical Engineering-College of Engineering

External Relations Committee:

  • Emilce Artur de la Villarmois, PhD – Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology-College of Medicine
  • Hasmatbanu Buchad, PhD – Department of Biological Sciences-College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
  • Kathryn Przybysz, PhD – Department of Psychiatry-College of Medicine

Board Members:

  • Roshni Bano, PhD – Department of Chemistry-College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
  • Stephanie (Billie) Heard, PhD – Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences-College of Pharmacy
  • Muhammad Irfan, PhD – Department of Oral Biology- College of Dentistry
  • Talha Masood Khan, PhD – Civil, Materials and Environmental Engineering -College of Engineering
  • Anabel Miguelez Fernández, PhD – Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology-College of Medicine

Working in research can be very isolating at times, so connecting with fellow postdocs can be very enriching at a personal level. Making personal and professional connections in a community where information specific to postdocs circulates can be very beneficial. For example, international postdocs who need to navigate the intricacies of the US immigration system and may not be aware from previous experience how the health/real estate/tax/academic/professional system works in the US. Getting involved in the PDA Executive Committee is a great way to start building your community here at UIC.

Getting involved in the PDA Board is also an excellent way to network, bolster your resume, and develop leadership skills that will serve you well in future positions. The PDA Board helps plan events for the UIC Postdoctoral community. Previous PDA Board members have received competitive grants and gone onto successful careers in academia and industry and many attribute it to volunteering their time to the UIC PDA. Joining the PDA Board is also an excellent venue to voice any concerns you have and share your ideas for upcoming events and training at UIC.

As affirmed by the National Postdoctoral Association, the existence of both a postdoctoral association (PDA), run by the postdocs themselves, and a postdoctoral office, staffed by a permanent employee, is necessary to support excellence in postdoctoral training. In 2009, the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research initiated the UIC Postdoctoral Association (PDA). The UIC PDA is a postdoc-run organization that provides regular activities for postdocs. At most institutions, continued support for growth of postdoctoral training programs is sustained by a postdoctoral office. As such, the UIC Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (OPA), housed within the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and managed by the Director of Postdoctoral Affairs, was established in 2018.

The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs serves as an advocate, resource, and central point of contact for the postdoctoral community. As such, the OPA, in collaboration with various campus units, provides and coordinates research career and professional development activities that support postdocs on campus. In addition, the OPA coordinates and develops external relations to area institutions to expand opportunities for postdocs in the Chicago area. The OPA is also involved in developing and creating materials for and hosting orientation sessions for newly hired UIC postdocs and the faculty members that hire UIC postdocs, as well as developing and implementing processes and tools for complying with federal sponsors’ requirement of Individual Development Plans (IDPs). Finally, the OPA is analyzing data regarding postdocs to create reports on topics impacting UIC’s postdocs, including benchmarking best practices, national trends and funding agencies initiatives.

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