ASU celebrates National Postdoc Appreciation Week, Sept 17-21

Arizona State University’s Postdoctoral Affairs Office, part of the Graduate College, is taking part in its second annual National Postdoc Appreciation Week (NPAW) celebration Sept. 17-21, to honor postdocs and their achievements in research and discovery. 

The National Postdoc Association defines a postdoc as “an individual holding a postdoctoral 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.” There are approximately 320 postdocs at ASU who all contribute to the university’s success as the leader of innovation.

“Postdocs are an invaluable part of a research university’s makeup. But sometimes their efforts fly under the radar,” said Tamara Underiner, associate dean of academic affairs at the ASU Graduate College. “Now, with our new Postdoctoral Affairs Office launched, we are better able to support their work and to bring light to postdocs’ contributions to innovation. Due to the nature of their work, postdocs can be isolated from each other. We’re working to create a community where postdocs can feel included and supported.”

As part of ASU’s participation in NPAW, the Postdoc Office is organizing several events throughout the week for postdocs to attend, learn and socialize with each other. The week includes social mixers that take place near Tempe, Downtown and Poly campuses; there are Lunch ‘n’ Learn Professional Development events on Wednesday and Friday; a Research “Blitz” takes place on Tuesday afternoon and ASU’s new Vice President for Research Cynthia Sagers will keynote the Postdoc Appreciation Breakfast that takes place Tuesday. Postdocs and their PI’s are encouraged to register for these events at links.asu.edu/postdoc-events.     

This is the ninth National Postdoc Appreciation Week celebration sponsored by the National Postdoctoral Association. The event has been growing since its creation in 2009, and in 2016, 98 institutions in the United States, Canada and India took part in organizing 350 events to honor postdocs and their research.