Postdoc Appreciation Week

Postdoc Appreciation Week (PAW), held in September each year, is an opportunity to recognise and celebrate our fantastic postdocs, and the great work they do. 

Originating in the USA, PAW is now embedded in UK and Irish universities, with a consortium of Universities organising national activities, alongside their own institutional activities.

At Edinburgh, our Postdoc Societies plan events and awards during this week, below is a summary of what takes place:

Nominate a Super Postdoc

The 4 postdoc societies (BioQuarter PostDoc Society (BQPDS), George Square PostDoc Society (G2PD),  IGC Postdoctoral Society (PODs), Easter Bush Postdoctoral Committee) within the College work together, with the support of the CMVM Research Staff Committee, to coordinate the CMVM Postdoc recognition awards.

Staff and students can nominate postdocs for their outstanding contribution to:

1. Citizenship (contribution to the wider community, including public engagement)
2. Research Student Supervision/Support.

Prizes are awarded for each theme across the four CMVM campuses. Deadline for nominations is Monday 4th September, winner will be announced Tuesday 19th September.

Nominate a Super Postdoc

BioQuarter Postdoc Society Poster Session

This in-person gathering will take place on Tue Sep 19, 2023 from 10:30 am to 3pm. Located at The Institute for Regeneration and Repair (IRR), 5 Little France Dr, Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH16 4UU, this event promises to be a fantastic opportunity to showcase the incredible research and contributions made by our talented postdocs. Throughout the day, you'll have the chance to explore a wide range of posters and flash talks highlighting various research projects. Engage in fascinating conversations, exchange ideas, and learn more about the groundbreaking work being done by our postdocs.

BioQuarter Poster Session

PODS, Pint of Science and Proteintech - Flash Talks

The PODS committee along with Pint of Science and Proteintech would like to invite you to celebrate Postdoc Appreciation Week (PAW) with a flash talk session on Tuesday 19^th September (15:30-17:30) at S1.14, followed by refreshments and networking. Join us to share your work and support other postdocs across the institute.

Register an abstract to present a flash talk and get a chance to win PODS merchandise DEADLINE: September 7th

General registration 

Goody bags and refreshments will be provided courtesy of Proteintech, who are supporting this year's PAW. 

CMVM Events Webpage

School of Biological Sciences, BioDocSoc:

Annual Event

The School of Biological Sciences’ postdoc society (BioDocSoc) organise an annual event that focuses on the Concordat, in collaboration with the Institute for Academic Development (IAD). 

In 2023, the event ‘SBS Concordat Series: Research Culture at UoE’, will take place on Tuesday 19^th September 2023 (2.00 – 3.30 pm, Waddington Building 1.08, King's Buildings) and will raise awareness of the University’s Research Cultures Action Plan.

SBS Concordat Series Event - Registration

Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences (IMPS) Forum with PINT OF SCIENCE and SULSA 

Thursday 21^st September, 3 pm, Waddington 1.08 

Join IMPS to celebrate Postdoc Appreciation Week (PAW) with Pint of Science and SULSA! They will have talks from two fantastic postdoctoral researchers in plant sciences, Dr Damian Balfagon Sanmartin and Dr Frank Machin. There will be goody bags and refreshments afterwards, kindly sponsored by Proteintech and BioDocSoc. 

IMPS Forum Registration

How to win a Tenure-Track Fellowship: A Panel Discussion

Thursday 21st September, 2.30-3.30pm (Social Event 3.30pm onwards), Yew Lecture Theatre, Nucleus Building

Schools of Engineering and GeoSciences present 'How to win a Tenure-Tracek Fellowship: A Panel Discussion' (Followed by a meet-and-greet social Event). An exciting panel of accomplished academics, all of whom have won independent research fellowships: Chris Ness, Pip Thornton, Andrew Schurer, Emmanuel Epelle, Duncan Dockar, and Ali Hassanpouryouzband. Please join us to hear their thoughts on all aspects of the fellowship process, and the specifics of what they did to help stand out from the (fierce!) competition. A Q&A will be conducted with the audience, and this will be followed by a social event where canapes and drinks will be provided. 

This is a general event, open to ALL postdocs in the sciences, regardless of discipline/research area.

Panel Discussion Registration

Postdoc Recognition Awards

BioDocSoc are also coordinating four Postdoc Recognition Awards, for outstanding contributions to:

1. Student Support (teaching and student well-being),
2. Collegiality (peer-support, positive impacts on wellbeing, diversity and inclusion),
3. Research (research outputs, conferences, papers, best practises) and
4. Impact (collaboration with industry, innovation, public engagement, media, and community volunteering).

Staff and students can nominate SBS postdocs through the following link: 

School of Biological Sciences, Postdoc Recognition Awards 2023

As part of PAW 2023, a number of postdoc societies across the University are working together to organise 'The Big Fat Postdoc Quiz' across the societies on 21st September (5:30pm, Informatics Forum, Central Area)

This postdoc quiz is an exciting opportunity to take a break from your research work and enjoy a fun-filled social event that will put your knowledge and quick thinking to the test. We are sure it will also provide an excellent chance to connect with fellow postdocs from different disciplines and build lasting

Organised by: BQPDS, BioDocSoc, Easter Bush/Roslin, G2PD, PODS, & School of Informatics societies

The Big Fat Postdoc Quiz 

How to Build your Postdoctoral Research Profile

In celebration of Postdoc Appreciation Week, the IAD is offering a day of 30-minute 1:1 consultations for postdoctoral researchers across the University on 21^st September 2023, to allow you to focus on specific areas e.g. developing a new research project, branching out into a new field, developing your profile in preparation for a grant application, creating more synergies between your research activities. 

How to Build your Postdoctoral Research Profile 1:1 Booking

UK NPAW 2023 - Creating connections and rediscovering joy

Join our comedian, interdisciplinary experts and postdoc panel to discover the similarities and differences between postdocs across disciplines, how to communicate 'across divides', break preconceptions and rediscover joy.

Monday 18th September 2023, 10:30am

Creating connections and rediscovering joy