Postdoc Appreciation Week 2025

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.

PAW will run from Monday 15th September - Friday 19th September 2025. At Edinburgh our Postdoc Societies and Colleges plan events and awards during this week, in addition to the national event.  Below is what is happening in 2025.

Big Postdoc Quiz - Save the Date!

As part of Postdoc Appreciation Week, we are delighted to invite you to the BIG POSTDOC QUIZ. The event will take place on September 18th from 5:30 PM in the Nucleus Building (Kings Building Campus). 

Come along for trivia, pizza, drinks, and prizes!  

Register your interest

CMVM Postdoc Appreciation Week Awards

As part of the CMVM PAW celebrations, we will be awarding prizes for outstanding postdoc / contribution to citizenship / contribution to communities, knowledge exchange, public engagement / contribution to scientific advancement / student support and supervision

The awards aim to recognise the exception contribution of research staff to the University.  In particular, they aim to reward those who excel in what they do, who ‘go the extra mile’ in their work, in their contribution to the life of the University, in their contribution to public engagement and community involvement and in the provision of support to their colleagues and Centres.

We encourage all staff and students to think of postdoctoral researchers and equivalents who have performed exceptionally well over the last academic year and to nominate them!

For more information on category criteria and the nomination form visit: CMVM PAW Awards 

The closing date for nominations was Friday 29th August at 5pm.  Winners will be announced on the CMVM PAW Awards web page during National Postdoc Appreciation Week.

Researcher Development Concordat - Information and Q&A session

The Concordat is a national agreement between stakeholders to support the career development of researchers. The University of Edinburgh became a signatory to the Concordat in 2020 and published the third institutional action plan in April 2025.

Nicola Cuthbert, Researcher Development Manager at the Institute for Academic Development (IAD), will give an overview of the progress that has been made at Edinburgh, focusing on the action plan, infrastructure around its implementation and the outcomes achieved.

Researcher Development Concordat

Tuesday 16th September, 12:30 - 1:30pm, Online

Booking Link 

Organised by College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine, but open to researchers in all Colleges

Events at the IGC

'Narrative CV workshop' September 16^th 2025, 10-11AM, South Seminar Room (S1.14)

Organised by IGC Research Culture Group and PODS

Colleagues from IAD will introduce how the Narrative CV came to be, what to include in the 4 key sections and how NCVs can benefit those with non-traditional career backgrounds. This will be followed by a panel discussion including IGC academics.

Register here: Narrative CV Workshop Registration
 

1:1 Quick Query Sessions September 16th 2025, 11:30 – 2pm

An opportunity to discuss your narrative CVs (and wider career questions) with the IAD team. Please book in advance.

Booking Link - Quick Query 
 

Seminar on “The Innovation Competency Network at the University of Edinburgh” September 16th, 2025, C3.02 3PM-4PM

Join us to hear from Amy Rafferty, Head of Communications and Marketing in EI, and Kirsty Collinge, Head of Research Strategy, ERO about the new University Innovation Career Path (Innovation Careers Hub), a new University-wide initiative to recognise, reward and support innovation careers.  This ground-breaking initiative offers a structured and supportive framework for researchers interested or already engaged in innovative and entrepreneurial activities.

Booking Link - Innovation Competency Network
 

PAW’s for Pizza and Praise - Celebrating postdocs@IGC  September 17^th 2025, 1PM-3PM, South Seminar room (S1.14)

Come along, grab a pizza lunch and hear how postdocs across IGC help deliver the amazing science, graduate training, teaching and public engagement activities!!

Booking Link - PAW's for Pizza and Praise
 

Raffle spiel!!

Come find us on Thursday 18th September from 10am -12pm in the soft seating area of Nucleus to pick up a sweet treat and see if you can win a PODs mug or lunchbag by entering our raffle.

CAHSS Say Thank you

As part of Postdoc Appreciation Week at CAHSS, we want to highlight the importance of celebrating the contributions of postdocs and fostering a culture of appreciation and recognition within CAHSS. To do that, we invite colleagues within the College to recognise the exceptional contribution of postdoc staff by sending them Thank You e-cards. 

Whether your postdoc colleague has gone above and beyond to support a project, is making important contributions to their field or discipline, has shown valued leadership in their team, or consistently brings a positive attitude to their work, then please consider sending them a Thank You via the CAHSS Thank You scheme.  

Please take this opportunity to honour postdocs during this important week, by expressing gratitude. 

Fill in this short form by the 19th September 2025 and they'll receive a Thank You e-card in their inbox.  

Say Thank You 

BioDocSoc Postdoc Appreciation Awards

The Postdoc Appreciation Awards event aims to celebrate the many wonderful contributions of Postdocs to the University.  An awards ceremony will celebrate the winners and nominees from our 4 categories 

1. Research
2. Impact,
3. Collegiality
4. Student Support

Everyone - staff (including other postdocs), students, PIs, etc. - is encouraged to nominate Postdocs for the awards. There will be a £100 Love2Shop voucher for the winners in each category. 

The awards event will take place on Thursday, 18 September from 12:30-14:00 in Waddington 1.08

Postdoc Recognition Awards 2025 - Nomination Form [nominations open until Monday 8th September]

From Surviving to Thriving: Planning your Future

Come join the online and free flagship event "From surviving to thriving: planning your future" where we will explore how we can take control of our futures through self-leadership, navigate uncertainties of the future, and hear from a panel of diverse (ex)academics on how they navigated (and motivated themselves) through their own careers! 

We will also have a special showing of "Postdoc: The Musical", a musical number aimed to showcase Postdoc lives and achievements.

Date & Time: 15th September 10:30am (expected finish time 12:30pm).

For more information visit the UK PAW webpage. Remember you can also still catch up on past events! 

Register here: From Surviving to Thriving: Planning Your Future

As part of Postdoc Appreciation Week, the Prosper team are providing a tour of their portal. The Prosper Portal is a powerful resource designed specifically for postdocs, helping you:

• Clarify what you want from your career
• Explore opportunities both within and beyond academia
• Build in-demand skills for your next step

During this interactive virtual session, the Prosper team will:

• Provide a guided tour of the Portal’s features and resources
• Give you time to explore the Portal for yourself
• Share practical tips on making the most of the tools available
• Answer your questions

Whether you’re considering your next career move or simply want to explore your options, this session will give you the insight and confidence to take the next step

Date: Thursday, 18 September 2025

Time: 14.00-15.00 (UK time)

Location: MS Teams (link provided upon registration)

Audience: Open to postdocs across all Scottish HEIs

Booking link

We would recommend that you create an account on Proper Portal ahead of the session: Login / Register - Prosper