Postdoctoral Affairs
UW Postdoc Profile | Postdoc Handbook (v1.0) | OPA Blogspot | Postdoc Travel Awards | Individual Development Plan | Graduate School Mentoring Award for Postdoctoral Trainees | Select Campus Resources for Postdocs
A Postdoctoral Fellow (Postdoc) is “an individual who has received a doctoral degree and is engaged in a temporary and defined period of mentored advanced training to enhance the professional skills and research independence needed to pursue his or her chosen career path”.
Definition adopted by the NIH, NSF, and National Postdoctoral Association
Through the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, postdoc fellows from any program can find guidance toward campus resources to address career, appointment, mentoring, teaching and research skills. We get you to the right place — where the services you need are provided and where you can connect with others with similar questions and career development goals.
UW Postdoc Profile
Updated January 2017, this shows a snapshot of where our postdocs are, as well as breakdown by gender, race/ethnicity, citizenship status, and home departments. We will update this document annually. Please contact us at UWOPA@uw.edu with questions and comments.
Download the UW Postdoc Profile
Postdoc Handbook (v1.0)
We have created a handbook for postdocs, advisors, and managers to help keep all the references and links you may need in one place. Check out the checklist for new postdocs, links to relevant national policies, and tips for working with your advisor. Find Answers. Discover Resources. Suggestions for v2.0? Let us know UWOPA@uw.edu.
OPA Blogspot
OPA sends out bi-weekly newsletters to postdocs on a range of relevant topics including but not limited to writing/research productivity, professional development, career exploration, conflict management, mentoring, funding information, campus resources.
Postdoc Travel Awards
Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (OPA) has limited matching funds to support postdocs to travel to conferences presenting their individual work. Guided by recommendations from National Academies of Sciences, postdocs should receive career development opportunities including opportunities to present at professional meetings in ways that establish your independence from your current mentor or research group. A small number of grants will be available on a quarterly basis, and it is expected that matching funds will be sought from additional sources.
See details of Postdoc Travel Awards
Individual Development Plan
The Individual Development Plan (IDP) is a written guide to help provide some structure when working through your goals, as well as guide you in letting your professors, mentors, family and friends know how best they can support you in reaching your academic, personal, and professional objectives.
Graduate School Mentoring Award for Postdoctoral Trainees
The Graduate School and the UW Office of Postdoctoral Affairs awards an annual Mentoring Award for Postdoctoral Trainees to recognize and honor the tremendous role postdocs play in student research and training at UW. We have received nominations from over 25 departments on campus. The patience postdocs demonstrate in spending time investing in students, even while advancing their own research and career, is a model of what we would hope to see among mentors. As we heard over and over again in the letters: postdocs serve as mentors who guide, push and inspire students to become their best selves. The two Mentoring Award recipients receive an honorarium of $2,000 each.
See Nomination Criteria and Past Award Winners
Select Campus Resources for Postdocs
For more campus resources, please refer to UW Postdoc Handook.
The Career Center
The Career Center is pleased to provide services to postdoctoral fellows. Their staff provides assistance in exploring careers within and beyond academia, clarifying goals, making connections, preparing for the job search, and finding great jobs.
UW Core Programs
The Core Programs are workshops and online resources designed to meet your needs throughout your pathway to success here, from successful research to finding the job you want. We also have Mentor Memos (brief tips on key skills) and an online guide to getting the mentoring you need.
Institute of Translational Health Sciences (ITHS)
The Institute of Translational Health Sciences (ITHS) promotes this translation of scientific discovery to practice by fostering innovative research, cultivating multi-disciplinary research partnerships, and ensuring a pipeline of next generation researchers through robust educational and career development programs.