National Postdoc Appreciation Week at Argonne Recap

Posted on November 7, 2023 by Yi Ran Lu

The 2023 National Postdoc Appreciation Week (September 18th – 22nd ) was a huge success, special thanks to co-chairs (Jessica Jones and Barnali Chowdhury) and the whole planning committee, (Adarsha Balaji, Claire Wei-Ju Chang, Tyra Chenice Douglas, Mark Du, Rakesh Kamath, Pedro Mercado Lozano, Francesco Salucci, Kumar Neeraj, and Chuyuan Zheng).  This year’s celebration featured a range of engaging events, including favorites from years past and a couple of fresh entries. 

Planning committee members and leadership team at the “Lunch with Paul Kearns” event.  From left to right: Lee Zachos, Adarsha Balaji, Kumar Neeraj, Claire Wei-Ju Chang, Barnali Chowdhury, Paul Kearns, Jessica Jones, Tina Henne, and Rakesh Kamath.

Brian Van Acker exhibiting the drones and robots used at Argonne and showing footage of their different applications to Mustafa Unal, Jessica Jones, Paul Kearns, and Lee Zachos.

The week started with an event where postdocs came together and had an informal lunch with laboratory director Paul Kearns.  This gave postdocs a chance to chat with laboratory leadership and share their research with an eager Paul Kearns. Through a concurrent “Technology Showcase”, postdocs (and the entire lab community) also got exposure to some of the amazing robotics used around the lab, including drones that have been used to improve safety through surveying roofs and high-voltage supplies. Postdocs were able to handle and pose with some of the drones, which was a very fun experience.  

Paul Kearns sitting down to lunch with a group of postdocs.

Brian Van Acker exhibiting the drones and robots used at Argonne and showing footage of their different applications.  Foreground: Paul Kearns deep in discussion with a group of postdocs.

Paul Kearns interacting with a group of postdocs over lunch.

Jessica Jones and Barnali Chowdhury posing with drones.

On Tuesday, Sept 19th,  a two-day site-wide scavenger hunt was organized for postdocs to discover the “hidden gems” on the Argonne site with current and historical significance. An interlaboratory elevator pitch competition, organized on Wednesday, saw many postdocs from ANL, ORNL and LANL join in to cheer for their fellow postdocs. This event has been highlighted in a different blogpost. See detail here. About 40 postdocs were also given an opportunity to get their professional headshots taken on Tuesday and Wednesday.  

 

Pedro Mercado Lozano asking questions to the early career staff panelists Aleena Rafique, Alex Grannan, Ana Suzana, Ashley Bielinski, David Lenz with Chuyuan Zheng (far right) mediating the discussion.

(In-person and virtual) Room full of postdocs discussing their immigration/visa queries with Michelle Leisten.

The immigration panel was held by Michelle Leisten on Friday (Sept 23rd), the immigration services lead at Argonne and proved to be very informative for the postdocs interested in visa transitions and immigration opportunities. The week concluded with a picnic at Argonne Park, where families could attend together. This brought postdocs from divisions across the lab together to network and allowed for some much-needed decompression time.  Multiple postdocs brought their partners and children, and it added dimension outside of the working environment for postdocs to see each other as more than just scientists.    

Picnic pavilion full of postdocs enjoying interacting outside of work at Argonne Park.

Children that were brought to the postdoc picnic running in the grass while parents watched on.

Sixbert Muhoza enjoying the picnic.

Postdocs laughing at toddler antics. Our (Toddler) engagement officer, JacJac Jones, busy engaging postdocs and bringing a smile on their faces after a long week of research

Postdocs enjoying conversation.

Overall, this year’s National Postdoc Appreciation Week activities were a success and brought postdocs from around the lab together in a variety of ways.   

Argonne Postdocs Co-Host Elevator Speech Competition with Oak Ridge National Lab and Los Alamos National Laboratories  

Posted on October 30, 2023 by Yi Ran Lu

Argonne, Oak Ridge, and Los Alamos National Laboratories held the first cross-laboratory elevator speech competition!   

 The event showcased 30 postdocs from the three participating labs explaining their research in under three minutes.   

  In collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK), the Postdoctoral Society of Argonne held its first-ever Cross-Laboratory Elevator Speech Competition on September 20th, 2023. The event featured 30 postdocs from the three participating laboratories describing their research and its potential impact in three minutes, intending to promote collaborations among early career scientists at the national laboratories.      

Postdoctoral scientists presented on a wide variety of topics, ranging from technology for vaccine platforms to machine learning strategies, and innovations in recycling.   

 The competition winners were chosen by a panel of judges from Oak Ridge, Argonne, and Los Alamos.   The judges evaluated the participants’ creativity, organization, and ability to convey scientific information to non-experts.  All winners now have a chance to give a research seminar at one of the participating laboratories.    

 The Winners are:   

  • Olivia Chavez (LANL), “Bacterial Lipid Nanodiscs: Novel Vaccine Platform”   
  • Michael Dziekan (ANL), “Recycling Domestic Rare Earth Magnets”  
  • Jayasai Rajagopal (ORNL), “Harnessing the Power of High-Performance Computing for Virtual Imaging Trials”    

The inaugural cross-laboratory event served as a spotlight for postdocs across the national laboratories, amplifying complex research in a timely, engaging, and understandable way.   Following the competition’s success, postdocs from each lab continue to look for ways to meet and collaborate in the future.  

This cross-laboratory collaboration was initiated by the Postdoctoral Society Presidents of each lab: Claire Chang (ANL), Indranil Roy (ORNL), and Aaron Christopher Pital (LANL).  It would not have been possible without the Organizing Committee: Adarsha Balaji and Neeraj Kumar from Argonne, Pratishtha Shukla, Laurie Varma, and Tomas Grejtak from Oak Ridge.  Many thanks to the competition judges Thomas R. Watkins, Paige C. Kinsley, and Antonya Jandacek Sanders, and to the three Postdoc Offices for their help and support in making this event a success.  

Thanks to the participating ANL postdocs:   

  • Tupendra Oli     
  • Mustafa Unal  
  • Michael Dziekan  
  • Amit Bashyal   
  • Liu Yang   

https://my.anl.gov/article/argonne-postdocs-cohost-elevator-speech-competition-with-oak-ridge-national-lab-and-los-alamos 

 

Join Us for National Postdoc Appreciation Week!

Posted on September 13, 2023 by Yi Ran Lu

National Postdoc Appreciation Week (NPAW) is right around the corner. 

This annual event will be hosted in-person (and hybrid) from Sept. 18th – Sept. 22nd by NPAW committee of the Postdoctoral Society of Argonne. Please join us to witness the exciting events throughout the next week (all events are free to attend).

The event details and location can be found in the flyer below.

PSA Immigration Panel 

Posted on August 30, 2023 by Yi Ran Lu

On May 9th, 2023, the Postdoctoral Society of Argonne (PSA) hosted a hybrid discussion session on immigration. In the first part of the session, Michelle Leisten, Immigration Services Lead, lent her expertise in a comprehensive presentation highlighting the services offered by her team. This presentation was followed by a panel discussion where fellow PSA members shared their personal journeys pursuing various immigration statuses, ranging from Green Cards (EB-1, EB-2 NIW, etc.) to H-1B, J1, and beyond. These firsthand accounts shed light on the diverse paths pursued by international postdocs in their quest for stability on foreign soil.

Keynote presentation held by Argonne lead immigration specialist Michelle Leisten and panelists

The event attracted a robust attendance of 70 international postdocs (in-person and virtual). Additionally, as a follow-up from the event, a Slack channel has been established to serve as an anecdotal platform where Argonne postdocs can pose questions and learn from their colleagues’ stories. Argonne postdocs looking to share their immigration experiences or learn from others are encouraged to join the channel and check out the information provided in the PSA Immigration Panel. The Immigration Services Team welcomes any questions regarding status, policies and procedures. Please check the weekly PSA newsletter for links to join Slack and WhatsApp and subscribe to PSA. Join the immigration channel in Slack via #immigrations.

Attendees of the event during the Q&A session

We thank Peco Myint and Sixbert Muhoza for co-chairing this immigration panel and Adam Fouda, Jasleen Bindra, Francesco Salucci, and Jose Monsalve Diaz for sharing their experience.

Registration is Open! POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCH and CAREER SYMPOSIUM

Posted on August 28, 2023 by Yi Ran Lu

The Postdoctoral Research and Career Symposium on Thursday, November 9th, 2023 is open for registration.

Submit Abstracts by September 8th

Register Here!

Registration Instructions Here!

CAREER PANEL
Learn about the diverse career paths of postdocs through networking and the shared experiences of established professionals.

 

 

POSTER SESSION
Showcase your research and practice your presentation skills to an audience outside your field.

 

 

NETWORKING
Explore career opportunities with résumé distribution to employers and engage with industry, academia, and government leaders.

 

 


For more information:
Check out highlights of the 2022 symposium
Email us at [email protected]