We are an interdisciplinary group of postdoctoral scholars at UBC. Since 2006, our executive team has been working closely with the Postdoctoral Fellows Office to represent all postdoctoral scholars equally, and advocate on their behalf.

Read about the history of our Association
Read about our EDI Mission Statement

To enhance the academic experience and encourage peer engagement at the University of British Columbia.

Our Motivation
We accomplish this by advocating on behalf of the postdoctoral community to all levels of UBC administration, by:
1. providing an open forum to communicate and share experiences,
2. hosting top-tier events that highlight the scholarly work of our peers,
3. operating professional development seminars to supplement postdoctoral training, and
4. offering career-oriented resources for the next generation of research leaders.

Our Membership
Membership in the UBC PDA is open to all current postdoctoral scholars at UBC, and puts you in touch with members of the research community across all UBC departments, representing a powerful network for sharing knowledge, creating connections, and raising your profile. 

Members of the PDA are encouraged to join the Executive Team to share their ideas and get involved in organizing our events. Express your interest and commitment to be involved by contacting us.

Interested in joining UBC as a postdoc? As a volunteer organization of postdocs at UBC, the UBC PDA has no influence on hiring and admission to postdoctoral programs. We recommend contacting the Department or Research Group that you are interested in directly. Check out our FAQ for more.

Our Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Mission Statement
The UBC Postdoctoral Association (PDA) was created to provide a platform for postdoc advocacy, networking, and professional development. We are an interdisciplinary group of postdoctoral scholars committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment to all postdocs and research associates regardless of race, ethnicity, place of origin, political beliefs, religion, marital status, family status, physical or mental disability, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, academic discipline, and/or socio-economic situation. We are dedicated to making our events more inclusive, furthering anti-racist education, and amplifying different perspectives in our organization and advocacy efforts. We aim to achieve this by providing a safe platform where all persons can reach out and have their voices heard as well as resources about allyship and workshops on EDI issues.

We acknowledge that, at this time, the UBC PDA would benefit from more diverse representation on our executive council. If you would like to get involved, share a personal story/experience, give us feedback or suggestions on how to better serve our community, or have any resources you would like to share with us please contact us at ubc.postdoc at gmail.com. You do not have to join the executive committee to reach out and have your concerns heard! We would love to share your story, we appreciate your criticism, and we would like to support you in any way we can.

Best Regards,
UBC PDA Executive Council

Action Plan

The UBC PDA has recently formed an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) subcommittee. This academic year, the EDI subcommittee is taking the following actions:

1- We have created a peer-to-peer support network through our Slack channel. Do you have questions you don’t feel comfortable asking your supervisor? Want help editing a grant or a job application? Have questions about life as a postdoc at UBC? We (and your peers) are here to support you!
2 – We are continuously compiling resources about being an ally and about how to tackle EDI issues in academia. You can find them in this blog post and in our monthly newsletters (subscription form).
3 – We are working to improve our events by proactively seeking and solving accessibility concerns. We are also seeking out and inviting speakers from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences.
4 – We are planning workshops and UBC-wide events on the topics of diversity, inclusion, and equity.
5 – We are amplifying issues and escalating concerns shared by postdocs at UBC and across Canada, as a collective within UBC and in partnership with the Canadian Association of Postdoctoral Scholars (CAPS).