Call for nominations: PDA 2020-2021 Executive Team

We are excited to announce the call for nominations for candidates to be part of the UBC Postdoctoral Association’s 2020-2021 Executive Team!

Indicate your intent to run by Sunday March 8th!

Represent the postdoc community
Gain leadership and management experience
Organize professional development, research and networking events
Interact with big-name academics, advocates, and UBC leadership

The PDA is run by Elected Volunteer Officers (the President and 6 Vice-Presidents). All 7 positions will be elected for the 2020-2021 year at our Annual General Meeting, held on Wednesday, March 11th in the Biomedical Research Centre, room 351 at 5 pm. A list of open positions and a description of their roles can be found below.

All UBC postdocs and research associates are encouraged to attend the AGM on March 11th for the elections. The event will be followed by a celebration with food and drinks!

Self-Nomination: Download the UBC PDA nomination form here. Please fill out this form and return it to ubc.postdoc@gmail.com along with a recent photo and a short Letter of Interest (100-200 words) detailing why you would like to serve and any relevant experience.

Do you want to join the PDA, but you are not committed to becoming an elected officer? No problem! We are always looking for new members for our executive team to help us organise our events and bring in their ideas! Just get in touch with us via e-mail.

Further details about the elected positions

Eligibility: Candidates must be UBC Postdoctoral Fellows or Research Associates (see the constitution for specific restrictions).

Term: Officers are elected for 1 year, beginning 1 April 2020 and concluding 31 March 2021.

Service on the Executive Committee: Officers are expected to attend, either in person or remotely, the majority of the Executive Committee meetings held monthly, as well as major PDA events.

Commitment: On average, the President attends 2 meetings a month (5-10 hours a month), while the VPs attend 1-2 meetings a month (2-7 hours a month)

All Officer positions are open for election. Interested PDA members may also join the PDA executive as non-elected Committee Members at this (or any other) time. See below for more info on the available positions:

President
VP Operations
VP External
VP Communications
VP Social
VP Finance
VP Research Associates
Committee Members (non-elected)

The UBC PDA President shall:

Act as the public face of the PDA to:

Speak on behalf of the PDA at orientation and wherever appropriate
Understand the needs of PDA members and ensure equal representation across departments

Be responsible for meetings of the PDA Executive members to:

Chair and set the agenda for meetings
Ensure proper operation of the meetings
Take minutes at meetings, or designate a member to do so
Manage copies of the minutes, agendas, and any other materials

Be responsible for the execution of decisions by the PDA Executives

Lead the Annual General Meeting and PDA Elections

Work together with the VP-Communications to:

Direct content for communication to members of the UBC postdoc community
Manage and update the website
Respond to emails
Direct the advertisement of PDA events.

Work together with the VP-External to:

Collaborate and communicate with the Canadian Association of Postdoctoral Scholars
Raise awareness of postdoctoral issues and find avenues of support

Work together with the VP-Social to create a calendar of social events and ensure a broad outreach.

Work together with the VP-Operations to:

Liaise effectively with the UBC Postdoctoral Fellows Office and Dean’s Office
Represent the PDA during meetings with UBC faculty, staff and administrators
Coordinate the Executive Members of the PDA

Work together with the VP-Finance to:

Ensure responsible stewardship over the annual budget when planning events
Be aware of revenue outflow and inflow

**President and/or VP-External may have the opportunity to attend the annual CAPA/CAPS Meeting or the CSPC meeting.

The UBC PDA VP-Operations shall:

Organize professional development activities for postdocs.
Set up regular PDA meetings via doodle polls and arrange suitable venues on/off campus
Organize non-social UBC-PDA events
Attend and participate in meetings of the PDA executive members
Assist in all PDA executive members plan.
Perform duties of the President, in the event of absence or illness of the President

The UBC PDA VP-External shall:

Raise the voice of UBC postdoctoral fellows at regional and national platforms through participation and dialogues with the Canadian Association for Postdoctoral Scholars (CAPS-ACSP)
Build and promote alliance with various BC industrial sectors to create opportunities for researchers outside academia
Work with CAPS-ACSP to create and sustain dialogue with legislators to acknowledge the role of postdoctoral fellows and research associates to Canadian economy
Address or raise awareness for issues relevant to postdoctoral fellows and research associates
Work with the UBC PDA executive team to ensure smooth running of the organization and liaise with its partners

**President and/or VP-External may have the opportunity to attend the annual CAPA/CAPS Meeting or the CSPC meeting.

The UBC PDA VP-Communications shall:

Be responsible for the development of the communication strategy
Manage communication activities that promote, enhance, and protect the PDA’s brand reputation
Responsible for disseminating news items relevant to UBC postdocs, in the form of a monthly newsletter
Work with the President in planning content for the PDA newsletters
Work with the President to recognize internal and external communications opportunities
Work with the President in managing communications on the PDA’s Facebook page and Twitter
Exercise judgment to prioritize media opportunities, and prepare presentations and other supporting material as needed during events
Work with the team to maintain and continuously improve the PDA website
Promote events
Support the communications needs of the PDA and the Postdoctoral Fellows Office

The UBC PDA VP-Social shall:

Attend and participate in the three PDFO orientations each year
Advertise the PDA to the new postdocs
Deliver the “Getting to Know Vancouver” talk at the PDFO orientations
Organize a social for postdocs following the PDFO orientation
Assist in the planning, advertising and execution of regular social and networking events for postdocs, including the annual:
1. Whistler trip (organize to/from Whistler and reserve accommodation at the UBC lodge)
2. “3 Minute Postdoc Slam” competition (assist all PDA executive members plan)
3. “UBC Postdoc Research Day” (assist all PDA executive members plan)
4. Holiday party (venue reservation and run games e.g. “white elephant”)
Organize monthly social events for the PDA community
Attend and participate in meetings of the PDA executive members, which include booking public venues on/off UBC campus

The UBC PDA VP-Finance shall:

Draft an annual budget for submission to UBC
Oversee correct use and spending of the UBC PDA budget and liaise with Life Science Institute (LSI) admin staff
Maintain up-to-date records pertaining to PDA finances
Be responsible for liasing with the PDA’s banking institution and preparing cheques for reimbursements
Help organize events (3-Minute Postdoc Slam, Postdoctoral Research Day, seminars in general)
Arrange for an annual audit of the PDA finances at the end of the fiscal year

Executive Committee Members:

These are volunteer, non-elected positions. The Executive committee members assist in the planning, organization and execution of various PDA events, and may also aid in aspects of the PDFO orientation as needed. They serve as valued helpers and members of the team. Do you want to join the executive team? Just write us an e-mail!