All posts by noriko okamoto

UBC PDA Annual General Meeting 2019

AGM, Events, Executive, Professional Development

Your vote counts! Join us as we elect the new PDA Executive Committee for the upcoming year on Monday,  March 11th at 5:00 pm at the Biomedical Research Centre room 351. No RSVP required.

The event will commence with reports from the outgoing PDA Executive Committee followed by short introductions of the new nominees, after which you can place your vote. We will conclude the event with a light reception furnished with complimentary snacks and refreshments to welcome the new committee members.

Please contact us if you have any questions.

PDA Social Event: Whistler Weekend (April 5-7)

Events, Socials

Let’s go and spend an exciting weekend in Whistler together! Network with your fellow postdocs, discuss your research, and whether you’d like to ski/snowboard/cross country/snowshoe or enjoy a day at the spa, there will be something for everyone!

When: April 05-07, 2019

Where:The Whistler Lodge, 2124 Nordic Drive, Whistler BC (map)

RSVP here by Sunday, February 24.

We have limited space (max. 12 people). First come first served.  $110 for two nights at the Whistler Lodge (PDA will subsidize a part of the accommodation or transportation expense). Book now to secure your place.

Thank you everyone, who partook in Postdoc Research Day 2018!

It was a big success this year – 125 people attended the meeting, of which 68 joined the networking reception!

There were so many interesting talks and posters, which sparked many questions from the audience and interesting discussions. Also, the keynote lecture by Dr. Matthew Dahabieh, and career panel discussions were well attended, and again, met enthusiastic questions and discussions from the floor.

Here is a list of the winners of the oral and poster presentation competition.

Oral Presentations

  • 1st place ($150): Dr. Siobhan Whadcoat (Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences)

 

  • 2nd place ($100)/People’s Choice ($50) : Dr. Kirstin Brink (Dentistry) 

 

  • 3rd place ($50): Dr. Allison Mann (Botany)

 

Poster Presentations

1st place ($75): Dr. Ivan Klyuzhin (Neurology, Medicine)

2nd place ($50): Dr. Tom Nightingale (ICORD, Medicine)

3rd place ($25): Dr. Jessalyn Alvina (Computer Science)

Last but not least, we are grateful for Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, Vice President Academic, Life Sciences Institute for sponsoring Postdoc Associaion and our events, as well as Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences for hosting our event in their beautiful venue.

Postdoc Research Day 2018 Abstract Book

Events, Professional Development, Research Day, Socials, Uncategorized

It’s less than a week till this year’s Postdoc Research Day!

Thank you very much for those who submitted the abstracts. As usual, it was a tough choice for us to select the final competitors from so many excellent submissions across UBC. Here is the abstract book this year, which includes all the participating abstracts (both oral and poster presentations) as well as in-depth details for Keynote Lecture and Career Panel Discussion.

RD2018_Abstract_Book

In order to minimize our carbon footprint, we do not have a physical abstract book. So please feel free to download the Abstract book linked above on your device for quick reference.

In case you have not signed up for our event yet, please go ahead and register here.

Hope to see you on December 3rd!

Holiday Party – December 12th, 2018

Events, Socials

Note that the party if fully booked, however you can still register for the waiting list. 

Join us for our annual Holiday Party on December 12th at Nuba in Kitsilano!

  • Where: Nuba in Kitsilano (Lebanese, vegetarian)
  • When: Wednesday, December 12, at 6 pm
  • Cost: $10 per person (+ 5% tax / 18% gratuity) for the Sharing Menu. Everyone pay for their drinks.

Sign up here by Monday, December 3rd. We have booked a semi-private room with a limited number of seats. Places will be based on a first come first serve basis. UBC PDA subsidies on the food, so bring your family and celebrate the holiday season before you wrap up the year.

Please contact Ido , if you have any questions.

Canadian Association of Postdoctoral Scholars (CAPS/ACSP) 2019 Executive Council Election

CAPS/ACSP

Canadian Association of Postdoctoral Scholars (CAPS/ACSP) is a Canada-wide organization with a mandate to improve the lives, training, and work experience of all Canadian Postdocs (yes, you included). Recently they are offering Health/Dental insurance plan, as well as Discount Home & Auto Insurance for contributing members. Although these benefits are very similar to what have been offered through UBC HR, it may make sense for those who aren’t eligible for the policies through UBC HR to look into what they offer.

Also, if you are interested in paticipating their actibities, they are currently seeking nominees for the 2019 Executive Council Election. The detail is as follows:

CAPS/ACSP is currently seeking nominees for the 2019 Executive Council Election. The term for these positions is January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019.

The deadline for nominations is Friday November 16, 2018 at midnight Pacific Time. Voting will take place during the last week of November.

The following positions are open to nominees:

  • Chair
  • Vice-Chair External
  • Vice-Chair Operations
  • Vice-Chair Communications
  • Vice-Chair Finance
  • Vice-Chair International
  • Vice-Chair Membership
  • Vice-Chair Website Management
  • Vice-Chair Communications (French)
  • Vice-Chair Data Management
  • Vice-Chair Career Development

Please see CAPS Executive Position Descriptions _ 2019 Elections  for a brief description of each position.

Eligibility:

To be eligible for nomination, an individual must be registered as an ‘Active Member’ of CAPS/ACSP. Alumni members of CAPS/ACSP (i.e., former postdocs) may also be nominated if approved by the Executive Council.

To register as an Active Member, please complete the form found here.

To register as an Alumni Member, please complete the form found here.

If you wish to run or nominate someone for any of these positions, please respond by email to chair@caps-acsp.ca with the following information:

  1.  Full name of nominee
  2.  Email address of nominee
  3.  Institutional affiliation of nominee
  4.  Desired/selected position

Candidate Statements:

Nominees are required to submit a short (maximum 250 words) candidate statement describing their interest and any relevant experience for the position they are nominated for prior to the election. Candidates who are self-nominating are encouraged to provide that statement at the time of nomination.

If you have any questions about this process, please contact Joseph Sparling, Chair at chair@caps-acsp.ca.

Research Day : December 3rd!

Events, Professional Development, Research Day, Socials

Research Day will be back on December 3rd, 2018!

Research Day is a free one day conference for UBC postdocs organized by UBC PDA. We invite all the UBC postdocs to present their work in oral and poster presentation sessions (your chance to win prizes!). There will be a keynote lecture as well as a career panel session inviting reps from local companies as well as freshly started faculty to share their stories in advancing their career beyond postdoc phase.

Registration will be open in October. For the most recent update, sign up to our newsletter and follow us on Twitter/Facebook!!

National Postdoc Association Week

Events, Socials

Students are back, and the new semester has begun… That’s right, it’s that time of the year again! National Postdoc Association Week is happening September 17-21!!

Many institutes are hosting events to show appreciation to the hardworking postdocs nation-wide, including UBC. We’re thrilled to inform you that there are quite a few events on Point Grey campus and VGH area. Here is a quick list of events that came to our attention. Let us know if you notice the event of your department is missing!

On September 17 – 21
Faculty of Education posts the special appreciation message to screens at Neville Scarfe Building, as well as on the Dean’s website.
Faculty of Forestry posts the special appreciation message to Atrium screens at Forest Science Centre.
On September 17:
Michael Smith Laboratories hosts Pizza Lunch at noon (@ MSL).
On September 19:
Department of Microbiology and Immunology hosts poster event and social dinner at 4:30 pm (@ LSC).
On September 20:
Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies Office hosts BBQ Lunch at noon – 1:30 pm (@ St. John’s College) – RSVP here.
On September 21:
Department of Asian Studies hosts Meet The Postdocs event at 1:30 – 3 pm (@ Asian Centre Room 604).
Department of Botany hosts Pizza and Sushi Lumch at noon (@ Bioscience 1318)
Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences hosts Lunch at Sage at noon (@ Sage)
UBC Postdoctorial Association (Yes, that’s us!!) hosts Korean BBQ and Karaoke DInner at 7:00 pm (@ Royal Seoul House) – RSVP here!
On September 25: 
Department of Zoology hosts Postdoc Lunch at noon – 1:00 pm (@ Bioscience 4223)
TBD:
Department of Urological Sciences hosts Postdoc Coffee Break with Treats (@ Vancouver Prostate Centre)
Biomedical Research Centre hosts BBQ event (@ BRC)
Faculty of Forestry – details TBD!

Canadian Association of Postdoctoral Scholars / l’Association Canadienne des Stagiaires Postdoctoraux also hosts a free webiner series. The topics range from health/dental insurance and EI/CPP, and career development resources.

Job ad: The GenXys Genetic Lab (UBC Pointgrey Campus) is looking for a Lab Manager

Jobs and Funding

Hi fellow PDFs,

There is an incredible job opportunity in the GenXys genetic lab, a UBC spin-off. GenXys tackle complex global challenges and help people live healthier lives with pharmacogenetic testing and precision prescribing software. The lab, located in the Pharm Sci building at UBC, is looking for a laboratory manager with experience in qPCR, sequencing or other molecular biology techniques. Play a big part in a growing, young company while working alongside people who are easy-going and helpful. The role involves lots of variety, collaboration, inventiveness, and on your toes thinking. For more information about this full-time permanent position, follow this link.