Let’s meet with SFU postdocs on Thursday, March 1, at 7:00pm in Rogue Kitchen & Wetbar (Gastown). RSVP to Jessica if you plan to come
PDA Social Event: Curling
Join us for some Canadian Curling on Saturday, March 31 at 1:15 pm at the Vancouver Curling Club.
Cost: This event is FREE! (funded by the UBC PDA.)
The event will includes:
- One sheet of ice for two hours
- All necessary equipment for curling (please wear running shoes)
- A coach for two hours
RSVP to Jessica by ASAP to secure your spot. Places will be based on a first come first serve basis. Feel free to register for a friend as well.
Research Day 2017 Report
Postdoc Research Day was bigger and better than ever! For the first time, there was a whole day of research presentations, professional development, and networking opportunities. Over 100 postdocs, students, faculty, and industry representatives came together to celebrate the amazing research being carried out by postdoctoral researchers across UBC’s Faculties and Institutions.
Also a first, this year’s event was held in larger facilities in the Pharmaceutical Sciences building, thanks to the generous support of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences. There were twelve 15 minute talks and plenty of posters presented by postdocs and research associates, as well as a keynote lecture from Dr. Lori Brotto, and a careers panel featuring former postdocs now working in various positions in industry and academia.
Check out the program and abstract book for the day.
Kieran, PDA President, opened the day with an introduction to the Postdoctoral Association before Susan Porter, Dean of the Faculty of Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies, spoke about the value of postdoctoral researchers at UBC. There were then two sessions of 15-minute research presentations from postdocs in areas ranging from anthropology to computer science. The morning finished with a 5-minute advocacy update about the PDA’s campaign to build awareness of #SupportTheReport – and what you can do to help out Canadian Science!
During lunch, the first poster session took place in the atrium, before Dr. Lori Brotto gave her keynote lecture. She outlined her impressive research program, and her path from postdoc to Director of UBC’s Sexual Health Laboratory. This was followed by four more research presentations from postdocs and the second poster session over coffee.
The careers panel concluded the day, featuring former postdocs who have taken various career paths in Vancouver. They shared their extremely valuable insights into translating the skills gained during postdoctoral work to jobs in and out of academia. The conversation continued late into the evening over pizza and sushi at the networking social held after the event.
All of the talks and poster presentations were judged by a team of faculty, postdocs, and industry representatives throughout the day. All of the presenters did a great job and both competitions were extremely close – you can see the list of winners below.
The UBC PDA Executive Team would like to congratulate all of the winners, thank all the participants for making this an excellent event, and thank all of the judges and the audience for supporting us. We hope everyone enjoyed themselves, and look forward to seeing you at future UBC PDA events!
Find more photos of the event here.
The winners:
Talks:
1st Place ($150) – Paul Pickell (Forestry)
2nd Place ($100) – Catherine Jutzeler (Kinesiology)
3rd Place ($50) – Sophie Stukas (Pathology & Laboratory Medicine)
People’s Choice ($50) – Jordan Burke (Forestry)
Posters:
1st Place ($75) – Rahul Sachdeva (ICORD)
2nd Place ($50) – Mohammad Fazel Bakhsheshi (Mechanical Engineering)
3rd Place ($25) – Ryan Melnyk (Microbiology & Immunology)
We are extremely grateful to our sponsors who made this event possible.
Association Sponsor:
Event Sponsors:
#SupportTheReport for Budget 2018
Give your feedback to the Government of Canada on #YourBudget2018 and support science!
Earlier this year, the Fundamental Science Review released its report on how to enhance non-governmental research in Canada (more information here). The key recommendations included:
- improve coordination between federal granting agencies through the creation of a National Advisory Council on Research and Innovation
- prioritize equity and diversity in recruitment and hiring
- substantially increase federal research funding (by ~30%), with an increased proportion of total funds directed toward independent investigator-initiated research
Although the Government of Canada has made progress on implementing some of these recommendations (e.g., by appointing Dr. Mona Nemer as Chief Science Advisor), and despite big campaigns from universities, advocacy groups, and students, there has been no commitment to increase research funding by a meaningful amount.
This is a crucial time, as the Government nears the end of its public consultation for Budget 2018.
What can you do to support Canadian research?
- Complete the Government of Canada’s #YourBudget2018 survey. Survey #2 (Economy of Tomorrow) includes direct questions related to research funding. The survey takes only a few minutes to complete and closes on Dec 15.
- Join the conversation about #YourBudget2018 on social media – you can reach Finance Minister Bill Morneau on Twitter @Bill_Morneau. Find social media tips here.
- Write to your MP to encourage him/her to support full implementation of the Naylor Report. Find letter writing tips here.
UBC Postdoc Association Research Day 2017 Program and Abstract Book
The UBC Postdoc Association Research Day 2017 Program and Abstract Book is now available to view and download, see you all Dec 4th.
Postdoc Research Day 2017 Program
UBC Postdoc Research Day 2017 is a few days away! The program has now been finalised – check out all our great sessions below. We look forward to seeing you on the day!
REGISTERATION IS NOW CLOSED – Free event!
View the program as a PDF.
DATE: Monday 4th December
VENUE: London Drugs Lecture Theatre (1201) & Atrium, Pharmaceutical Sciences Building, Vancouver Campus, UBC
| Time | Session |
| 08:45 – 09:00 | Registration |
| 09:00 – 09:15 | Welcome & Introduction Kieran Hudson, President, UBC PDA |
| 09:15 – 10:15 | Research session 1 Jerome Robert, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine Catherine Jutzeler, Kinesiology Hyeju Jang, Computer Science Jordan Burke, Forestry |
| 10:15 – 10:45 | SCWIST coffee break |
| 10:45 – 11:45 | Research session 2 Katharina Rothe, Medical Genetics Stephanie Hobbis, Anthropology Miling Li, Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Science Romain Tisserand, Kinesiology |
| 11:45 – 13:00 | Poster session 1 & lunch |
| 13:00 – 14:00 | Keynote lecture Lori Brotto, Director, UBC Sexual Health Laboratory |
| 14:00 – 15:00 | Research session 3 Paul Pickell, Forestry Eve Limbrick-Oldfield, Psychology Murat Kilic, Mechanical Engineering Sophie Stukas, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine |
| 15:00 – 16:00 | Poster session 2 & coffee break |
| 16:00 – 17:15 | Postdoc Careers Panel Discussion |
| 17:15 – 17:30 | STEMCELL prizes & wrap-up Kieran Hudson, President, UBC PDA |
| 17:30 – 20:00 | Zymeworks evening reception Drinks & a light supper |
This event is possible due to the generosity of our sponsors.
Association Sponsor:
Event Sponsors:
Postdoc Careers Panel at Research Day 2017
Postdoc Research Day 2017 is coming up on Monday, 4th December.
This year, the day will end with a Panel Discussion on Postdoc Careers. We have invited 5 panelists who have all recently transitioned from being postdocs into a diverse array of careers.
The discussion will be a chance for you to hear about how they made this transition, how their postdoc experience has influenced their subsequent jobs, and tips for postdocs planning careers going forward.
Our five panelists will be:
Dr. Nirupa Goel, Research and Project Manager, BC Centre for Substance Use (previously a postdoc at UBC)
Dr. Leslie Grad, Manager, Research Programs (Design & Development) at Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research (previously a postdoc at UBC)
Dr. Chayne Piscitelli, Scientist, Protein Engineering at Zymeworks Inc. (previously a postdoc at the Paul Scherrer Institute & ETH Zürich)
Dr. Elizabeth Rideout, Assistant Professor at UBC (previously a postdoc at the University of Calgary)
Dr. Mark Romanish, Senior Business Development Officer at STEMCELL Technologies (previously a postdoc at the BC Cancer Research Centre)
We look forward to seeing you at Postdoc Research Day to join in the discussion and see the research presentations from postdocs across UBC! Check out the web page for all the details and online registration.
PDA Whistler Trip is back February 2018 – book now!
Join us for our annual trip to Whistler on the last weekend of February (23-25 February)! Network with your fellow postdocs, discuss your research, and whether you’d like to ski/snowboard/cross country, there will be something for everyone!
Cost for Friday & Saturday night’s accommodation: $105.00 per person (including tax)
Accommodation Details: The The Whistler Lodge is about 2km from Whistler Village. We have booked 2 four bed dorms, which include bed sheets and towels as well as complimentary use of our wifi, pool table, bbq, sauna, and hot tub.
RSVP here – the deadline is Wednesday, February 7. Places will be allocated on a first come first serve basis. You can also organize your own accommodation, and we’ll meet you for the activities.
Transportation: Car pools are the cheapest option, so if you have a car and can fit a couple of people, please let us know. If we don’t have enough cars, we could rent cars or take public transportation – Greyhound or the Whistler Shuttle can be reasonably cheap when booked in advance.
Pass and equipment info: You are responsible for purchasing your ski pass and/or equipment rentals. If you purchase an Edge Card online 48 hours in advance, you can save some money. For more info see http://www.whistlerblackcomb.com/. Check out the Whistler Blackcomb site for more information relating to passes, rentals, and lessons. Please contact Jessica, if you have any questions.
Postdoc Research Day keynote speaker announced!
The UBC PDA is excited to announce that the keynote speaker at Postdoc Research Day 2017 will be Dr. Lori Brotto!
Dr. Brotto is a Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at UBC, a Canada Research Chair in Women’s Sexual Health, and Executive Director of the Women’s Health Research Institute at BC Women’s Hospital. She makes frequent media appearances and contributions in relation to sexual health and is a champion of knowledge dissemination.
Her talk will be titled ‘From postdoc to promotion: Making a career out of sexual health’. Here is a summary of what she will cover:
In contemporary times of stress and quick fixes and societal misconceptions about sex, it is perhaps no wonder that a third of individuals experience distressing sexual concerns. This talk will focus on how the practice of acceptance can lead to change with regards to sexual response. It will share the story of how a light-bulb moment during my Postdoctoral Fellowship paved the way for a productive program of research leading to promotion and a book and a number of stumbling blocks along the way.
Postdoc Research Day is an annual event for UBC postdocs to share their research across campus, organised by the UBC PDA. This year’s event will be held on Monday, December 4th – you can find out more here, and submit an abstract to present your work.
UBC endorses the Fundamental Science Review
The Fundamental Science Review, often referred to as the Naylor Report, was released in April, making wide-ranging recommendations for improvements in Canada’s research climate. These include reorganised oversight, substantial increases in federal funding, and better working conditions and career prospects for early-career researchers. Read more about what it means for postdocs in our summary.
Some of these recommendations have been taken on board by the Federal Government, including the recent creation of a new Chief Science Adviser, and the formation of the Canadian Research Coordinating Committee. However, many of the issues raised by the Review are yet to be addressed – meaning Canadian researchers still need to engage with the public and their representatives to show that they support the Review.
You can speak up for science and make a difference – read our tips on how to write to your MP.
UBC has now fully endorsed the recommendations of the Fundamental Science Review – outlined on the website of the VP Research and Innovation. As part of the endorsement, they have launched a social media video campaign featuring UBC researchers explaining why their work is important and why they #SupportTheReport. Two postdocs, both on the PDA Executive Committee, have been featured in the campaign.
UBC PDA President Kieran’s video:
UBC PDA Executive Member Stefanie’s video:
If you would like to be involved in the campaign, you can get in touch with the VPRI team through the link on their page (beneath the video).