Call for Nominations: 2017/2018 PDA Executive Officers

Events, Executive, Newsletter, Professional Development, Uncategorized

We are excited to announce the call for nominations for candidates to be part of the UBC Postdoctoral Association’s 2017/2018 Executive Team.

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This is a great opportunity to:

  1. Gain leadership experience
  2. Represent the postdoc community
  3. Organize professional development, research and networking events

The PDA Executive Team consists of 6 Volunteer Officers (i.e. President and 5 VPs) whose position will be voted on at our Annual General Meeting on Thursday, March 9th in the Life Sciences Institute (LSI) room 1510 (5 pm). For a detailed list of our open Officer Positions and a description of their role below.

We encourage all postdocs to attend the AGM on March 9th.
Light snacks and refreshments will be served!

Eligibility: All candidates must be UBC Postdoctoral Fellows.

Service on the Executive Committee: Candidates should be able to attend the majority of the Executive Committee meetings held bimonthly either on or off-campus, as well as the PDA events. Executive Committee member terms are 1-year, beginning 1 April 2016 and concluding 31 March 2017.

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 your interest in serving on the PDA Executive and any relevant experience.

Nomination deadline: Thursday March 2nd, 2017.

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

All Executive 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. Click the position to read a brief description of the role:

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UBC PDA Annual General Meeting 2017 (March 9th)

Events, Executive, Newsletter, Professional Development, Socials

Your vote counts! Join us as we elect the new PDA Executive Committee for the upcoming year, and vote on any amendments to the PDA Constitution on Thursday 9 March at 5:00 pm at the Life Sciences Institute (LSI), Room 1510. No RSVP required.

The event will commence with reports from the past PDA Executive Committee members followed by short introductions of the new nominees, after which you can place your vote. We will then vote on any proposed amendments to the PDA constitution, and 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. You can add this event to your Google Calendar by clicking on the button below. Alternatively, you can subscribe to the entire calendar, with all our events, here!

CAPS releases results of 2016 Canadian National Postdoc Survey

Policy

CAPS-ACSP

The Canadian Association of Postdoctoral Scholars (CAPS) has released the results of the 2016 Canadian National Postdoc Survey. 
Of the over 2,100 participants, 136 were affiliated with UBC, which was the highest number of any institution (way to go, UBC postdocs!).  Some key findings of the survey:

  • The proportion of international postdocs in Canada has decreased since 2013, and over half of international postdocs report difficulties with obtaining visas or work permits.  This suggests that Canada is becoming less competitive in its ability to attract international scholars.
  • Many postdocs lack access to benefits, with around 50% of postdocs in Canada having no access to Employment Insurance or the Canada Pension Plan.
  • The mean age of Canadian postdocs is 34, and the number of postdocs in the 35+ age group has increased substantially since the first Canadian Postdoc Survey in 2009.
  • Around 75% of postdocs reported negative thoughts, feelings, or issues related to mental health for a period of longer than one month.

In spite of the fact that many postdocs are now in their mid-30s or beyond, there is a widespread lack of access to government benefits that afford most other Canadian workers paid parental leave, employment insurance, and access to the Canada Pension Plan.  (Please note: at UBC all postdocs are eligible for paid maternity leave, but this is not the case at most Canadian universities.)  In addition, many postdocs are living far away from their support networks and dealing with stressful job situations, which may negatively impact their mental health.

To read more about the survey results, please visit the CAPS website:
http://www.caps-acsp.ca/en/2016-canadian-national-postdoctoral-survey-results/

Are you concerned about the status of postdocs in Canada and wondering how to take action?  Here are some ideas:

PDA Social: Escape Room

Events, Socials

escape_roomLocked in a room – What would YOU do?

Join us for a real life escape game on Friday, 20 January at 6:10 pm at Locked Canada! Escape Room Experiences are 5D team games wherein you are locked in a room and forced to solve a mystery within 45 minutes. We’ve booked the theme “Crimson Room” for 6 players.

Cost: $18.70 per person (including tax). Please note that payment is required to secure your place. Unfortunately, due to space limitations, refunds will not be possible.

RSVP by Monday, 16 Jan. Places will be allocated on a first come first serve basis.

Be on time, otherwise it will be deducted from our gaming time!

Please contact Jessica, if you have any questions.