By popular request, the PDA is starting a Postdoc Seminar Series! Do you want to practice your presentation skills? Are you looking for a chance to share your latest results? Are you interested in communicating your research to a non-expert audience of postdocs across all UBC disciplines?

Sign up as a speaker for the new Postdoc Seminar Series! If selected, we will contact you to set up a date and time for your seminar. All you need to do is prepare a 30-40 minute presentation about your research geared toward a general audience, and we will take care of the rest!

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Postdoc Seminar by Dr. Md. Zabir Hasan on August 10th at 12:00 pm

Join us on Tuesday, August 10th at 12:00pm for a presentation by Dr. Md. Zabir Hasan: Assessing the productivity of health workforce using innovative methods

Abstract: A simple indicator of technical efficiency, such as productivity of health workers, measured using routine health facility data, can be a practical approach that can inform initiatives to improve efficiency in low and middle-income countries. We have developed a proof of concept of using routine information from primary healthcare (PHC) facilities to measure health workers’ productivity and its application in three regions of Ethiopia.

Meet the Speaker: Zabir is a trained physician and currently working as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the School of Population and Public Health at UBC. In this position, he provides analytical support to several international research projects focusing on primary healthcare integration, performance, and system strengthening. He holds an Associate position in the Department of International Health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHSPH). Zabir completed his Ph.D. program from the JHSPH and his MPH from James P. Grant School of Public Health (JPGSPH), BRAC University. Zabir also worked as the Country Measurement Analyst for the Primary Health Care Performance Initiative at the World Bank. Before starting his doctoral program, he worked as a Senior Research Associate at JPGSPH, where he designed and implemented several research projects on financial risk protection and Universal Health Coverage.

As an attendee, you will have a chance to win a $10 coffee shop gift card! (randomly drawn at the end of the seminar)

Register to attend and receive the Zoom link for upcoming seminars: bit.ly/PostdocSeminar
If you want to register as a future speaker, please sign up here: bit.ly/PostdocSpeaker

By popular request, the PDA is starting a Postdoc Seminar Series! Do you want to practice your presentation skills? Are you looking for a chance to share your latest results? Are you interested in communicating your research to a non-expert audience of postdocs across all UBC disciplines?

Sign up as a speaker for the new Postdoc Seminar Series! If selected, we will contact you to set up a date and time for your seminar. All you need to do is prepare a 30-40 minute presentation about your research geared toward a general audience, and we will take care of the rest!

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Postdoc Seminar by Dr. Kevin Kung on July 14th at 12:00 pm

Join us on Wednesday, July 14th at 12:00pm for a presentation by Dr. Kevin Kung.

Trash to cash: Turning crop and forest residues into higher-value products
Abstract: Biomass (crop and forest residues) is often not regarded as “sexy” as other forms of renewable production such as solar and wind, given the inherent complexities of feedstock handling and logistics. Even a thorough techno-economic analysis that looks attractive on paper can quickly derail when implemented in the field. I will begin this talk by describing two anecdotes of biomass installations gone awry. Then I will summarize how that has informed my own research as well as the future vision.

Meet the Speaker: Kevin received his Ph.D. in the field of Biofuels and Renewable Energy from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2017). Currently, in addition to being a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at UBC, Kevin serves as the Chief Technology Officer of Takachar, a start-up company spun out of his MIT research. Takachar’s mission is to dramatically increase the amount of crop and forest residues economically converted into useful biofuels and bioproducts in rural underserved communities, whether in India or California. Prior to founding Takachar, Kevin co-founded a biochar company (Safi Organics) in Kenya and scaled it to 15 full-time employees, 5,000 customers, and financial profitability.

As an attendee, you will have a chance to win a $10 coffee shop gift card! (randomly drawn at the end of the seminar)

Join us for his seminar and learn more about Kevin and his research!!
Wednesday, July 14th at 12:00pm online. Register to attend and receive the Zoom link.

Postdoc Seminar by Dr. Marcus Johns on June 18th at 12:00 pm

Join us on Friday June 18th at 12:00pm for a presentation by Dr. Marcus Johns

Applying cluster-triggered fluorescent emission to bio-based nanomaterials analysis

Abstract: Cellulose nanomaterials are ideally suited for the development of advanced functional materials due to their biodegradability, biocompatibility, and excellent tensile properties. However, their nanoscale dimensions make them challenging to track, especially in dynamic situations. Fluorescent dyes can overcome this but surface modification may inherently change the particle interaction with its environment. My research looks at how a recently discovered phenomenon – cluster triggered fluorescent emission – can be used to not only track these nanoparticles but also probe their physicochemical interactions. This opens new opportunities in bio-based materials analysis.

Meet the Speaker: Marcus received his PhD, which focused on the production of cellulose-based scaffolds for tissue engineering, from the University of Bath, UK. His first postdoc at the University of Bristol, UK, was spent researching cellulosic nanomaterials (CNMs), where he started to develop his research into fluorescence. He is now a Mitacs Accelerate Research Fellow in the Department of Wood Science investigating the interaction of small molecules with CNMs in collaboration with BC Research. All of his usual hobbies (acting, climbing) have been curtailed by the pandemic so he has been spending more time Geocaching and cycling.

Postdoc Seminar by Dr. Karolin Heinze on May 26th at 12:00 pm

Join us on Wednesday, May 26th at 12:00pm for a presentation by Dr. Karolin Heinze

Understanding the regulatory landscape across different ovarian cancers
Abstract: Despite modern medical efforts ovarian cancer is still the most lethal malignancy of the female reproductive system. To improve the situation, I want to identify the regulatory landscape in different types of ovarian cancer, determine gene expression in different tumor areas (the tumor itself and adjacent “normal” reactive tissues) and the interactions within the surrounding microenvironment. For new therapy strategies to be effective and life prolonging with minimal side effects, we have to understand what and how these cells were broken before we can try to fix them.

Meet the Speaker: Karolin received her doctoral degree in molecular biomedicine from Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Germany. After spending years in ‘mainstream’ ovarian cancer research, she wanted to focus on rarer, less studied ovarian cancers, where she felt her efforts would be more helpful. Karolin holds a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and a Master of Science in Molecular Medicine. Her current research focuses on the transcriptional and epigenomic profiles and immune microenvironment of ovarian cancers.

Postdoc Seminar by Dr. Angela Rout on May 6th at 12:00pm

Register here to attend and receive the Zoom link.

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Postdoc Seminar by Dr. Surya Dhulipala on April 13th at 12:00pm

Register here to attend and receive the Zoom link.

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Our first postdoctoral speaker is Dr. Moritz Koch:

Postdoc Seminar by Dr. Moritz Kock on March 22nd at 12:00pm
The new Postdoc Seminar Series is starting soon! Join us on Monday, March 22nd at 12:00pm. Register here to attend and receive the Zoom link.
Dr. Moritz Koch will be presenting his work on:

How plastic-bacteria can fight climate change
Abstract: Climate change and the pollution of our oceans are two of today’s biggest environmental threats. To overcome both, we have developed microalgae for the production of sustainable bioplastics. Using metabolic engineering techniques, we were able to drastically increase the amount of bioplastic which is produced by the organisms. Our studies might help us to transform our industries completely – away from fossil fuels, towards renewable resources.

Meet the Speaker: Moritz is a postdoctoral fellow from Germany working in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology. He did his PhD at the University of Tübingen, Germany, and KTH Stockholm, Sweden. In 2020 he received an award for the best PhD thesis in Microbiology. His topics of interest are sustainability (in general), bioeconomy, biotechnology and (bio)ethics.
Join us for his seminar and learn more about Moritz and his research!!

Monday, March 22nd at 12:00pm online. Register to attend and receive the Zoom link: bit.ly/PostdocSeminar