Welcome to the new PDA executive team 2019-2020

Uncategorized

Spring has finally arrived in Vancouver – and the new PDA executive team 2019-2020 has taken over. Meet the new officers who were elected at the AGM on March 11th:

  • President: Daniel Anstett, Department of Botany
  • Vice President Operations: Mriga Das, Department of Zoology
  • Vice President External: Helen Neuert, Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences
  • Vice President Communications: Yanina-Yasmin Pesch, Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences
  • Vice President Finances: Deborah Jehu, Physical Therapy
  • Vice President Social: Ryan Sweeney, Chemistry

The new PDA executive team is looking forward to planning a lot of events including events highlighting the awesome research by postdocs at UBC, professional development events, and – of course! – fun socials. We want to help everyone make the best of their postdoc experience at UBC.

We are looking back to a very productive year 2018-2019 in which the PDA could grow as an organisation. Highlights of the year 2018-2019 include:

We are just about to embark on our Whistler trip. Stay tuned for upcoming PDA news and events! Subscribe to our newsletter and follow the PDA on social media. If you want to get involved in the executive team, please contact us.

Career Networking Night – March 6, 2019

Events, Jobs and Funding, Professional Development

Join us for the UBC PDA’s inaugural Postdoc Career Networking Night!

March 6th, 5:30 – 7:00 PM
LSC West Atrium

We have reached event capacity and registration is now closed – to be added to our wait list for an available spot, please sign up at the link below:

Wait list registration

If you have signed up, but are no longer able to attend, please let us know ASAP so that we can give your spot to someone on the wait list.

Join us for an opportunity to connect with a variety of companies and employers in an informal setting. Discover the opportunities available outside academia, and what employers are looking for!

Representatives will be joining us from:

This event is free for postdocs, and we will provide light refreshments.

For those that sign up, we have arranged for Paul Joseph, the University Photographer to be on hand to take professional portraits at no cost – first come, first served!

Register for the event here! Space is limited, so sign up ASAP!

Please contact us at ubc.postdoc@gmail.com if you have any questions.

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.

Call for Nominations: 2019-2020 PDA Executive Officers

AGM, Events, Executive, Professional Development

We are excited to announce the call for nominations for candidates to be part of the UBC Postdoctoral Association’s 2019-2020 Executive Team!

Indicate your intent to run by Friday 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 2019-2020 year at our Annual General Meeting, held on Monday, 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.

Further details

Continue reading →

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!

Suvey: Copyright in Academic Publication Process

Policy, Professional Development

As a part of research community at U15 institutions, UBC Postdocs are invited to participate in a survey to assess our knowledge of copyright and author addenda in the publication process.

This survey is a part of a study lead by Lauren Byl, the Copyright & Licensing Librarian at the University of Waterloo, funded by the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL) Practicing Librarian Grant. This is important as researchers are increasingly being asked to make their research openly available, which requires them to retain some rights in their publications.

The anonymous survey would take about 15 minutes. Participation is voluntary.

In appreciation of the time you have given to this study, you can enter your name into a draw for 1 of 25 prizes, which include 2 grand prizes (a tablet, approx. $250 value) and a $20 Tim Horton’s gift card.

You can read fine prints and/or jump ahead to participate in the study here: https://uwaterloo.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_elLa2gr5RoskHJP
If you have any questions regarding this study, or would like additional information to assist you in reaching a decision about participation, please contact Lauren Byl at 1-519-888-4567 ext. 42356 or by email at lrbyl@uwaterloo.ca.

Postdoc Research Day 2018 – Keynote

Events, Research Day, Seminars

The UBC PDA is excited to share some additional details about our keynote speaker at Postdoc Research Day 2018 by Dr. Matthew Dahabieh!

Dr. Matthew S Dahabieh is the Chief Science Officer (CSO) of Renaissance BioScience Corp., a leading yeast innovation and biotechnology company founded in 2013. After joining Renaissance in 2014 as the Head of Research and VP Business Development, Matthew was appointed CSO in January 2017. As CSO, Dr. Dahabieh is responsible for leading the company’s R&D efforts, including identifying novel technology development opportunities, driving intellectual property and patent strategy, building collaborative research and strategic partnership networks, and accessing non-dilutive research funding.

Prior to joining Renaissance BioScience, Dr. Dahabieh completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at The J. David Gladstone Institute in San Francisco, CA. Dr. Dahabieh holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology as well as a Master’s degree in Genetics—focusing on applied yeast metabolic engineering and fermentation—both from the University of British Columbia. Dr. Dahabieh is also a graduate of the Invention to Innovation entrepreneurship certificate program at the Beedie School of Business at Simon Fraser University.

Dr. Dahabieh is the author of 11 peer-reviewed publications and two patents and has secured nearly $3M in research grant funding throughout his career.

His talk will be titled “The Scientific Method of the Scientist-Entrepreneur“. Below is a brief summary of what he will cover:

With job availability and security for PhD graduates more uncertain than ever, it is critical that today’s young scientists learn how to identify, cultivate, and ultimately capitalize on career opportunities available to them. Entrepreneurial thinking is a key part of this skill set and can be applied to any PhD career path whether it be academia, policy, industry, or, indeed, founding a new venture. As the Chief Science Officer of a biotechnology startup (Renaissance BioScience), Dr. Matthew Dahabieh will discuss his path to becoming a Scientist-Entrepreneur, what really constitutes scientific entrepreneurship, and how entrepreneurial thinking cultivates career opportunities.

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 3rd – find out about our careers panel here, and register here. Consider submitting an abstract to present your work – oral presentation abstracts are due 14 November, and poster abstracts due 23 November.