Seminar Series

Postdoc Research Day 2022!

Events, Professional Development, Research Day, Seminar Series, Seminars

Hey UBC Postdocs! :loudspeaker: Join us for Postdoc Research Day on Dec 6th, 2022! 

Do you want to share your research? Do you want to connect with your peers? Are you excited to learn about successful interdisciplinary collaboration and implementing equity, diversity, and inclusion in your research? Do you want to win awesome prizes? If so, then submit an abstract and register for Postdoc Research Day!

When: December 6, 2022 (Tuesday); 9:00 am-6:00 pm; Evening Reception from 6:00-8:00 pm

Where: Life Sciences Institute (2350 Health Sciences Mall), UBC Vancouver

Who can attend: All UBC postdocs, graduate students, and RAs (Registration required)

Who can present: All UBC postdocs

Register here: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6m0SGIf0OBE333E
Submit an abstract (250 words max) using the link above.
Deadline for abstract submission: November 18, 2022, 11:59 pm PT

 

Postdoc Research Day

Professional Development, Research Day, Seminar Series, Seminars

Our annual all-day Postdoc Research Day returns on December 6th, 2021!

Please find the full program here: RD2021 – Program Book

Join us for Postdoc Research Day, an all-day event featuring:

  • Research talks by UBC Vancouver Postdocs and Research Associates across diverse disciplines
  • An amazing Keynote Speaker: Dr. Steven Barnes (UBC Associate Professor of Teaching and Director Undergraduate Program in Neuroscience) talking about mental health and wellbeing for Postdocs.
  • Postdoc Town Hall, where the PDA would love to hear about your experience as a postdoc.
  • Reception and Award ceremony with bites and drinks.

Registration has closed. Come back later for a link to the event recording!

More information below the flyer

The UBC Postdoctoral Association Research Day is back in person (and online) this year!

Featuring a full day of interdisciplinary talks, the annual Postdoc Research Day brings together postdoctoral researchers from across faculties and affiliated institutions at UBC Vancouver. This event will be held in parallel with the UBC Okanagan Postdoc Research Day with all recorded presentations available online afterwards. Full schedule to follow shortly.

When: December 6, 2021 (Monday) Research Day 9:15am-5:45pm; Evening Reception from 6pm onwards

Where: Life Sciences Institute (2350 Health Sciences Mall), UBC Vancouver campus, and on Zoom

Who can attend? (Registration for online attendance remains open until December 3rd. Unfortunately, in-person registration has closed)
Following the latest COVID-related safety guidelines*, in-person attendance is limited to UBC postdocs, research associates, and PhD students (limited spots) who will abide by these rules and to the latest occupancy limit. However, everyone is welcome to attend virtually! This full-day event will be broadcast online, and the recordings will be available for viewing later.

Why should you attend?
– Share your research with awards for the best presentations
– Connect with your postdoctoral peers over the free coffee, lunch, and light dinner
– Find new collaborators and learn about ongoing research at UBC

Want to present your research?
Our abstract deadline has passed.

Keynote Speaker
We are excited to introduce Dr. Steven Barnes as our Keynote Speaker!

Title and abstract:
An Incomplete Painting: Academia and Mental Wellness
The relationship between the academic environment and mental wellbeing is a popular topic of research—particularly in the context of undergraduate and professional programs.  However, such increased awareness has yet to be adequately translated to significant action; this is especially true for the lives of graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, faculty, and staff.  Having lived with a mental illness for the entirety of my academic career, I have witnessed both the progress and noticeable gaps.  This talk will reflect on mental health and mental illness in academia, by interleaving relevant research with a retrospective of my visual art and personal experiences.

About Dr. Steven Barnes: 
Steven J. Barnes (he/him/his, @sj_barnes) is a faculty member in the UBC Department of Psychology. He is well-regarded for his work related to student mental health and wellbeing, online learning technologies, and bipolar disorder (BD). Steven is one of the founding members of Kaleidoscope, a mental health peer support group at UBC’s Vancouver Campus. In addition, he is the recipient of multiple institutional awards for his teaching, including the Killam Teaching Prize. He is also the recipient of the 3M National Teaching Fellowship, the top national award given for teaching in any discipline in any postsecondary institution in Canada. Steven is an accomplished author, having published in the fields of epileptology, neurophysiology, student mental health, digital mental health, bipolar disorder, and behavioural neuroscience. Beyond being a prominent educator, researcher, and author, Steven is also an accomplished artist.

Postdoc Town Hall
The UBC PDA wants to hear from you! As the independent organization working to represent all UBC postdoctoral fellows and advocate on their behalf, the PDA would love to hear about your experience as a postdoc.  For example, how are you liking our socials? Are you satisfied with your professional development opportunities? How about that extended benefits package? Come chat with the PDA exec team and help us prepare an advocacy agenda that represents you!

Registration has closed. Come back later for a link to the event recording!

Email us if you have any questions.

We are extremely grateful to our partners and sponsors who made this event possible:
adMare Bioinnovations
BC Research
New England BioLabs
STEMCELL Technologies
Variational AI
UBC Vancouver Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
UBC Okanagan Postdoctoral Association

*COVID-related safety guidelines will be dependent on the latest provincial public health orders. These will include a requirement for proof of vaccination, a legal occupancy limit, physical distancing when possible, and indoor mask-wearing.

Useful resources:
Event Safety Plan
Code of Conduct
RD2021 – Program Schedule
RD2021 – Program Book

Postdoc Seminar by Dr. Md. Zabir Hasan on August 10th

Events, Professional Development, Seminar Series

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

Postdoc Seminar by Dr. Kevin Kung on July 14th

Events, Professional Development, Seminar Series

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

Events, Professional Development, Seminar Series

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.

Join us for her seminar and learn more about Marcus and his research!!

Friday, June 18th at 12:00pm online. Register to attend and receive the Zoom link.

Postdoc Seminar by Dr. Karolin Heinze on May 26th

Events, Professional Development, Seminar Series

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.

Join us for her seminar and learn more about Karolin and her research!!

Wednesday, May 26th at 12:00pm online. Register to attend and receive the Zoom link.

Postdoc Seminar by Dr. Angela Rout on May 6th

Events, Professional Development, Seminar Series

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

Register here to attend and receive the Zoom link.

Join us on Thursday, May 6th at 12:00pm for a presentation by Dr. Angela Rout:

Smartphones and sensors: designing better cities for people and trees
Abstract: Smartphone and sensor data can support urban design by providing decision makers with information about how people use public spaces. In my doctoral research I explored three ways that researchers can use spatio-temporal data from smartphones to inform design decisions  (public engagement, data modeling and visualizations). In my current postdoctoral work I am combining mobile data and data from sensors to help cities design urban communities that benefit from urban forests.
Meet the Speaker: Angela completed her interdisciplinary doctoral research at the University of Calgary in a program that combines computer science with urban design. Her Master’s degree is in Architecture and she enjoyed working as an architectural designer as well as a public engagement consultant before returning to academia. Angela’s bachelor’s degree is in Fine Arts from UBC. She currently lives in Calgary with her family and is looking forward to living in Vancouver before summer!
Join us for her seminar and learn more about Angela and her research!!

Thursday, May 6th at 12:00pm online. Register to attend and receive the Zoom link.

 

Postdoc Seminar by Dr. Surya Dhulipala on April 13th

Events, Professional Development, Seminar Series

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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.

Join us on Tuesday, April 13th at 12:00pm for a presentation by Dr. Surya Dhulipala:

Advancing an Intelligent Transportation Data Platform and Environmental Sensing to Promote Sustainable Cities
Abstract: What if Google Maps could inform you about your air pollution exposure in real-time? Would you choose the least polluted route instead of shortest time to destination? In this presentation, a framework will be presented to realize this scenario using real-time measurements conducted on UBC Vancouver campus. Air quality and transportation data sets will be combined using 5G network and edge computing to provide personalized information about air pollution exposure.

Meet the Speaker: Surya is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. His PhD thesis was focused on measuring Particulate Matter (PM) formation from volatile chemical products including combustion sources (vehicular exhaust) and non-combustion sources (ingredients of industrial solvents and coatings). Prior to joining UBC, Surya worked as an Air Quality Scientist at Omniscent, a startup based in San Jose, California. He was part of the team that developed a low-cost micro gas chromatograph, capable of detecting benzene, toluene and xylene (BTX) at sub ppb levels. His current project is focused on creating an integrated air pollution sensor network with 5G capabilities at traffic-intersections on UBC campus. In his spare time, Surya loves cooking, hiking, doing CrossFit workouts and playing guitar.
Join us for his seminar and learn more about Surya and his research!!

Tuesday, April 13th at 12:00pm online. Register to attend and receive the Zoom link.

 

NEW! Postdoctoral Seminar Series starts March 22nd

Events, Professional Development, Seminar Series

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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