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Postdoc Academic Chats 2016-17

This event is part of series:

September 8, 2016 (All day)
Speaker(s): 

Readings for each of these sessions can be downloaded from the FILES section below. 

September 2016: Teaching as a Postdoc - Why It Matters and How To Do It Successfully

Miriam Goodman, Professor, Molecular & Cellular Physiology, mbgoodman@stanford.edu

Tim Wiser, Postdoc, Physics Education, tdwiser@stanford.edu

November 2016: Differences Across the Disciplines - How Teaching and Research Vary Across Departments and Schools

Sarah Church, Professor, Physics, schurch@stanford.edu

Chris M. Golde, Assistant Director, Career Communities - PhD & Postdocs in Humanities, Arts & Education, BEAM Career Education, golde@stanford.edu

  • What are some of the biggest differences between your discipline and others mentioned in the readings?
  • Is there anything you can learn or adapt from other disciplines that might help in teaching and research in your discipline?
  • What are some of the things you can do while still at Stanford that will prepare you to interact more effectively with other disciplines once you leave campus?

December 2016: Perspectives of Assistant Professors on Course Development with Interactive Learning

Jason Hogan, Assistant Professor, Physics, hogan@stanford.edu

Monika Schleier-Smith, Assistant Professor, Physics, schleier@stanford.edu

  • What do you personally see as some of the barriers to your experimenting with active learning? 
  • What steps could you take to address the above concerns? 
  • What experiences can you share about other postdocs you know who have experiments with active learning? 

January 2017: How to Explore Different Types of Academic Institutions to Find the Best Fit for You

Dr. Bernadine Fong, Director of Leadership Initiatives and Special Projects, VPGE, bcfong@stanford.edu

Professor Julia Miyaoka, Decision Sciences Department, SFSU

  • What specific pluses and minuses do you personally see to accepting an academic position on a Non-Research I university?
  • What specific steps can you take in the next 3-12 months to find out more about other types of institutions?
  • What modifications do you think you need to make in your written and oral presentations to appeal to other types of institutions?

February 2017: Applying for Academic Positions

William Greenleaf, Assistant Professor, Genetics, wjg@stanford.edu

Suzanne Pfeffer, Professor, Biochemistry, pfeffer@stanford.edu

  • What aspect of the academic job talk are you personally most anxious about? Is it the talk itself, the preparation, the graphics, the Q&A afterwards?
  • What are two things you can do now to address the above issues?
  • What advice have you heard from other postdocs who have been in the job search that would be most relevant to the people at this chat?

March 2017: What Happens if I Don't Get Any Job Offers

Stephanie Eberle, Director, SOM Career Center, seberle@stanford.edu

Dr. J. Provin, Mechanical Engineering

Dr. Pedro Flores, Postdoctoral Scholar, Medicine, pmorgado@stanford.edu

  • What options make the most sense for you if you don’t initially get the offer you want? 
  • What are some of the experiences you know about of other postdocs who have found career options outside academia 
  • What are some of the things you can do now before the end of your postdoc to broaden your prospects for a successful academic career?

April 2017: Common Myths About Grants and Grant Writing and How to Overcome Them

Sara Bible, Associate Vice Provost for Research, Office of the Vice Provost and Dean of Research; sbible@stanford.edu

Marco Pavone, Assistant Professor, Aeronautics and Astronautics, pavone@stanford.edu

  • What 2-3 specific things can you do now as a postdoc to get a head start on grant writing when you start as a faculty member?
  • What kind of internal grants are available at Stanford in your area and who can you talk with who can share their experiences in this regard?
  • Are there any other myths not listed in reading #3 that are unique to your research field or specialty?

May 2017: The Importance of Networking in Academia

Helen Doyle, Associate Vice Provost for Graduate Education, Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education, hdoyle@stanford.edu

Rania Sanford, Assistant Vice Provost and Director of Programs, Vice Provost for Faculty Development & Diversity, raniasanford@stanford.edu

  • What 2-3 specific things can you do now as postdoc to start networking beyond Stanford?
  • Who among the faculty you know at Stanford seem particularly good at forming productive alliances and what can you learn from them?
  • Based on the readings below, what 1-2 things would you NOT want to do in your first year as a professor?

June 2017: Starting Out Right As a Professor: It's More Than Just Looking Out For #1

Wendy Gu, Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering, xwgu@stanford.edu

Tad Fukumi, Associate Professor, Biology, fukamit@stanford.edu

  • What 2-3 specific things can you do now as a graduate student or postdoc to help make you a “quick starter” in your first academic position?
  • What steps can you take with your current advisor to identify areas of independent research for you after you leave Stanford?
  • Based on the readings below, what 1-2 things would you NOT want to do in your first year as a professor?