VOLUME 12, NUMBER 17 • MARCH 9, 2001

New Postdoc Association Holds First Elections

The newly formed Postdoctoral Association of The Rockefeller University is holding elections this month for its first committee of representatives. The first of its kind at Rockefeller, the organization will provide postdoctoral researchers with a sense of community by offering social and career development resources, opportunities to exchange ideas with other scientists and representation of their interests to the Rockefeller faculty and administration.

"This program will allow postdocs at Rockefeller to interact among themselves and with other scientists around the world," says Daniel Besser, a postdoctoral associate in the Laboratory of Molecular Cell Biology, and a member of the association’s exploratory committee.

Postdocs at Rockefeller have formed a new Postdoctoral Association, the first of its kind at the university.

The idea for the association grew out of what is loosely referred to as the "postdoc hour"–a time set aside after each Friday lecture when postdocs have an opportunity to speak with the lecturer individually at the Faculty and Students Club. Now in its second year, the postdoc hour was established by Leon Hess Professor Titia de Lange and Jan Karlseder, a postdoctoral fellow in the Laboratory of Cell Biology and Genetics.

Karlseder later asked Besser to help him organize the meetings, and the two of them, together with the help of Jean Devlin, director of educational affairs, initiated meetings with the administration last November regarding a new postdoc association. A subsequent round of questionnaires confirmed that postdocs at Rockefeller were indeed interested in such an opportunity, and a 12-member exploratory committee was formed.

"Most other top universities have postdoc associations, and therefore it is appropriate that Rockefeller is offering this resource for members of the postdoc community," says Devlin.

The first concern of the exploratory committee, composed entirely of postdocs, is to elect five representatives to head the association. Candidates, who can be any postdoc working at Rockefeller, will present five-minute speeches at the Candidates Presentation Day, to be held in Caspary Auditorium on Wed., March 14, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. After this date, ballots will be sent via interoffice mail to each postdoc and are due back by Wed., March 28. The committee strongly encourages all postdocs either to run for election or volunteer their services, and most importantly, to vote.

Further goals outlined by the exploratory committee include: scientific interaction within the university community through seminars, poster sessions, retreats and their Web site; career development resources, including contacts to industry job fairs and seminars on grant writing, lab management and alternative careers; representation to the faculty and administration regarding issues of importance to postdocs, such as day care, salary, housing and visa/immigration; and social events for postdocs and their families.

"This is the kind of input postdocs need," said Katerina Akassoglou, a research associate in the Laboratory of Neurobiology and Genetics, and a member of the association’s exploratory committee. "After all, your postdoc is your training period in becoming independent."

"Postdoc," as defined by the association, includes postdoctoral associates, postdoctoral fellows, research associates, senior research associates and fellows. There currently are 424 postdocs at The Rockefeller University.

For more information about the Postdoctoral Association see their Web site at www.rockefeller.edu/pda.