National Postdoctoral Association

How an idea becomes a project of the NPA

1. You submit an action item to the board (either individually or through a committee).
2. The Board discusses and votes on the project.
3. If the Board approves the project, the Board will then assign the project to a committee.

Many new committee members come up with similar ideas. For example, a postdoctoral scholar may suggest asking the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to enforce the NPA's recommended postdoctoral practices.  The NPA already has a working relationship with NIH (and other organizations) about which the postdoc may not be aware.  Change takes time, but as one becomes familiar with the NPA's history, one will realize we have already seen progress.  The NIH is beginning to collect data to track postdocs, and the National Science Foundation (NSF) guidelines now include a mandatory mentoring statement for grants which will be funding a postdoc. 

When serving on a committee, please remember that you should not present your personal opinions as those of the NPA.

Committees meet by teleconference about once a month. The NPA's online forums and e-mails play a large role in committee communication.