National Postdoctoral Association

From Ph.D. to Professoriate: The Role of the Institution in Fostering the Advancement of Postdoc Women is a new resource book developed by the National Postdoctoral Association as part of NPA ADVANCE. The book provides an overview of our current understanding of the various factors impeding postdoc women's continuation in academia and recommended practices that have shown promise for aiding these women in overcoming these obstacles. The goal is to help focus institutions' efforts to support postdoc women to foster their career advancement.

Download the PDF.

Questions on how to assist postdoc women at your institution?

New resource: "From PhD to Professoriate: The Role of the Institution in Fostering the Advancement of Postdoc Women." NPA ADVANCE has released its resource book, "From PhD to Professoriate: The Role of the Institution in Fostering the Advancement of Postdoc Women." Download the PDF today! See also our recent poster presented at the ADVANCE PI meeting in March 2013.
(Updated March 12, 2013)

New resource: A Postdoc's Guide to Paternity Leave. NPA ADVANCE has developed a new guide on paternity leave for expectant postdoc fathers. Designed as a companion guide to "A Postdoc's Guide to Pregnancy and Maternity Leave," the paternity leave guide includes tips for where postdocs might look for information on their leave options as well as suggestions for talking with their supervisor about taking leave.See also the Spring 2012 POSTDOCket article, "For Postdocs Planning to Take Paternity Leave, Communication is Key."
(Updated May 30, 2012)

ADVANCE Workshop at NPA 2012 Annual Meeting. NPA ADVANCE held a workshop at the NPA Annual Meeting, on Friday, March 16, 2012.The workshop, "Institutional Strategies for Advancing Postdoc Women's Careers," provided an introduction to challenges and strategies for fostering the advancement of postdoc women's careers. Participants also engaged in a lively discussion of how to implement such strategies. Presentation slides are now available.
(Updated March 26, 2012)

New resources: Family-Friendly Resources for Postdocs. NPA ADVANCE has developed an informational page on Family-Friendly Resources for Postdocs, with resources for postdocs on managing their family lives while furthering their research careers. Among this is "A Postdoc's Guide to Pregnancy and Maternity Leave," a new guide for women who are pregnant or planning for pregnancy during their postdoc.
(Updated August 24, 2011)

Web site update: New presentation slides available. Slides from several recent NPA ADVANCE presentations have been posted. These include presentations from the recent NPA Annual Meeting workshop in March. If you didn't get a chance to join us in Bethesda, check out the powerpoint slides!
(Updated June 9, 2011)

ADVANCE Workshop at NPA 2011 Annual Meeting. NPA ADVANCE will hold a workshop at the upcoming NPA Annual Meeting. On Saturday, March 26, 2011, join us for "NPA ADVANCE: Facilitating the Advancement of Postdoc Women at Your Institution," which will provide an overview of current challenges facing postdoc women and present institutional models for mitigating these challenges. Join the discussion on how to adapt these promising models to your institution!
(Updated February 3, 2011)

Focus groups on postdoc women's career transitions. NPA ADVANCE conducted four focus groups this fall with current and former postdoc women in order to examine the influences on these women's career decisions. The results will inform the project's forthcoming recommendations on promising practices for aiding postdoc women to advance their academic careers.
(Updated December 1, 2010)

Web site update: Clearinghouse on Promising Practices. The Clearinghouse on Promising Practices Web page is now available. The clearinghouse provides an overview of promising institutional practices that could aid in the retention of postdoc women in the academic career pipeline. This includes links to specific programs that could be adapted. The clearinghouse will continue to evolve as we refine our recommended practices. If you know of a promising model that should be added, please let us know!
(Updated July 29, 2010)

Web site update: Data on Postdocs and Gender. The Data on Postdocs and Gender page has gone live. Visit the page to see an overview of what we know (and don't know) about postdocs and gender, especially with respect to career choices. In particular, download the Factsheet on Postdocs and Gender.
(Updated June 9, 2010)

Web site update: National Summit on Gender and the Postdoctorate Overview. Read an overview of the presentations at the National Summit on Gender and the Postdoctorate, including links to presentation slides and photos from the event.
(Updated May 19, 2010)