Mahadeo Sukhai, PhD, has been a volunteer, speaker, Board member, and major donor to the NPA. Julie Fabsik-Swarts, MS, CFRE, CAP, met with Sukhai to discuss his passion for the NPA and why he donates to the organization.

There are many organizations that you could be involved with and give to—why the NPA?

I started volunteering in 2009. I felt it was important for an organization to speak about postdoctoral issues and develop the next generation of researchers. Someone needed to be the voice of this group and take on the mantle of change. I feel strongly that the NPA is an incubator for leaders coming out of this population.

It is also important to nurture awareness of this population to the public beyond that of the PhD world. There is a cadre of outstanding leaders being developed, and there is often little recognition of them. What is recognized and rewarded in other disciplines is often not recognized in the postdoctoral area. The NPA is the organization trying to create awareness and to move the needle to the next level.

Why do you donate to the NPA?

First, I want everyone to know that, as a Canadian citizen, the NPA is not recognized as a charity, so I don’t even get a tax deduction for my donation. My donations are purely philanthropic because it is a cause I believe in. I do it because I believe the work is important. When talking about education and employment in the United States and the world, what happens to researchers and educators is very important. As said in the movie The American President, “Serious problems need serious solutions.” I give because the mission is important, and others need to support this effort as well.

Is there anything else you would like to say about the NPA?

A well trained happy postdoc is a productive postdoc, and they will change the world! Contributions made will help get this population to the place where that can happen.

Thank you so much for your support and your time.

Julie Fabsik-Swarts, MS, CFRE, CAP, is the executive director of the NPA.