When you hear the phrase ‘science policy,’ you may picture people at the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., interacting with members of Congress and other political officials. However, people that work in the science policy realm, according to Yvette Seger, Ph.D., extend beyond the federal government, including scientific societies and patient advocacy organizations. As she put it, “there are different flavors of science policy.” Science policy careers can be found in various workforce sectors that have an office of government relations or an office of sponsored research. They can also be found in industry or at a postdoctoral scholar’s academic research institution. Seger is a geneticist by training and has a breadth of experience in science policy, especially in genetics, and how to pursue a career in science policy. Currently, she is the director of science policy and strategic scientific programs at the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), where she leads science policy research and development, coalition building, and advocacy activities. She shares her insights on preparing for and pursuing a science policy career here.

Transferable Skills for a Science Policy Career

Postdoctoral scholars acquire many skills during their training to become bench scientists, which can be applied to a science policy career. However, many may not be aware of how to frame these skills in a science policy context. Science policy has two interfaces – science for policy or policy for science. Science for policy uses science to develop and drive policy decisions, such as regulations detailed in the Clean Water Act or the Clean Air Act. On the other hand, policy for science involves government laws, regulations, and policies that affect scientists and the research development enterprise. For example, consider the limitations of using certain research materials or implementing funding opportunities to enhance research activities in a particular area.

Seger is very familiar with policy for science in her current role at FASEB. According to her, postdocs have several skills they can transfer from their bench work as a scientist to a career in science policy. For one, postdocs gain skills in project management and organization during their predoctoral and postdoctoral training. They manage one or more research projects from start to finish and prioritize the tasks needed to complete the goals outlined for each research project within a realistic timeline while anticipating any potential challenges they may face. Secondly, postdocs acquire interpersonal and leadership skills. They coordinate research activities with multiple players, including a principal investigator (PI), internal and external collaborators, and other lab team members. These two skills can be used in science policy to serve as a “subject matter expert on a particular type of science policy that you are asked to work on,” said Seger. Furthermore, postdocs acquire written and oral communication skills. Postdocs know how to communicate ideas effectively to different public stakeholders, use logical arguments to convey a message to others, and debate issues in a collegial manner. Postdocs use these communication skills when they give a poster talk or update their research team on their progress on a specific research project.

Skills to Develop for a Science Policy Career

To transition from the bench to a career in science policy, there are several skills postdocs need to develop. First, postdocs must learn how to write in the active voice for diverse audiences in a multitude of writing formats, including white papers, letters, newsletters, and blog posts. Also, in academia, postdocs may be used to setting soft deadlines for completing experiments, data analyses, and writing manuscripts for research projects. However, in the science policy, deadlines are less flexible, and there is no extra time to revise assignments. This may be difficult for some postdocs since “perfection can cause postdocs to not to want to share products from their research activities until they are finished or polished. Getting over this is vital since science policy experts at times only have 30-40 percent of the information they need to do their work in a short time window when discussions on a particular science policy matter is most relevant,” said Seger. Also, each “day in science policy is not the same. There are many moving parts at different paces. Some topics you must revisit and reframe your position.”

Also, postdocs need to learn how to do consensus building. Consensus building involves strategies to settle conflicts and reach agreements between multiple parties or stakeholders. Postdocs may have participated in some consensus building when they worked in a research team, and there were disagreements between team members. Science policy is generally bipartisan. People have to find ways to seek a unanimous agreement among their competitors and be able to “compartmentalize that they are not supporting the person advocating for or against a policy, but they are supporting the mission of their organization,” said Seger.

Going Beyond Science Policy Fellowships

Shortly after completing her doctoral studies, Seger started her science policy career at the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine as a fellow in the Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology Policy Graduate Fellowship program. FASEB also has a science policy fellowship program that postdocs can pursue to gain the skills and knowledge necessary for a successful science policy career. Although completing one of these fellowships may be reassuring to postdocs in helping them to land a science policy job, postdocs can pursue a science policy career without a fellowship. “Postdocs can still make their way into a science policy career through other avenues, such as organizing a science policy group discussion or workshop at their universities,” said Seger. Fellowships that focus on training early career scientists in science and technology policy are not gatekeepers to working in science policy at the federal, state, or local level. “Postdocs can make something out of nothing. They can make their own opportunities, which is what science policy is all about,” said Seger.

As a postdoctoral scholar, if you believe that your future career niche is in science policy, it is likely that you already have all the tools at your disposal to launch and succeed as a science policy expert. Nevertheless, there is always room to learn more; you can still enhance some skills before pursuing a science policy career. Opportunities to learn new skills are all around you – at your institution, your community, and the NPA through its free SmartSkills program. Know that you have what it takes within YOU to succeed and thrive in science policy. So go for it.

Joyonna Gamble-George, Ph.D., M.H.A., is a postdoctoral scholar at New York University in the behavioral sciences training in drug abuse research program and an associate editor of The POSTDOCket.

Since entering the world of academia as a first-generation college student, Sarah Benner, Ph.D., now a postdoctoral scholar at Johns Hopkins University, has learned to embrace the twists and turns along her journey.

Benner began college as an aspiring medical student, but a sophomore microbiology class inspired her to switch to the research track. While studying viral-mediated type 1 diabetes as a graduate student at Ohio University, Benner was awarded a grant to support a worksite experience. She traveled to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Fort Collins, CO, where she assisted on a project investigating microRNAs that could block Zika virus replication. It was at the CDC that Benner realized her passion for infectious diseases and decided to shift her career goals.

Seeking postdoctoral training that incorporated her newfound interest in global health, Benner left the diabetes field and found her niche in HIV research at Johns Hopkins University. “I am involved in the HOPE in Action studies, which are clinical studies to evaluate the efficacy and safety of HIV positive-to-HIV positive organ transplantation,” she explains. “Specifically, I am evaluating changes in the latent viral reservoir in this unique population.”

Only six months after starting her new position, however, the Covid-19 pandemic forced Benner to swerve once again as her lab pivoted to SARS-CoV-2 research. Benner also joined the 2019 Novel Coronavirus Research Compendium (NCRC), through which she helped to distill the flood of publications and preprints into summaries geared toward frontline practitioners. “We were able to support practitioners by translating new scientific knowledge without them needing to read each new paper,” says Benner. “It was incredible to be a part of a collaboration that spanned not only multidisciplinary teams but also institutions and countries.”

Reflecting on adapting to new passions and shifting needs, Benner says that “the ability to be flexible, but also standing on the foundational skills you cultivate…will allow you to adjust quickly to any career path.” She also credits a network of friends, colleagues, and mentors who encouraged and supported her on difficult days. In particular, a mentor during graduate school provided the scaffolding Benner needed as she forged her own path. As a first-generation college student, navigating academia was especially challenging at times. Benner shares that the guidance she received inspired her own approach to mentoring. “I hope to support other young women moving up the ranks in the STEM community,” she says.

When asked how she escapes from her busy life in the lab, Benner shared that she enjoys unwinding in nature with her husband and her dogs, Archie and Juniper, and retreating to the barn to spend time with her horse, Alfie. She also enjoys baking— she’s rumored to make a mean carrot cake!

Jacqueline Mann, Ph.D., is a postdoctoral fellow at Yale University and an associate editor of The POSTDOCket.

This year marked the 13th annual National Postdoc Appreciation Week (NPAW) celebration. Furthermore, 2022 marked the third year the NPA has held a virtual, multi-institutional NPAW celebration.

From September 19-23, various on-campus and online events were held across the United States and the world to show support and appreciation for the valuable contributions of postdoctoral scholars. The theme for 2022 NPAW was “Finding Your Balance,” centered around the idea that postdocs find the support they need to live balanced, whole lives. Postdocs’ physical, mental, social, environmental, financial, and professional/occupational well-being are all critical and many of the programs held during the week touched on one or more of these topics.

The NPA held a virtual “Kickoff Event” on Monday, September 19, that featured a panel of researchers at different career stages sharing their experiences and advice to postdocs navigating various challenges in their lives, from mental health to acceptance and integration for those from diverse backgrounds and identities.

Speakers included:

• Robert (Robbie) Hable, Ph.D., innovation manager for the dispersions & resins at BASF and PhDBalance advocate.
• Inge Hansen, Psy.D., clinical psychologist, and director of well-being at Stanford University.
• Yen Teng Tai, Ph.D., a postdoc at Penn State University College of Medicine, trained in Malaysia, Japan, and the United States.

The NPA closed the week with an online networking event where postdocs could engage in around five wellness topics: physical, financial, career, mental/emotional, and community/interpersonal.

As has become a tradition of the past few years, many institutions opened their online workshops and events to all postdocs. This year, there were 42 online events advertised on the NPAW website open to all, showing significant growth in cross-institutional collaboration, a concept strongly promoted by the NPA. Opening doors to those from other institutions not only benefits the individuals to access new NPAW activities but also allows institutions to benefit by spreading the word about their own postdoc programming.

Additionally, institutions held a large number of events across the country and world during the week to support their local postdoctoral communities, from a mixer for New York University Abu Dhabi postdocs, tailgating at Georgia Tech and University of Mississippi football games, and barbecue cookouts at Vanderbilt University and the University of British Columbia.

Breakfast treats/coffee, appreciation lunches, and professional headshot opportunities were common activities offered by many institutions. Over 130 individual campus and online events were submitted to the NPA this year.

The NPA staff have also used NPAW as a strategic time to run its annual postdoc needs assessment survey. This short but critical tool enables the NPA to better understand postdoc needs and the barriers they face. Then the NPA can dedicate resources toward the areas of greatest need in the new year and beyond.

Be sure to save the date for NPAW 2023: September 18-22.

Chris Smith, Ph.D., is the postdoctoral affairs program administrator at Virginia Tech and a member of the NPA Board of Directors.

Every spring, the NPA organizes the Annual Conference, which brings postdoctoral scholars and administrators from the United States and international institutions, offering them networking and career development events. The upcoming Annual Conference will be held in person in Philadelphia on April 21 and 22 and virtually on May 11 and 12, 2023. Behind the scenes, the NPA Meetings Committee is working hard to plan and organize the NPA Annual Conference.

The NPA Meetings Committee is currently led by three co-chairs, Priyanka Mishra, Ph.D., Daniel Z. Radecki, Ph.D., and Vural Tagal, Ph.D., as well as Sampurna Chatterjee, Ph.D., NPA Board of Directors and Meetings Committee liaison.

Mishra, formerly a neuroscience postdoc at the University of Texas, San Antonio (UTSA) and now a senior systems integration scientist at Illumina, has been leading the Meetings Committee since 2021. Besides her role in the NPA, she has also been serving as a board member of the Journal of Life Sciences and was the first president of the postdoctoral association at UTSA. As an outreach enthusiast, Mishra aims to build and communicate science in a way that can spark curiosity and dedication about STEM and allow scientists at any level to explore different career paths while fostering collaborations with peers and institutions.

Radecki, working on neural stem cells as a postdoc at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is passionate about building the postdoctoral and scientific community and has been serving as a co-chair of the Meetings Committee since 2021. As the vice president and then president of the UW-Madison postdoctoral association (UWPA), he initiated a peer-to-peer mentoring program and has mentored numerous students. He also fostered the stem cell community at UW Madison and organized meetings and conferences to promote research collaborations and networking.

Joining Mishra and Radecki, Tagal has co-led the Meetings Committee since 2022, using his extensive experience in teamwork and team management. Before his current position as an assistant instructor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, he conducted his postdoctoral and graduate studies in cancer biology. Throughout his training, he was actively involved in student and professional organizations, such as a student representative in the Graduate School admissions committee and an executive board member in the postdoctoral association at UT Southwestern.

Under their leadership, five subcommittees (SCs) consisting of two co-chairs and volunteer members support the organization of NPA Annual Conferences. The awards SC sets the criteria and selects travel and childcare award recipients, while the keynote and plenary SC chooses keynote and plenary topics. The communications SC collaborates with the NPA Outreach Committee and The POSTDOCket to promote the conference and share what is happening at the conference via articles and social media. The social and networking SC organizes networking opportunities for the Annual Conference and assists the communications SC and Outreach Committee with promotions. The workshops and posters SC plans and organizes workshops and is responsible for workshop and poster selection and evaluation.

Thanks to the Meetings Committee, NPA has been preparing to host a series of exceptional workshops and relevant events during the Annual Conference to explore and expand the frontiers of improving the postdoctoral experience.

The 2023 NPA Annual Conference will include the following:

• Interactive keynote sessions with world-class leaders and decision-makers,
• Confirmed keynote speakers include Sudip Parikh, Ph.D., CEO, and executive publisher, Science family of journals (AAAS).
• Workshops on cutting-edge issues for postdocs and postdoc office leaders,
• A live poster experience,
• Live/virtual event connectivity on Whova,
• Networking and social sessions,
• Presentations of the 2023 Distinguished Service Award and 2023 NPA Gallagher Mentor of the Year Award, and
• Fun new ways to meet peers from other institutions.

The registration for the conference is open, and you can register through the link here.

Sponsorship, Promotion, Advertising, and Exhibits

The 2023 NPA Annual Conference offers a tremendous opportunity to market to one of the leading gatherings of the postdoctoral community by becoming a sponsor. As a sponsor of our Annual Conference, we provide you with an invaluable opportunity to interact with postdocs, postdoc office administrators, government agencies, and industry representatives. Your organization will have the chance to discuss policy, enhance career development, and affect meaningful change in local and national postdoctoral communities. Sponsoring our event is an excellent opportunity to reach and interact with this community to build long-lasting, collaborative relationships.

For information regarding sponsorship, promotion, advertising, and exhibit opportunities, please contact Amy Wilson, Office & Marketing Manager.

The Meetings Committee is always seeking new members passionate about advocating for postdocs and supporting our planning efforts. Volunteering for the Meetings Committee not only offers postdocs the opportunity to connect with other postdocs from diverse backgrounds but also allows them to improve their communication and organizational skills. If you want to volunteer for the NPA Meetings Committee or other committees, please sign up here or contact the co-chairs.

Jiyun Shin, Ph.D., is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Neurology at NYU School of Medicine, and a member of the NPA Meetings communications subcommittee.

What mental images appear when you imagine a "scientist"? For me, it's still the Einsteinian figure - a white, eccentric, workaholic, isolated man with funny hair. Yet, I have none of those attributes, and I am definitely still a scientist. After completing my doctorate two years ago, I worked as a postdoctoral scholar to further my training toward holding an academic faculty position. I identify as female, Vietnamese, and a collaborative lab citizen with reasonable work hours and a fashion sense. As per the survey by National Science Foundation, 41.8 percent of postdocs in the United States are female, 42.6 percent are non-white, and 54.5 percent are international temporary visa-holders.

The woes of postdocs are well-known - funding cuts, job insecurity, low pay, publish-or-perish pressure, and the global impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, to name a few. However, international postdocs in the United States face additional woes that bring significant stress and adversely affect their productivity and well-being.

International postdocs in the United States come from every corner of the globe, attracted by cutting-edge science and world-class institutions. To legally stay and work in the United States, they must keep their visas valid, which usually means being continuously employed. For an international postdoc, a job loss means more than just the expected stress, tightened purse strings, and frantically looking for a new job. If they remain jobless after 60 days – they must move back to their home country, possibly uprooting their loved ones. There are also stringent travel restrictions that limit opportunities for careers and recreation. For example, if I travel to a different country for a conference, I must return to Vietnam to obtain a new visa. The additional trip, plus a small but significant risk of visa rejection, means I rarely travel outside the United States. In addition, international postdocs often endure increased anti-immigrant rhetoric.

I consider myself fortunate to be acutely confident of my right to be treated with respect and fairness. I went to college and graduate school in the United States and have always worked in nurturing labs where I can speak my mind without the fear of retaliation. However, I have heard stories of international postdocs being pressured to produce the "desired" results, or else the principal investigator would hire another postdoc to produce them. I have witnessed, and embarrassingly not intervened, postdocs being bullied and mocked for their accents. The COVID-19 pandemic further amplified the problems of international postdocs. There were stories of postdocs working in labs despite the shutdown order in early 2020, perhaps too afraid to leave. A postdoc in my lab made the wrenching decision to delay returning to India when her father caught COVID-19 because it would be a one-way trip, and then it was too late. I, too, feared having to make a similar decision for my family in Vietnam. Indeed, the global pandemic has yanked me out of my cozy bubble and made me aware of the challenges affecting thousands of hardworking scientists and me.

Amidst all these challenges, there is also often the feeling of being unrepresented – international postdocs cannot vote in state or federal elections. So who would listen to us and solve our problems? The answer, I propose, is that we have to represent ourselves, first at institutional levels and then beyond. It may seem daunting at first. However, every single postdoc has successfully represented and defended their scientific contribution many times. Like any scientific project, we collect background information, identify the problems, propose solutions, follow through with them, then repeat.

I now serve on my institution's advocacy committee to push for fair wages, a professional work environment, and transparency in visa sponsorship. And just like it takes a village to bring a project to fruition, international postdocs must collaborate with allies, including fellow postdocs who are American citizens or permanent residents, faculties, professional societies, and other advocacy organizations to bring positive changes that benefit everyone. As a delegate in the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology's Advocacy Training Program, I am grateful for the skills, knowledge, encouragement, and camaraderie that I have received to become a more effective advocate.

What mental images pop up when you think "scientist"? My first thought is of Einstein, but my second, third, fourth, and subsequent thoughts are of scientists from diverse backgrounds, experiences, and mother tongues working together and slowly but surely making discoveries that benefit humanity. International postdocs significantly contribute to scientific research in the United States and globally. They deserve more opportunities and resources to support them on their journey.

Lien Nguyen, Ph.D., is a postdoctoral scholar at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. She is currently a delegate in the Advocacy Training Program at the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

On October 29, STEMPeers hosted their annual career development and networking conference at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), Roberts Center for Pediatric Research. STEMPeers was conceived in 2015 as a Facebook group when cofounders Ananda Ghosh and Abhinav Dey recognized the scarcity of social and career mentorship platforms for the STEM workforce. In 2017, STEMPeers evolved from a virtual group into a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization committed to community building and peer-sourced mentoring. In total, 175 individuals attended the in-person conference, socializing and making meaningful connections after the inescapable pandemic hiatus. The conference encompassed various concurrent sessions covering careers in academia and industry, academic grant writing, science communication, immigration, and mental health, among others. The event was covered by Victoria Gonzalez, a STEM Advocacy Institute representative. To learn more about their work, please visit https://stemadvocacy.org/sai-tv-network/.

Conference Highlights

• Keynote address by Bruce Levine, Barbara and Edward Netter professor in cancer gene therapy, Abramson Cancer Center, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. Levine gave comprehensive insights into the field of cell & gene therapy, from local innovations to global regulatory approvals.
• The song and dance of neurons – Vikram Gadagkar, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Neuroscience, and the Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute at Columbia University, presented his work on communal courtship in the Yellow Wattled Lapwing, a ground-nesting bird. The presentation was followed by choreography on learning, performing, and teaching by Sloka Iyengar, Ph.D., course scientist, American Museum of Natural History, NY.
• Club SciWri Art – Display of art by Club SciWri artists.
• The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs at CHOP and Thomas Jefferson University walked us through their postdoc programs and benefits.
• STEMPeers organized a biotech-focused networking dinner on the eve of the conference, where intellectuals represented by Merck, Johnson & Johnson, Eli Lilly, Wall Street, and ZS Associates, along with others, met for enthralling discussions.

Concurrent Sessions (Diverse careers in STEM)

• R&D careers in industry – shared insights into the functioning of industry R&D.
• Non-R&D careers in industry – talked about industry careers beyond the bench, marketing, commercialization, and sales of technologies.
• Early career academic research – narrated the challenges faced when aiming for an independent investigator position, strategies to cope, and what to expect after.
• Science communication – illustrated the transition from doctorates and postdoctoral scholars to scientific writing and editing review boards.
• Research analysts/Investment experts – discussed careers in equity research, consultancy, and venture capital funding.
• Non-profit organization: American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) - described ways of leading a successful non-profit.
• Entrepreneurship – discussed what it takes for entrepreneurship success and how to keep a startup afloat.

Conference Workshops

• Gurukool workshop: Beyond skills - Tracy Costello, Ph.D., executive coach STEMPeers Gurukool & Professional Development Consultant, discussed strategies to build captivating resumes and LinkedIn profiles.
• Funding and Grantsmanship – Jamie Rubin, Ph.D., vice chair for investigator development, Professor of medical sciences at CUMC, Columbia University, shared insights on how to write successful grant proposals and get them funded.
• Immigration - Brian Getson, the immigration lawyer at Getson and Schatz P.C., talked about immigration challenges and tips to navigate the process.
• Mental health - Hyong Un, M.D., chief medical officer at Recovery Center of America, discussed different aspects affecting mental health and how to combat feelings of inadequacy.

“Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart.” - Elizabeth Andrew. Organizing a conference after the pandemic would have been exhausting if not for the sincere efforts and contributions of the volunteering team – Arnab China, Sakshi Arora, Ajinkya Sase, Megha Lal, Dolonchapa Chakraborty, Rohini Dutta, Piyush Mishra and several other postdoctoral scholars from universities and research institutes across the United States.

Testimonials

• “In many ways, my career developed because of this community. STEMPeers is an exceptional example of how giving back to the community excels. Proud to be part of this organization and happy to pay it forward.” – Ajinkya Sase, senior research investigator at Gene Therapy Program, University of Pennsylvania.
• “A Facebook post in April 2022 from Ananda Ghosh changed many things for me. Thanks to that post, I volunteered to be part of local organizers for the STEMPeers Annual Conference 2022, held in Philadelphia. Over the course of the past few months, I have learned a lot working with an amazing team. Many mentors have helped me, but one name I especially want to mention is Arnab China. He has been an amazing leader. Volunteering for this conference has helped me overcome the hump of networking. In addition, I have developed leadership skills and made some lifelong inspiring connections.” – Sakshi Arora, a postdoctoral scholar at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
• “STEMPeers had helped me to find answers to my questions, be they related to postdoc career or immigration specific. It is a great platform where a group of amazing people share their experiences and ideas to help others. Recently the annual conference of STEMPeers in Philadelphia has given me a new perspective about industry careers and networking.” – Nootan Pandey, a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Pennsylvania.

Here is the link to the video on the conference covered by Stem Advocacy Institute.

With the conclusion of the 2022 annual conference, we look forward to the community gatherings organized by STEMPeers local chapters throughout the year. In the meantime, we are bidding adieu, till we meet again at the 2023 Annual Conference in San Diego, in September-October 2023 (tentative).

Megha Lal, Ph.D., is a postdoctoral scholar at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and chair of the women in science committee at the CHOP postdoctoral alliance. She has recently started volunteering with the NPA International Taskforce.