Annual Postdoc Symposium | Office of Postdoctoral Affairs

Washington University Annual Postdoc Symposium is our opportunity to get together every spring and recognize the postdoctoral community and its important contributions to the broader university ecosystem. We also recognize the dedication of outstanding mentors committed to postdoctoral training.

This annual event is sponsored by the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research. This in-person event will take place in EPNEC on the medical campus. We look forward to seeing you there!

18th Annual Postdoc Symposium

March 20, 2023
Eric P. Newman Education Center

Registration is open!

This year’s symposium will focus on things that we PURSUE. From community to that next publication, we all pursue something!

Register today!

Keynote Speaker

Mary McKay, PhD

Vice Provost of Interdisciplinary Initiatives

Here and Next: From, To, and Now
Moving from vision to implementation planning, Now, ready for action.

Vice Provost of Interdisciplinary Initiatives, Mary McKay, will provide an overview of the core features of WashU’s ten-year strategic planning process, Here and Next. Particular emphasis will be placed on elevating the university’s ambition to advance research excellence in the areas of Public Health, Environment, and Digital Transformation. In addition, information will be provided regarding the work fueling the People and Community Pillars of Here and Next

Symposium Schedule

(subject to change, check back often for updates)

9:00-9:30am Registration and breakfast

9:30-10:30am ^*Roundtable (session I)

10:30-10:45am Break

10:45-11:45am ^*Roundtable (session II)

11:45-12:15pm Lunch

12:15-12:30pm Mentorship awards

12:30-1:30pm ^**Keynote Speaker

1:30-1:45pm Break

1:45-2:45pm ^**K99 Panel Discussion

2:45-3:00pm Break

3:00-4:00pm ^**Postdoc Storytellers

4:00-5:00pm Resource Fair, networking, and afternoon snacks

*There will be separate roundtables at which 1-2 speakers will be seated to discuss their experience in their careers. An additional 6-7 participants will be able to join each table. Participants in the roundtable sessions will spend 30 minutes at a table of their choosing before rotating to a different table, allowing participants to visit multiple tables during each session (4 different tables across the two sessions). Because of the limited space, postdocs will receive preferential access to this part of the symposium. Thank you for understanding!

**These events will be broadcast via a zoom webinar. Please use this LINK to log in.

2023 Outstanding Faculty and Postdoctoral Mentor Awards

Outstanding Postdoc Mentor Award
This award goes to a current postdoctoral appointee at Washington University who is nominated by their mentees. It recognizes the postdoc for their commitment to building up and supporting undergraduate and graduate mentees on their own scientific journeys. This year, two postdocs have been selected for this award. Congratulations to

Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award
This award goes to a faculty mentor of a postdoctoral appointee at Washington University who is nominated by their postdoc mentees. It recognizes a faculty member who goes beyond being a supervisor to their postdocs, truly supporting and advocating for their postdocs to achieve success. This year, two faculty mentors have been selected for this award. Congratulations to

Roundtable Sessions

The roundtable sessions are for postdocs to explore different career paths by speaking with people who are already along that path. Upon registration select attendance to this event and your topics of interest. Speakers confirmed are listed below; new speakers will be added as they are confirmed.

Industry Research
Samuel Pushparaj, PhD- Vir Biotechnology (samuelmvc@gmail.com)
Xenia Meshik, PhD- Canopy Biosciences (xmeshik@gmail.com)
Priya Sudarsanam, PhD- Climate- Bayer Corporation (priya.sudarsanam@bayer.com)
Monali Prabagaran, PhD- Millipore Sigma (monali.prabagaran@gmail.com)
Zuzana Kocsisova, PhD-CTC Genomics

Non-profit and Government Agencies
Sharon Deem, DVM, PhD- StL Zoo Conservation
Ashley Edes, PhD- StL Zoo Conservation

General Career Advice
Arlene Taich, PhD- Career Center at Washington University (ataich@wustl.edu)

Non-PI Academic Administration
Michelle Delair, PhD- Director of Curricular Innovation, Washington University (mdelair@wustl.edu)
Rick Moore, PhD- Assistant Director of Assessment & Evaluation at the CTL, Washington University (rick.moore@wustl.edu)

Early PI (domestic background)
Jen Zellers, PT, DPT, PhD- Assistant Professor, Washington University (jzellers@wustl.edu)
Elizabeth Pollina, PhD- Assistant Professor, Washington University (pollina@wustl.edu)

Senior PI (domestic background)
James Skeath, PhD- Professor, Washington University (jskeath@wustl.edu)
David W. Piston, PhD- Professor, Washington University (piston@wustl.edu)

PI (international background)
Silvia Jansen, PhD- Assistant Professor, Washington University (silvia.jansen@wustl.edu)
Polina Lishko, PhD- Professor, Washington University (lishko@wustl.edu)

Science Communication
Laura Zonia, PhD- Senior Scientific Editor, Washington University (laura.zonia@wustl.edu)
*Kathleen Schoch, PhD- Assistant Professor, Washington University (kmschoch@wustl.edu)

Policy
**Brittany Whitley, PhD- Executive Director, MOST Policy Initiative
Francesca Manzella, PhD- Dr. Leroy Hood Science Policy Fellow, Research! America (fmanzell@gmail.com)

Data Science
**Chris Sorensen, PhD- Senior Support Scientist, Washington University (sorensenc@wustl.edu)
*Zachary Abrams, PhD- Instructor in Biostatistics, Washington University (abramsz@wustl.edu)

Academic research, non-PI
**Viju Gupta, PhD- Senior Scientist, Washington University (ggupta@wustl.edu)
John Murphy, PhD- Senior Scientist, Washington University (murphyjt@wustl.edu)
*Alessandro Ustione, PhD- Staff Scientist, Washington University (a.ustione@wustl.edu)

Entrepreneurship
*Karen Gheesling Mullis, PhD- Director, New Ventures, Washington University (mullis@wustl.edu)
**Christian Harding, PhD- CSO & Cofounder of Omniose (christian.harding@vaxnewmo.com)

* ONLY attending session I
** ONLY attending session II

Resource Fair

Past Annual Postdoc Symposiums

2022 Annual Postdoc Symposium