Postdoc Newsletter September 2023

Thu Sep 21 16:09:01 EDT 2023

[cid:1e41e2d4-d2bd-4493-97db-0c49dca4fa9d]

Call for applications for the open positions -- deadline extended

The deadline of the open positions has been extended to September 22. You are highly encouraged to engage with your fellow postdocs and bring new initiatives to live. Please email contactpda at mit.edu<mailto:contactpda at mit.edu> to indicate your intention to run for one of these open positions and check the PDA website Who are we?<https://pda.mit.edu/about/who-are-we/> to learn about the responsibilities of each role.

·         Corresponding Secretary

·         Recording Secretary

·         IT Chair

·         Fundraising Chair

·         Community Building Chair

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MIT PDA First General Meeting – Fall 2023

Please join our general meeting to meet your new officers, vote for new officers, and discuss the new initiatives for the new semester.

Tuesday, September 26th, First general meeting of Fall 2023

12:00pm-1:00pm. In person (E25-143) and on Zoom (https://mit.zoom.us/j/99196631871)

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MIT IGNITE Competition

As part of a series of activities related to Generative AI taking place across MIT this upcoming academic year, we are pleased to announce the “MIT Ignite: Generative AI Entrepreneurship Competition<https://entrepreneurship.mit.edu/mit-ignite/>” taking place on Monday, October 30. This team-based competition is co-organized by the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship and the MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab and chaired by Dean Anantha Chandrakasan of the School of Engineering and Dean David Schmittlein of Sloan School of Management.

The competition is open to all MIT undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers who have transformative ideas for innovative projects related to generative AI and its applications across all disciplines. Below are more details:

  *   Teams should be of 2-5 members who are MIT students or postdocs
  *   A brief interest form<https://airtable.com/appKjxA8MzyFHDbjp/shrGKrh2BowKPV86M> to submit by September 22 at 5:00pm EDT
  *   An application form<https://orbit.mit.edu/applications/ignite_generative_ai_2023> including a brief project overview and team profile to submit by October 2 at 5:00pm EDT
  *   Selected teams will be contacted by Monday, October 16
  *   On Monday October 30 from 3:00-5:00pm selected teams will present to MIT leadership, faculty, and industry leaders at the main prize competition.
  *   Five $15,000 MIT Ignite Flagship Prizes will be awarded, as well as a special first-year undergraduate student prize and several runners-up prizes.

Learn more at the MIT Ignite website<https://entrepreneurship.mit.edu/mit-ignite/>

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Looking for a postdoc member to join the application review committee

MindHandHeart and the Chancellor's Innovation Fund<https://mindhandheart.mit.edu/innovation-fund> is searching for a postdoctoral member of the application review committee for this academic year. The time commitment is minimal, with individual application review scheduled between October 6-16 before the committee meets to make its final recommendations for the Chancellor’s Office. Once those decisions are made, the committee won’t meet again until the middle of the spring semester to complete the second round of review.

For anyone who is interested in serving on the committee, please contact

Brandon Milardo (bmilardo at mit.edu<mailto:bmilardo at mit.edu>), the Assistant Director of MindHandHeart

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MIT Sexual Harassment and Misconduct Survey for Faculty and Staff

To the members of the MIT staff and faculty community,

MIT is committed to providing a working, learning, and living environment that is free from sexual harassment and misconduct. To that end, we invite your participation in the Institute’s first employee survey on this topic—the MIT Sexual Harassment and Misconduct Survey for Faculty and Staff.

To take the survey visit bit.ly/mit2023survey<http://inj9.mjt.lu/lnk/AU8AACScunIAAcrtCvgAAMqovnkAAYCrBVwAJc2NAAiQzwBlAIJtBEOQ73hCTviG1ek1jy6-4QAIIWc/1/A9tUjb1zQo9LSymkYAq_mg/aHR0cDovL2JpdC5seS9taXQyMDIzc3VydmV5>.

After the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) presented its 2018 report on the sexual harassment of women<http://inj9.mjt.lu/lnk/AU8AACScunIAAcrtCvgAAMqovnkAAYCrBVwAJc2NAAiQzwBlAIJtBEOQ73hCTviG1ek1jy6-4QAIIWc/2/ujiq6eFLKHheSgJwV7Zrdg/aHR0cHM6Ly9uYXAubmF0aW9uYWxhY2FkZW1pZXMub3JnL3JlYWQvMjQ5OTQvY2hhcHRlci8x>, MIT created working groups<http://inj9.mjt.lu/lnk/AU8AACScunIAAcrtCvgAAMqovnkAAYCrBVwAJc2NAAiQzwBlAIJtBEOQ73hCTviG1ek1jy6-4QAIIWc/3/DmV-rLEMuzo8joK4dwTWQQ/aHR0cHM6Ly9pZGhyLm1pdC5lZHUvTkFTRU0taW1wbGVtZW50YXRpb24tdGVhbS93b3JraW5nLWdyb3Vwcy1yZXBvcnRz> to respond to its findings. This survey is a result of their recommendations.

This is an anonymous and voluntary survey conducted by an external administrator. The administrator will share the survey results with MIT in summary form only.

This survey will:

  *   Aid the community in understanding and recognizing the full range of experiences that constitute sexual harassment, sexual violence, and sexual assault;
  *   Provide comprehensive metrics on staff and faculty experiences;
  *   Serve as an evaluation of existing policies, procedures, services, and prevention programs; and
  *   Offer information about support and reporting options.

The survey length will vary based on your personal experiences and will take approximately 10-25 minutes to complete.

The sensitive topic of this survey may elicit an emotional reaction, including feelings of anxiety, sadness, or discomfort. For confidential emotional support, please consider reaching out to MIT MyLife Services<http://inj9.mjt.lu/lnk/AU8AACScunIAAcrtCvgAAMqovnkAAYCrBVwAJc2NAAiQzwBlAIJtBEOQ73hCTviG1ek1jy6-4QAIIWc/4/2Sw1P1saFjOTK0xzb74How/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5taXRteWxpZmVzZXJ2aWNlcy5jb20v>. This 24/7 resource is available to staff, faculty, postdocs, and their household members. If you need additional information or would like to speak with a counselor, please contact MyLife Services by phone at 844-405-5433 or online at mitmylifeservices.com/contactus<http://inj9.mjt.lu/lnk/AU8AACScunIAAcrtCvgAAMqovnkAAYCrBVwAJc2NAAiQzwBlAIJtBEOQ73hCTviG1ek1jy6-4QAIIWc/5/GFa8ezF0J7HyaYNJdyHl1g/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5taXRteWxpZmVzZXJ2aWNlcy5jb20vY29udGFjdHVz>.

More information about the survey is included on the survey FAQ page<http://inj9.mjt.lu/lnk/AU8AACScunIAAcrtCvgAAMqovnkAAYCrBVwAJc2NAAiQzwBlAIJtBEOQ73hCTviG1ek1jy6-4QAIIWc/6/cCraoUckO6ixWi-_Og9ihA/aHR0cHM6Ly9pci5taXQuZWR1LzIwMjMtbWl0LWZhY3VsdHktYW5kLXN0YWZmLXNleHVhbC1taXNjb25kdWN0LXN1cnZleQ>.

We hope that all staff and faculty will participate in this important survey.

Sincerely,

Ramona Allen
Vice President for Human Resources

Cynthia Barnhart
Provost

Glen Shor
Executive Vice President and Treasurer

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MIT Alumni Job Board

Please find career events and job opportunities at MIT Alumni Job Board<https://alum.mit.edu/careers/alumni-job-board> that houses industry jobs that both Alumni and PostDocs with an Infinite Connection account<https://alum.mit.edu/account/create> (which is available to those with appointments exceeding 9 months) have access to for free.

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Connecting with Postdocs and the PDA

Please join the MIT postdoc channel to reach the PDA and connect with many other postdocs : https://mit-postdocs.slack.com/

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