PDA Newsletter April 2025

Thu Apr 10 21:31:34 EDT 2025

[https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXfVfMgD6boM40mWOXmVrDBKjZ-Y-ce2HsW9PZbYNedTO5-AHx3Abo6FrEQEdHsuKiYd_h3PAZlRpRKr8qr0of-D6oBG7f5jLd6gIXUdcjz76dlA369Wue6FJ6Uc09yj2OEY8DIhB6En7x2r7krujA?key=CFmDqGa3pFCmVO4-0QvtXL1Q]
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MIT PDA GENERAL MEETING AND COFFEE HOUR! ☕

Join us for our monthly PDA meeting! Enjoy coffee and snacks while we connect, share updates from PDA officers, and discuss postdoc life. We're reformatting our coffee hour to be more casual—drop by for a relaxed chat, share your thoughts and concerns, and get more involved in our community.

Tuesday, April 29th, 12pm-1pm
In person @ 24-115  *NOTE THE ROOM CHANGE*
On Zoom @ https://mit.zoom.us/j/96221008860

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Webinar with an Expert Immigration Attorney

Please join an informational forum webinar that will be held on Friday open to all MIT community members. The PDA will take live notes<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nF_rlBtTYUjVAQ61uQ0XmLRS4gVUsApAwKReOn6cOp0/edit?tab=t.0> and keep a living document<https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1y6mBRVDmteByuBszAGtvd_lZZV2xXKTrX01QUD-ewU8/edit> of all resources that we are aware of.

Friday, April 11th, 1:30–2:45 pm
Online access: https://web.mit.edu/webcast/mit/s25/1/
Submit your question in advance: immigration-questions at mit.edu

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Non-Faculty Careers Q&A Panel (and Pizza)

Interested in learning about careers outside of academia?  Curious about how those careers differ from postdoc work?  Join the PDA and CAPD for:

Diverse Non-Faculty Careers with MIT Postdoc Alums
Thursday, April 10, 2025 | 5pm - 6pm ET | Maclaurin Buildings (4), 4-149
On Zoom: https://mit.zoom.us/j/98336458373

Our panelists will be:
Ziling Chen: Senior Research Scientist, Analog Devices (Postdoc: Mechanical Engineering)
Darcy Gordon: Instructor of Blended and Online Initiatives, MIT Biology (Postdoc: Biology)
Simran Kaushal: Scientific Writer, Myriad Genetics (MIT Postdoc: Biological Engineering)
Jonas Wulff: Senior Engineer, Open Evidence (Postdoc: CSAIL)

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Visa and green card application information sessions

We will host a second session with The Arkell Immigration Team at Dunn Law Firm:
Presenter: Jim Arkell
Date: April 11th
Time: 12pm
Join Zoom Meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81345671813
** Questions about visas sponsored by MIT or for work at MIT should be directed to IScho.

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Group outings to Harvard Bookstore & MIT museum

Join fellow postdocs at group outing to:

Dr. Jack Szostak at Harvard University on his new book “Is Earth Exceptional?: The Quest for Cosmic Life”
Date and time: Thursday, April 10th, 6pm-7pm

MIT museum special program: In Pursuit of Innovation: A Fireside Chat with Robert S. Langer and Michael John Gorman
Date and time: Thursday, April 17th, 6pm-7pm

Check your MIT email and postdoc slack channel for sign up information!

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Postdoc Book Club

Reading is to learn, to experience things we never could in our own lives, to see other perspectives, and to reflect in the experience of others.

We are starting a book club for the MIT postdoc community!! Whether you are already a book lover, want to read books you wouldn't normally pick, to learn how other readers think, plus, to meet like-minded postdocs at MIT, join the MIT PDA book club!!

For the first event, we will read Intermezzo by Sally Rooney (Zoe’s pick!!)

RSVP and more info can be found here: https://forms.gle/SWvhume8zcvyo8us7

MIT PDA Community Building Committee Book Club Team
Ayoub, David, Olivia, Shahina, Yiqiao and Zoe

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Postdoc Buddy Program

Are you excited for the summer chapter of the postdoc buddy program?! You will be paired with fellow postdocs in other departments/institutes that share similar interests or career aspirations. It is a great opportunity to get out of the lab bubble, meet new people, and build a supportive network. The registration will open in the next few weeks. Look out for the invitation email.

Contact the Community Building Committee (pda-community at mit.edu<mailto:pda-community at mit.edu>) and co-chairs Yiqiao (yqzheng at mit.edu<mailto:yqzheng at mit.edu>) and Megan (megp at mit.edu<mailto:megp at mit.edu>) if you have any questions or suggestions.

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Mentorship Best Practices Q&A Panel

Hosted by the PDA and CAPD: Come engage with the faculty who are past winners of the MIT PDA Excellence in Postdoctoral Mentoring Award 2025 as they share their experience and advice on providing quality and effective mentorship.

PDA Mentorship Q&A Panel
Thursday, May 1, 2025 | 12pm - 1pm ET | Location TBD

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Excellence in Postdoctoral Mentoring Award 2025: Nominate your PI!

To nominate your PI, please upload your nomination here<https://forms.gle/Uc62tc5Q63yDjzXv7>. Check your email inbox for full details on the nomination process! (Dani will be sending periodic reminders.)
This year, the award will have two categories:
1) Early Career Mentor Award: Mentors with less than 8 years of postdoctoral mentoring experience will be considered for this category.
2) Established Mentor Award: Mentors with 8 or more years of postdoctoral mentoring experience will be considered for this category.
Nominations will close on 04/18/2025 at 11:59PM EST. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact pda-alumni at mit.edu (Dani Coogan, PDA Alumni Chair).

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Postdoc Orientation

Sign up for a Postdoc Orientation<https://pda.mit.edu/pins/postdoc-orientation/>, hosted by the PDA in collaboration with Human Resources and Postdoctoral Services. Meet other new postdocs and learn about postdoc-specific benefits at MIT. The next Orientation session will be a Zoom Meeting on Wednesday 04/16/2025, 12 PM!

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Reach out to us through slack, email, and instagram!

Join the Slack channel: https://mit-postdocs.slack.com/
Email the PDA: contactpda at mit.edu<mailto:contactpda at mit.edu>
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mitpda/
[PDA coffee hour poster.png]

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