PDA Newsletter July 2026

[Danlei Chen]

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🍕 PIZZA HOUR with the PDA!

Take a break and join fellow postdocs for a relaxed lunchtime Pizza Hour hosted by the PDA! Catch up with colleagues, meet new postdocs, and hear brief updates from PDA officers about upcoming events and opportunities.

When: 12:30-1:30pm, Tuesday, July 28th
Where: E25-401 (in person)

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🗳️ Vote for the Next PDA Cohort!

Voting for the 2026–2027 PDA Elections is now open and will remain open until 11:59pm, Sunday, July 19th.

Earlier this week, all MIT postdoctoral scholars received a unique link from contactpda at mit.edu containing a personalized ballot link. Each postdoc is eligible to submit one ballot to elect representatives for the MIT PDA standing committees. If you have not received your ballot or experience any issues accessing it, please contact contactpda at mit.edu for assistance.

Getting represented is one of the best ways to get your voice heard. Do your part and help shape our postdoctoral community by casting your vote!
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 🎲 Postdoc Board Games Night!

Our final BGN of 2025-2026 is coming up on Thursday, July 30th! Our monthly event brings together postdocs from across MIT to relax and have some fun together. We gather after work to eat free food and play some games – everything from Jenga to Risk (you decide how intense an evening you’d like). We have a selection of games, but feel free to bring your own games from home to play!

When: 6-8pm, Thursday, July 30th
Where: E25-401
Sign up: https://forms.gle/7MD8yS3FSqXz7NL67

For questions, reach out to pda-community at mit.edu<mailto:pda-community at mit.edu>.

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 🏖️ Family beach day!

Celebrate summer by joining us for a family beach day at Carson Beach! Bring your kids, spouses, and friends along to enjoy Boston’s sun, sand, and sea with your delightful colleagues. Carson beach is accessible by Red Line T, and the PDA will provide some snacks and drinks. More details to follow via email and slack - keep your eyes peeled!

When: Saturday 1st August, 10am-2pm
Rain date:  Sunday 2nd August, 10am-2pm
Where: Carson Beach, Boston https://maps.app.goo.gl/rJBxob5TNVGwiWJZ7
Sign up: https://forms.gle/K2gCVQJfH8SCPAUU6

For questions, please reach out to pda-community at mit.edu<mailto:pda-community at mit.edu>.

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👭 Postdoc Buddy Scheme: Summer Edition!

The postdoc buddy scheme is back for the summer! Want to get out of your small circles, meet postdocs from other departments, and make new friends? The PDA Buddy Program is a great way to do just that! Designed to help postdocs build academically and mentally supportive communities, the buddy scheme will group postdocs with like-minded individuals to meet for coffee/tea and get to know one another. Whether you’ve just joined MIT or been here for years, the buddy scheme is a great way to meet new people and make friends.

Tell us about yourself and we will match you with 2-3 postdocs with similar academic and personal interests. Registration closes on Friday, July 24th.
Register at: https://forms.gle/Fu1wBPuhCR9BUN259

For questions, please reach out to pda-community at mit.edu<mailto:pda-community at mit.edu>.

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🛥️🌇 Sunset river cruise - SOLD OUT 😥

Well that was quick! Thanks to amazing demand, tickets for our postdoc sunset river cruise sold out in just 7 hours! You guys must really like boats.  Or sunsets.  Or you love the PDA (we're choosing to believe it's because you love the PDA).

Unfortunately, there are no larger boats available for this date so we were unable to open more spaces. If you missed out, you can join the waiting list via this form<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeOCd7kbKDTS5TtGbmuyfhHhR1ADyVxxk5MMza5lODxvv-6mA/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=113834599293607914556>.
If you have a ticket but can no longer make it, please reach out to Jake (hoffmanj at mit.edu<mailto:hoffmanj at mit.edu>) and we can pass on your ticket to someone who really wants it!

See you on the high seas!

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💰Understanding Your Retirement Benefits

The MIT Postdoctoral Association and the MIT Benefits invite you to the workshop "Understanding Your Retirement Benefits", to learn how benefits-eligible postdoctoral associates can make the most of MIT's retirement benefits.
Join this informative session to learn about:
How to open and contribute to your 401(k) retirement plan.
How your retirement savings are invested.
The tax advantages of contributing to a 401(k).
What happens to your retirement savings if you leave MIT or the United States.
Strategies for building a strong financial future.

Lunch and refreshments will be provided for attendees who RSVP<https://forms.gle/NJiH77jrLzbBvTUV7> and participate in person.
When: 12:30-1:30pm, Tuesday, July 14th
Where: Building 32, room 123 (32-123)
Sign up: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdiKRKCwuItoyHKGA3B4HoUFneP-yrf-8US0yQknt2wTi5BKQ/viewform

Any questions regarding this event, please feel free to email pda-advocacy at mit.edu.

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✨ MIT Postdoc Spotlight Series

Each month, we highlight two exceptional MIT postdocs whose research, leadership, mentorship, and personal journeys are shaping the future of science and our community.

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Elena Cambra
Elena Cambria is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Biological Engineering at MIT, where she studies how the physical environment of tumors influences cancer growth and metastasis. By engineering realistic tissue and blood vessel models, her research explores how mechanical forces affect the spread of cancer, with the long-term goal of developing more personalized and effective therapies. She is particularly excited about building vascularized lung models that mimic breathing, providing a powerful new platform to study how tumor cells travel through the body and establish secondary tumors.

Beyond her research, Elena is passionate about mentorship and teaching. She has mentored undergraduate, master's, and PhD students and completed MIT’s Kaufman Teaching Certificate Program, experiences that have shaped her vision of leading an inclusive and supportive research group. Looking ahead, she hopes to establish her own laboratory, where she can combine innovative cancer research with mentoring the next generation of scientists.

Fun facts: Elena is both Swiss and Italian, so she has strong opinions about chocolate and great food! Outside the lab, she enjoys practicing yoga, exploring Boston’s Seaport and Harborwalk, and says that if she weren't a scientist, she might have become a lawyer—or fulfilled her dream of running a chocolate factory.

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Keita Mori
Keita Mori is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Chemistry at MIT, where he develops new chemical tools to improve the intracellular delivery of drugs and biomolecules. His research focuses on designing molecules that enable therapeutic compounds to efficiently enter cells, with the long-term goal of overcoming one of the biggest challenges in modern drug development. By combining synthetic chemistry with chemical biology, Keita hopes to establish a general strategy for designing the next generation of cell-permeable medicines.

Beyond the lab, Keita values the interdisciplinary collaborations and global community at MIT, which have helped him grow as both a scientist and mentor. After stepping into an entirely new research field during his postdoc, he credits the guidance of his mentor, Professor Ronald T. Raines, along with the support of his wife and the connections he built through the MIT Postdoctoral Association and International Scholars Office, for helping him navigate challenges and prepare for an independent research career in Japan.

Fun facts: Keita enjoys playing basketball, cycling and running along the Charles River, and spending time with fellow international researchers and their families. He jokes that he can be hungry again within an hour of any meal, and if he weren't a scientist, he would happily be coaching a basketball team.

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💬 Join the Greater Boston Postdoc Whatsapp channel

Our colleagues across Boston have created a Whatsapp channel to connect postdocs in the Greater Boston area. The goal is to provide a platform for postdocs from different institutions to connect, exchange opportunities, and build a broader professional network. One of the ideas is to organize a monthly exchange to facilitate regular interaction beyond our individual universities, hospitals, and research institutes.

The aim is to build a strong and supportive community, foster collaborations, and create professional connections that extend beyond our time in Boston.

Feel free to invite fellow postdocs who may be interested. Join here: https://chat.whatsapp.com/EB9MxG0cZ6VDBmfcFfBVKM?s=sw&p=i&mlu=3

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📅 Grad Student Council (GSC) Monthly Events

The Graduate Student Council has kindly put together a monthly event announcement just for postdocs! Many of their events are open to the entire MIT community, and they’ve put a lot of effort into making us feel welcome. It’s a great opportunity to connect with grad students and share interests. Let’s show our appreciation by joining their activities and building stronger ties across our communities!
Check it out here: GSC Event Announcements<http://gsc.mit.edu/current-anno>

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 🎓 New to MIT? Join a Postdoc Orientation!

New postdocs are welcome to sign up for a <https://pda.mit.edu/pins/postdoc-orientation/> Postdoc Orientation<https://pda.mit.edu/pins/postdoc-orientation/>, hosted by the PDA in collaboration with Human Resources and Postdoctoral Services. It will be a great opportunity to meet other new postdocs, learn about postdoc-specific benefits, and ask any questions you may have about Boston or MIT.

The orientation sessions are held monthly and you can sign up here<http://web.mit.edu/training/course.html?course=CDT21061c>. Bonus: Lunch and refreshments will be provided! Hope to see you there!

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🌍 Travel Guidance

MIT has prepared travel guidance cards—one version for U.S. citizens and permanent residents, and another for non-citizens and non-residents. We encourage everyone to carry the appropriate version when traveling internationally, as a precaution for the foreseeable future. The reference cards can be found here<https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1YUdTqEYacl5rx8z5EqYXrXGQXm8FHymx?usp=share_link>.
Other resources:
International Travel Guidance – ISchO: https://ischo.mit.edu/news/update-international-travel-guidance
Legal Considerations – Office of the General Counsel:
https://ogc.mit.edu/system/files?file=documents/guid_internat_trav_law_enforc_search_leav_enter_mar-2025.pdf&check_logged_in=1
On-Campus Guidance for Interactions with Immigration and Law Enforcement:
https://ogc.mit.edu/system/files/documents/guid_immigr_law_enforc_on_campus_mar-2025_2.pdf
Loaner Laptops for International Travel – ISchO:
https://ist.mit.edu/secure-devices-travel

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📢 Reach out to us through slack, email, and instagram!
💬 Join the Slack channel: mit-postdocs.slack.com<https://mit-postdocs.slack.com/>
📧 Email the PDA: contactpda at mit.edu
📸 Follow us on Instagram: @mitpda<https://www.instagram.com/mitpda/>

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