PDA Newsletter March 2026

Tue Mar 10 09:40:15 EDT 2026

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🍕 PIZZA HOUR with the PDA!

Happy 2026, everyone! Let’s kick off the new year with some pizza! Come hang out with fellow postdocs, catch up on updates from PDA officers, and enjoy free pizza courtesy of the PDA. Register<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfGPdgh08l-lNgvuh3530YjRFrGet1k1msP7YvHrNsvBB-_HA/viewform?usp=header> to help us get a headcount for pizza (we’ll get more this time).

When: 12:30pm-1:30pm, Tuesday, March 31st
Where: In person E25-401 *Note the change in location*
Register: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfGPdgh08l-lNgvuh3530YjRFrGet1k1msP7YvHrNsvBB-_HA/viewform?usp=header

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🚨 Campus safety

In February, the PDA met with the Office of the President to make recommendations on campus safety and security. MIT wants to remind community members of our standing guidance on interactions with law enforcement agencies<https://mit.us19.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c3883b724009ce04a67071dd1&id=47f17cc5ab&e=06b2bfa76d>, which can be reviewed on the MIT updates page. Additional information is available through the Office of General Counsel<https://mit.us19.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c3883b724009ce04a67071dd1&id=b25a785165&e=06b2bfa76d>.

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📊 Quality of Life survey

Have feedback for MIT senior leadership? Want to raise pressing concerns? Want your voice heard? Fill out the Quality-of-Life survey TODAY!

The QoL survey covers important issues such as workload, stress, wellness, and departmental climate. The survey is voluntary and confidential - individual responses won’t be accessible. The results will only be presented in aggregate in a way that protects the privacy of respondents.

Historically, MIT has used results from this survey to implement the Cambridge employee commuting benefits<https://web.mit.edu/facilities/transportation/tpass/index.html>. Schools and departments lean on the survey heavily to understand people’s experiences and how things are going. The MIT postdoctoral association also requests and reviews postdoc-specific results to inform priority decisions. Prior data have facilitated conversations with the Dean’s Offices at the School of Science and the School of Engineering to develop programs for postdocs’ wellness and professional development.

You can learn more about the survey and access your link by visiting qol.mit.edu.  If you have any issues, you can reach the survey team at mit-qol at mit.edu<mailto:mit-qol at mit.edu>.

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🏆 PDA Excellence in Postdoctoral Mentoring: Nominations are Open!

We are excited to open nominations for the MIT PDA Excellence in Postdoctoral Mentoring Award 2026!

The goal of the award is to honor and acknowledge principal investigators (PIs) for excellent postdoctoral scholar mentoring, and to recognize both the value of quality mentoring and its impact on the career path of postdoctoral scholars. It will highlight the unique opportunities and challenges of mentoring postdoctoral scholars, who are poised to become the next generation of academic and scientific leaders. This award is seen as an effective way to spread the culture of awareness of the critical role the faculty play in the academic/career development of postdoctoral scholars, and further, to recognize the importance of postdoctoral scholars to MIT’s mission.

To nominate your PI, please upload your nomination here<https://forms.gle/MqTbm75SAcqo8uSV7>! Nomination eligibility, process, and criteria can be found in the form linked above.

Nominations will close on 03/13/2026 at 11:59 pm EST. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact pda-alumni at mit.edu<mailto:pda-alumni at mit.edu>

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🍻 PDA Goes to the Muddy Pub

Join the PDA at the Muddy Pub for a relaxed evening of beer, conversation, and community with fellow postdocs. Come unwind, meet new people, and enjoy MIT’s classic campus pub. Bring a physical 21+ ID in the form of a US-issued ID or passport, and MIT ID. Cash only. See you there!

When: 6:45pm - 8:45pm Thursday, March 26th
Where: the Muddy
Note: Bring a physical 21+ ID in the form of a US-issued ID or passport, and MIT ID. Cash only.

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 🐣 The Postdoc Buddy Scheme is back for Spring!

The groupings for the Spring edition of the Postdoc Buddy Scheme have now been made! Make sure to check your emails to find out who your new buddies are as well as instructions for your meetups. Although these are designed for the large group meetups for the buddy scheme, all postdocs are welcome!

When: 10am - 11am, Monday, March 23rd &
                10am - 11am, Thursday, April 2nd
Where: the Nexus in Hayden library
What: Coffee hours with your postdoc buddies
Sign up: https://forms.gle/9YiCAn3ahVvVWFyA7

If you have any questions, feel free to email pda-community at mit.edu.

Frequently asked questions and more information can be found on the website https://pda.mit.edu/pda-buddy-program/.

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🌟 MIT Postdoc Spotlighting Series — Self-Nominations Open!

The PDA is launching a Postdoc Spotlighting Series to highlight the incredible work and journeys of MIT postdocs! We invite MIT postdocs to self-nominate by responding to a short list of questions about your research, experiences, and career path.

Selected nominees will be featured in an upcoming spotlight and notified directly. This is a great opportunity to share your story and celebrate the diverse postdoc community at MIT.

  Self-Nominate Here: Link to the form<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/133ZjVBiKql5HtG4hlaZdkDg-us4GRylrBGylHdr-JeU/edit>
  Deadline: Monday, March 30th

We encourage postdocs from all departments and career stages to apply!

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 🎲 Postdoc Board Games Night!

Our next Postdoc Board Games Night will be taking place on Wednesday 1st April.
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: 6-8 pm, Wednesday, April 1st
Where: 68-181
What: Board games + pizza
Sign up: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdxmjmzX7-p8G4_WvboVo9ZL0lKW4Uu5qtVGYtHNHHcwd1Bkw/viewform?usp=publish-editor

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

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 🏃‍♀️ Join the postdoc run club!

It’s that time of year when everyone decides they need to get some more exercise, and what better way to do it than with your fellow postdocs? Come and join us for the weekly postdoc run club!

We meet every weekend (usually Sunday mornings) for a sociable and fun run. Our main aim is to get exercise and make new friends, so every ability is welcome (and no one gets left behind)! We warm up with hot drinks and snacks after the run.

When: 10am Every Sunday (but check our group chats for updates)
Where: ⁠We meet up in front of the main building of MIT (77 Massachusetts Avenue  https://maps.app.goo.gl/vJFb28UffuJw2je8A)
Stay in the loop: You can join our WhatsApp (our most frequently used communication platform) here: https://chat.whatsapp.com/DuVJG7Df7WN4vx6XhCme5e. And our slack channel here: https://mit.enterprise.slack.com/archives/C02BH7V8H9D

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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 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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