Celebrating Waterloo’s postdoc community
Postdoc Appreciation Week (PAW) recognizes the significant contributions of postdoctoral scholars.
Postdoc Appreciation Week (PAW) took place from September 21 to 25, with institutions across North America recognizing the contributions of postdoctoral scholars. At the University of Waterloo, the week was marked by activities across the institution, including centralized events and opportunities organized by Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs.
Originally started by the National Postdoctoral Association, Postdoc Appreciation Week is recognized each September by universities across North America as an opportunity to celebrate the significant contributions postdoctoral scholars make to research and discovery.
With close to 400 postdoctoral scholars working across all six faculties, postdocs are an important part of Waterloo’s research and academic community. This year’s Postdoc Appreciation Week offered opportunities to recognize those contributions while bringing postdocs together through networking, professional development, and social activities.
The week began with a networking kickoff, where postdocs had the opportunity to meet colleagues from across the University and hear remarks from Bill Rosehart, President and Vice-Chancellor, and Brian Ingalls, Assistant Vice-President, Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs and Assistant Provost, Graduate Students.
“Postdocs contribute to the Waterloo community and provide an enrichment of identities, backgrounds, ways of doing research, and ways of tackling problems,” said Ingalls as part of his opening remarks.
“Postdocs play such an important part of the campus community,” Rosehart affirmed, emphasizing both their contributions to Waterloo and the importance of creating connections outside their immediate research environments.
For many postdocs, day-to-day work is centered within a lab or research group, where they may be one of only a small number of postdoctoral scholars. Rosehart encouraged attendees to use the week to broaden those networks and build a stronger sense of community.
“One of the things that we want to achieve this week is to help you create more connections,” Rosehart said. “We want to form this community to enrich what you have in your lab or in your research group.”
As part of a networking activity hosted by Rosehart, postdocs were encouraged to introduce themselves to someone new, exchange contact information and consider ways to continue connecting beyond Postdoc Appreciation Week.
Activities continued throughout the week, including a guided nature walk and a workshop hosted by the Writing and Communication Centre focused on designing engaging presentations for public audiences. Postdoc Appreciation Week concludes today with a happy hour, providing one more opportunity for Waterloo’s postdoctoral community to meet, connect, and celebrate together.
Postdoc Appreciation Week provides an annual opportunity to recognize the expertise and contributions that postdoctoral scholars bring to Waterloo, while also highlighting the resources, professional development opportunities, and community available to them beyond the week itself. Postdocs can stay connected through the Postdoctoral Scholars website, which shares upcoming events, professional development opportunities, resources, and supports for Waterloo’s postdoc community.
