The Postdoc Experience Profiles project is a collection of stories from postdocs discussing their experiences at the Waterloo.
Everything from moving to Canada, to teaching, to lessons learned, and advice with other current and prospective postdocs. Read the profiles below to learn from the experiences of other Waterloo postdocs.
We also want to hear from you! Every postdoc at the University of Waterloo is an accomplished academic working at the forefront of their respective fields and has experienced challenges and accomplishments that we want to share. Fill out our share your postdoc experience with us web form to engage in this opportunity to share about yourself and your advice for your peers.
Sonia Jaberi's postdoc experience
Part of transitioning to Sonia Jaberi's postdoc role has included developing independence. Sonia shares that moving from a grad student to postdoc role typically involves both greater independence and greater responsibility, while also learning new projects and working in new places. Sonia has great advice and encourages new postdocs to "stay curious, persevere through challenges, and make the most of this exciting phase in your research journey!"
Shahabeddin Abhari's postdoc experience
Shahabeddin received his first university degree in 2013 – a Bachelor’s degree in Health Information Technology (HIT) from Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in Iran. He then went on to obtain a Master of Science in HIT, a Master of Public Health in Health Policy, and a Master of Businesses Administration at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, before completing his PhD in HIT from Tehran University of Medical Sciences, a top medical university in Iran. Following his PhD, Shahabeddin worked at Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences in Iran as Assistant Professor for three years gaining experience in the education and research field before starting his postdoc appointment at Waterloo in January 2023.
Alaaeldin Ahmed's Postdoc Experience
As a current postdoc, Alaaeldin is thinking about what is next, whether that be in industry or in academia, and is putting in the work to prepare himself for his next opportunity. Alaaeldin acknowledges that “transition from postdoc to industry is a challenging process” and that academic jobs are difficult to land, and this means it is going to take time and effort to be successful in the job market.
Ana Ines Ennis' Postdoc Experience
Ana Inés Ennis (she/her) completed her undergraduate and PhD education at Universidad Nacional de La Plata in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she was born. In 2022, Ana came to Canada to begin her postdoctoral appointment at the University of Waterloo through the Centre for Astrophysics and Perimeter Institute.
Anirban Banerjee's Postdoc Experience
Anirban Banerjee (he/him) obtained his Bachelors degree in Biotechnology from the Heritage Institute of Technology (an affiliate of the West Bengal University of Technology) in Kolkata, India. After arriving in Canada, he completed a Master of Science degree in Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Saskatchewan, followed by a PhD in Biology at the University of Western Ontario. He has held two appointments as a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Waterloo.
Hector Perez's Postdoc Experience
Hector Perez (he/him) completed his Bachelor of Industrial Relations (2013) and Master of Business Administration (2015) at the Universidad de Guanajuato in Mexico. He went on to gain a PhD in Strategic Planning and Technology Management in 2020. Shortly after completing his PhD, Hector began his postdoctoral position at the University of Waterloo.
Wei Zhou's postdoc experience
Wei Zhou’s graduate education and postdoc experiences have taken him to many different universities and companies. He completed a Masters in MOE-Microsoft Key Laboratory of Multimedia Computing and Communication at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), and subsequently completed a PhD from USTC. During these studies, he was a visiting scholar at the National Institute of Informatics (NII) and worked with Intel ICRI MNC, Microsoft and Alibaba. He was also a visiting PhD student at the Image & Vision Computing (IVC) Laboratory at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at the University of Waterloo, before working here as a postdoc. Wei Zhou is now an Assistant Professor in the School of Computer Science and Informatics at Cardiff University.
Mohamed Dardir's postdoc experience
Mohamed Dardir's postsecondary education began with a Bachelor’s and Master’s in Architecture, followed by a PhD in Building Engineering from Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec. In December 2021, Mohamed transitioned to his current postdoctoral position at the University of Waterloo in Sustainability and Environment.