2025 Postdoc Fundamentals SACNAS Session

We produced a postdoctoral professional development session at the 2025 annual conference of the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS). At this conference in Cleveland, OH, our #NDiSTEM2025 session was:

Postdoc Fundamentals: Selecting a Training Experience to Match Your Career Goals

Advanced PhD graduate students will learn how postdoctoral training can enhance their competitiveness for academia, industry, and other careers. Presenters will describe 1) different postdoc types, 2) advisor & project selection considerations, 3) sources of funding, 4) resources for professional development such as the MinorityPostdoc.org career portal, 5) local and national peer support groups such as diversity postdoc associations, & 6) how to best use your institution's postdoc office. Our panel will include a representative of the Stanford Latinx Postdoc Association demonstrating how affinity groups can champion diversity for peer-to-peer support as well as outreach service activities. Importantly, we will discuss career services for navigating a challenging job market given the new federal environment for academia.

Photo of panelists from "Postdoc Fundamentals" session all standing from left to right Roca, Palominos, Paniagua, Zamora, and Sugiura. Roca is older with gray hair wearing glasses and blue guayabera shirt. Palominos has shoulder-length brown hair and is in a red shirt. Paniagua has shoulder-length brown hair and is wearing glasses and an orange cape-like sweater. Zamora has long brown hair and is wearing a white shirt with buttons. Finally Sugiura has shoulder-length blond hair while wearing glasses and a black blouse.

#Postdoc Fundamentals Speakers

Pictured from left to right

Alberto Roca, Ph.D., Moderator/Chair

Executive Director, DiverseScholar; @MinorityPostdoc

M. Fernanda Palominos, Ph.D.,

Postdoctoral Fellow, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley,

co-Founder, Latinx in Developmental Biology

Nancy Paniagua, Ph.D.,

Postdoctoral Scholar, Biochemistry, Stanford University

Astrid Zamora, Ph.D.,

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, Stanford University

Co-chair, Stanford Latinx Postdoc Association

Stanford University

Robin Sugiura, M.A.

Director of Postdoctoral Training, Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, Stanford University

Resources

Postdoc-focused Diversity Affinity Groups

A.I. Roca (2020) Diversity Funding for Your Postdoctoral Research: Advice for a Successful Experience, DiverseScholar 11:2

C. Blagden & I. Vidal Pizarro (2023) Could You, Would You, SHOULD You Do a Postdoc? DiverseScholar 14:2

H.R. Waite & A.I. Roca (2022) Learning about Postdoc Fundamentals at SACNAS. DiverseScholar 13:2

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