Postdoc Appreciation Week 2021 takes place from 20-24 September, and there is lots going on at Cambridge and across the UK to celebrate.
Throughout the week, we'll be tweeting thank you cards to postdocs who have made contributions to our department and community this year.
And we're encouraging other departments to do the same! If you'd like to download a thank you card to send to your postdocs, you can find more information here.
Below you can find a daily programme of events and activities that will be taking place throughout the week.
Monday
Speed Networking: National Postdoc Conference
This networking event will be an opportunity to get to know other postdocs from across the country, to make new connections and renew old ones before the conference takes place at the end of the week.
19:00 PdOC Pizza Night
Celebrate Postdoc Appreciation Week with PdOC and a pizza! A restaurant reservation has been made for 12 people and the venue location will be sent to you upon registration.
Wednesday
13:00 - 14:00 Drop-In Session: Getting Started with the Postdoc Careers Service
Find out more about what the Postdoc Careers Service can offer you as a postdoc.
From online resources, such as a dedicated YouTube playlist, to confidential 1:1 appointments with a careers consultant, you don’t need to be a new postdoc to start making use of the resources available to you.
This session will take place on Zoom and you can join at any time throughout the hour using this link, signing in with your full name.
National Postdoc Conference Twitter Poster Competition.
As part of the National Postdoc Conference pre-event networking, this competition is an opportunity for attendees to showcase their research to a diverse audience.
You can enter a current poster, or create one about the conference theme: new realities, stronger connections, successful futures.
Thursday
11:00 - 13:00 Postdoc Masterclass: Refocus and Re-energise
A Postdoc Masterclass special for Postdoc Appreciation Week! This interactive and participatory webinar aims to provide researchers with the space to focus on themselves, review where they are now and gain a renewed perspective on their next steps and goals.
Participants will have the opportunity to reflect on what helps them be at their best, what motivates them and how to 'bounce forward' in times of uncertainty.
Sociology Postdoc Awards
We'll be announcing and celebrating the winners of the 2021 Postdoc Awards in the Department of Sociology.
The awards recognise outstanding contributions from postdocs in the areas of supporting and developing others, creating an inclusive and positive research culture, and research endeavour. With an additional award for outstanding contributions in all three categories.
We'll be showcasing profile of each award winner, and sharing their inspiring stories.
Look out for them on the Postdoc Academy twitter
Friday
National Postdoc Conference 2021
This year's virtual conference will cover the theme of: new realities, stronger connections, successful futures.
It will reflect the complexities of the current higher education research environment and is an opportunity to engage with funding agencies, policy influencers, researcher developers, career development professionals, and stakeholders across the research sector.
All the sessions are free to attend but registration in advance is required.