Postdoc Awards
Each spring the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (OPA) partners with the Vanderbilt Postdoctoral Association (VPA) to recognize postdocs who demonstrate excellence in research, service, mentorship, and a commitment to the postdoc community, as well as their mentors who demonstrate a willingness to share expertise and advice, service to the community at large, along with other mentoring activities.
The postdoc awards ceremony was held on Tuesday, May 23 at 3:00 p.m. in Alumni Hall followed by a reception.
Postdoc of the Year AWARD
Sponsor: Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (OPA)
Eligibility: All current Vanderbilt-affiliated (VU and VUMC) postdoctoral fellows, scholars and trainees are eligible for nominations.
Criteria: Nominee must demonstrate excellence in research, scholarship or creative expression as evidenced by one or more of the following:
- Recent publications, publication contracts, and/or works of creative expression
- Presentations: papers or posters at local, regional, national or international conferences/meetings
- Awards and honors: internal and/or external recognition of excellence in research, scholarship or creative expression
Consideration will also be given to:
- Service: committees and organizations (internal and/or external), teaching, volunteering, etc.
- Mentoring within a lab or school, establishing or leading projects and initiatives (internal and/or external)
Nomination Process and Selection:
- The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs solicits nominations from faculty in each school.
- The Postdoctoral Fellows Advisory Committee reviews and votes on all nominations; if needed, ad hoc members will be selected by the OPA.
- The committee may select honorable mentions in addition to the award winner.
Faculty Mentor of the Year AWARD
Sponsors: Vanderbilt Postdoctoral Association (VPA) and Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (OPA)
Eligibility: Anyone who has served as a mentor to a postdoctoral fellow, scholar or trainee at Vanderbilt in any capacity is eligible for this award.
Criteria:
- Willingness to share expertise and advice.
- Support of the mentee’s current career stage and advancement towards the mentee’s chosen career direction.
- Service to the community at large, including other mentoring activities.
- Scholarship within the mentor’s own career: publications, awards, presentations, and honors.
Nomination Process and Selection:
- The VPA solicits nominations from all postdocs at Vanderbilt.
- The VPA Executive Board reviews and votes on all nominations.
Postdoc Mentor of the Year AWARD
Sponsors: Vanderbilt Postdoctoral Association (VPA) and Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (OPA)
Eligibility:
- All current Vanderbilt-affiliated (VU and VUMC) postdoctoral fellows, scholars and trainees who have served as mentors are eligible for nominations.
- Self-nominations and nominations by others are accepted.
Criteria:
- Willingness to share expertise and advice.
- Support of the mentee’s current career stage and advancement towards the mentee’s chosen career direction.
- Service to the community at large, including other mentoring activities.
- Scholarship within the mentor’s own career: publications, awards, presentations, and honors.
Nomination Process and Selection:
- The VPA solicits nominations from members of the Vanderbilt community.
- The VPA Executive Board reviews and votes on all nominations.
Postdoc Service Award
Sponsors: Vanderbilt Postdoctoral Association (VPA) and Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (OPA)
Eligibility:
- The nominee must be a current postdoc at Vanderbilt University or Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
- Self-nominations and nominations by others are accepted.
Criteria:
- Demonstrated sustained leadership skills to foster postdoc experience at Vanderbilt.
- Demonstrated meaningful contribution in national and international societies relevant to their research field, e.g., moderating sessions at national/international conferences.
- Engaged in scholarly research activities outside regular lab responsibilities to advance science, e.g., reviewing manuscripts for journals.
- Service to the community at large, including other mentoring activities.
Nomination Process and Selection:
- Service activities should be clearly listed on the postdoc’s CV.
- The VPA solicits nominations from all postdocs at Vanderbilt.
- The VPA Executive Board reviews and votes on all nominations.
Limitation: Each postdoc is eligible to receive the service award once during his or her tenure at Vanderbilt University or Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
PREVIOUS AWARD WINNERS
2023 Award Winners
- Faculty Mentor of the Year: Eric Skaar
- Postdoctoral Mentor of the Year: Jacob Feldman
- Postdoc Service Award: Elvira Aballi Morell
- Postdoc Service Award: Daniel Fehrenbach
- Postdoc of the Year: Siru Liu
Read more: Vanderbilt postdoctoral fellows recognized at 2022 awards ceremony2022 Award Winners
Ceremony recording: Watch the full 2021 Spring Postdoc Awards Ceremony Read more: Vanderbilt postdoctoral fellows recognized at 2021 Spring Postdoc Awards Ceremony2021 Award Winners
Read more: Vanderbilt Postdoctoral Association announces 2020 award winners