Postdoctoral Affairs

The Office of University Postdoctoral Affairs (OUPA) aims to support your professional growth at Brown. We assist in connecting you with campus resources and collaborate with other University offices to develop programs for postdocs. Additionally, you can schedule an advising appointment with the OUPA Director. Please explore the resources below to learn more about professional development opportunities available to postdoctoral scholars at Brown.

Handshake

Handshake is Brown’s online recruiting platform that simplifies the search for internships, jobs, and learning opportunities. On Handshake, you can highlight your interests, areas of study, and the types of opportunities you are looking for. Once you’ve activated your account, you can sign up for upcoming employer events and find opportunities that fit your preferences. You can also view and apply to job postings, sign up for on-campus interviews, and even save your job searches or tag your favorite employers so that new opportunities are emailed to your account. Click here for more details and instructions from the Center for Career Exploration.

Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning

The Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning is a dedicated hub for enhancing teaching practices and fostering innovative learning experiences across the Brown community. It offers a self-paced program to guide participants through the process of writing a teaching statement, a diversity statement, and creating a teaching portfolio.

NCFDD

NCFDD is a nationally recognized, independent organization that provides online career development and mentoring resources for postdoctoral scholars as well as faculty and graduate students. Brown holds an institutional membership with the NCFDD, which allows you to register and claim your membership for free. The NCFDD provides a variety of virtual programs and resources, including recorded webinars such as Navigating the Academic Job Market: Practical Tips and Strategies and Knowing Your Worth: How to Approach Negotiations in Academia.

Individual Development Plan

All postdocs in the Division of Biology and Medicine are required to fill out an Individual Development Plan (IDP). Postdoctoral scholars in other scientific disciplines are encouraged to use this framework to discuss their goals with mentors at Brown.

LinkedIn Learning

All postdocs also have access to additional training modules through LinkedIn Learning. LinkedIn Learning provides thousands of self-paced courses on technology, software, and business topics.

Funding Opportunities

For additional training and funding opportunities, check the THE NEXT LEVEL: Funding Opportunities for Graduate Students & Postdocs maintained by the Division of Research (DOR) and the Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations (CFR), as well as Pivot-RP

Versatile PhD

Versatile PhD is a web-based community that demystifies nonacademic careers and provides peer and professional support for individuals interested in careers beyond the academy. Supported by subscriptions from member institutions, Versatile PhD allows you to network with "Versatile PhDs" in and out of the academy through web chat, career panel discussions, and related events. Learn how others have leveraged their PhD for professional success! Access to Versatile PhD is password-protected for members of the Brown University community.

Flamingo

The National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) has partnered with SciPhD to provide a free, permanent license for all NPA members to their online web application tool – Flamingo™.

Flamingo™ is SciPhD’s web application that guides you in finding jobs, importing those job descriptions, analyzing the job descriptions to identify the critical technical, business, and social skills, relating those skills to your own experiences and accomplishments, and generating a targeted resume for that job. In addition, Flamingo™ has an extensive resources section with crash courses in project management, leadership, communications, interviewing skills, negotiations, and much more.

To get your free license, you should 1) fill out the brief form on the NPA's website, and 2) sign up for one of SciPhD’s free one-hour Flamingo™ orientation and training sessions, which will be provided via Zoom every month. Upon completing the above two steps, postdocs will receive instructions on obtaining their permanent license.

Please note, OUPA supports an institutional sustaining membership to the NPA. All Brown postdocs can register for free individual membership to the NPA. Visit the NPA website, select "Affiliate Individual Member, Postdoc," and sign up with your Brown email address.

CIRTL

Brown University is a member of the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL) Network. To prepare the future faculty, CIRTL aims to influence graduate-through-faculty preparation in teaching and learning at a significant number of research universities. You can see the upcoming CIRTL events here

More details about how to attend CIRTL events is available here. CIRTL courses and workshops, which often have limited seats available, are open for registration on a first-come, first-serve basis; CIRTL members (which includes Brown University postdocs) and alumni receive priority over unaffiliated registrants. CIRTL staff refer to the institution and alumni status listed in your registration to determine your eligibility. Contact registration@cirtl.net with questions about their policy and process.