Postdoctoral Affairs

About

The Office of University Postdoctoral Affairs (OUPA) is here to support Brown postdoctoral scholars in their training and professional growth, as they prepare for independent careers in academia, industry, and beyond.

OUPA works together with the appointing departments, other Brown offices, and the Brown Postdoc Council to achieve this mission.

Our Priorities

  • Building postdoc community and identity 
  • Communication, marketing, and recruitment
  • Guiding postdoc policies and procedures
  • Career and professional development activities and guidance
  • Coordination across university units
  • Advising on postdoc data collection
  • Convening university stakeholders to address concerns and new opportunities
  • Supporting the pursuit of external funding opportunities (individual and programmatic)
  • Adopting and influencing national best practices

Please note that while the OUPA does not oversee Brown’s postdoctoral affiliates employed at our partner hospitals, we encourage their engagement in our office's community-building and professional activities.

Meet the OUPA Director

Postdocs can sign up here for office hours with the OUPA director every Tuesday from 10:00 AM to noon.

  • Audra Van Wart

    Audra Van Wart

    Associate Dean of Training, Education, and Professional Development and Director of Postdoctoral Affairs

    Dr. Van Wart is Associate Dean for Training and Program Development in the Division of Biology and Medicine at Brown University, and Director of Brown’s Office of University Postdoctoral Affairs. In her role she oversees a variety of training initiatives for graduate students, postdocs, and junior faculty. Prior to joining Brown University, she served as Assistant Vice President for Health Sciences Education at Virginia Tech, where she co-developed and co-directed the Ph.D. program in Translational Biology, Medicine and Health, and was PI on an NIH-funded BEST professional development program grant. She has served on the Steering Committee and PhD Outreach Committee for the AAMC Graduate Research, Education, and Training (GREAT) Group, and has spoken widely about PhD training and careers, including at ABRCMS, SACNAS, and webinars for NRMN and ASBMB. Dr. Van Wart completed her postdoctoral training at MIT and earned her Ph.D. from SUNY at Stony Brook.

Meet the OUPA Program Manager

Postdocs can sign up here for office hours with the OUPA program manager every Wednesday from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM.

  • Victoria Williams

    Victoria Williams

    Program Manager

    Victoria Williams earned a Master of Science in Higher Education Administration and Policy from the School of Education and Social Policy (SESP) at Northwestern University. Previously, she worked in The Graduate School, the McCormick School of Engineering, and SESP at Northwestern University. 

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