Monday, September 22, 2025. HF DeLuca Forum, Discovery Building.
Organized in honor of 2025 National Postdoc Appreciation Week, the 10th Annual Symposium offers opportunities for community building among postdocs, robust professional development activities, and recognition of the critical role postdocs perform in UW–Madison research. Registration is free and open to all.
Registration for this event closed on Friday, September 12, 2025
Symposium Schedule
8.30 AM Registration & Check-in opens
9.00 AM Welcome & Opening Remarks
9.30 AM Keynote Talk
10.30 AM Break
10.45 AM Panel Discussion
12.15 PM Lunch & Resource Fair
1.15 PM Blitz Talk Competition
2.45 PM Poster Session, Art Exhibit
2.45 PM Professional Headshots
4.00 PM Reception
4.30 PM Cultural Session
5.30 PM Symposium ends
2:45 PM Professional Headshots (postdocs only)
- Headshot registration available with Joe Swain at symposium check-in
- Four time slots available (20 people max per time slot): 2:45pm, 3:10pm, 3:35pm, 4:00pm
- Please arrive 5 minutes earlier than your time slot
9:30 AM Keynote Talk
How to say no (and when to say yes): defining your academic identity beyond the publish or perish binary
Marissa Kawehi Loving, PhD, Assistant Professor of Mathematics, University of Wisconsin-Madison
In this talk, we will discuss some strategies for identifying and growing areas of impact in your professional role beyond research, publishing, and teaching . We will then discuss how to use your developing sense of professional identity to decide what opportunities to say yes to and, more importantly, when to say no.
10:45 AM Panel Discussion: Current State of Research Funding
As federal priorities and policies evolve, the landscape of research funding is shifting in ways that directly affect early-career scientists. This panel will explore recent changes at the federal level, their impact on research opportunities and grant administration, and what they mean for your career. Join experts and fellow postdocs from across UW-Madison to gain insights, ask questions, and better understand how to navigate the future of federally supported research.
Panelists:
- Amy Kind, MD, PhD, Professor of Geriatrics and Gerontology and Associate Dean for Social Health Sciences and Programs, School of Medicine and Public Health
- Brady Krien, PhD, Associate Director for Career Development, Office of Postdoctoral Affairs
- Alyssa Leystra, PhD, Associate Director for Skills Development, Office of Postdoctoral Affairs
- Kurt McMillen, MBA, Interim Associate Vice Chancellor for Research Administration, and Director, Research and Sponsored Programs
- Gloria Mari-Beffa, PhD, Professor of Mathematics and Associate Dean for Research, College of Letters and Science
- Srinu Sonti, JD, Principal, Lewis-Burke and Associates (government relations firm)
Moderator: Roberta Dollinger, PhD, Research Associate, Department of Cell & Regenerative Biology
2025 Postdoc Symposium Committee
- Andrea Killian Wegrzynowicz (Co-chair), Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, SMPH
- Akash Mamon Sarkar (Co-chair), Department of Chemistry, L&S
- Madeleine Connolly, Department of Kinesiology, SoE
- Roberta Dollinger, Department of Cell and Regenerative Biology, SMPH
- Aditi Gargeshwari, Waisman Center, OVCR
- Meher Gayatri Bolisetti, Department of Oncology, SMPH
- Deling He, Department of Communication Science & Disorders, L&S
- Connor Henley, Department of Computer Sciences, L&S
- Freya Joessel, Department of Psychology, L&S
- Zebin Li, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, CoE
- Kavita Mitkari, Space Science and Engineering Center, OVCR
- Colette Nickodem, Department of Pathobiological Sciences, SVM
- Santiago Perea, Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, CALS
- Mandar Ravindra Bhutkar, Department of Biochemistry, CALS
- Sam Salemink-Harry, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, CoE
- Joe Swain, Department of Chemistry, L&S
- Shalini Yerukala, Department of Plant Pathology, CALS
- Brittanni N. Wright, Department of Population Health Sciences, SMPH
- Imogen Hurley (Committee Advisor), Office of Postdoctoral Affairs
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Sponsors : UW–Madison Departments
Sponsor : Morgridge Institute for Research
The Morgridge Institute for Research is a biomedical research institute working toward a fundamental understanding of biology to drive the next advances in human health.
The mission of the institute is to improve human health through innovative, interdisciplinary biomedical discoveries, spark scientific curiosity and serve society through translational outcomes, in partnership with the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Sponsor : WARF
Shepherding the cycle of research, discovery, commercialization and investment at UW-Madison. The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) was created by University of Wisconsin visionaries to enable the university’s research to solve the world’s problems. As the designated patenting and licensing organization, they’ve helped advance transformative discoveries to market for the past century.
Sponsor : Proteintech
