Thank You for a Great Week!

Thank you to all who were able to participate in the events of National Postdoc Appreciation Week! We hope you enjoyed the opportunities to take a professional headshot, craft a teaching statement, and network with postdoc colleagues from the University of Pittsburgh. Headshots are now available for download: if you have not yet received a link, please let us know!

We hope you continue to have a successful fall semester and thank you again for your engagement!

Photo: Postdocs from CMU and Pitt at the event "150 Years of Postdocs in the United States: A CMU x Pitt Postdoc Celebration"

Postdoc Talk Competition

Georgia Tech's Student Polymer Network (SPN) is excited to announce its 6th Annual Postdoc Talk Competition in Polymer Research! Postdoctoral researchers in polymer science interested in faculty positions are encouraged to apply for the opportunity to give a 30-minute virtual presentation of their research on November 13 and network with SPN members and faculty at Georgia Tech.

Interested? Find out more information in the application here! The deadline has been extended to Thursday, October 15, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. EST.

NPA's 2026 Postdoc Needs Assessment Survey

This annual survey helps the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) understand postdoc needs and set programming for the next year. Aggregated results in past years have also educated broad audiences about postdoc issues through media pickup. If you’re a postdoc, please consider completing the survey by Friday, October 23. You can access the survey here.

Academic Hiring Resources from Science Careers

Science Careers, from the journal Science, offers a variety of resources to support professional development.

By creating a free Science Careers account, you can:

• Receive the exclusive career newsletter: Access job opportunities and career insights
• Boost your job search: Save jobs and track your applications
• Get job alerts straight to your inbox: Be among the first to apply
• Upload your resume: Help employers match you to their jobs

National Postdoctoral Association Career Center

The National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) Career Center connects grad students, doctoral candidates, postdoctoral scholars, research fellows, and advanced research professionals with meaningful opportunities at academic institutions, research organizations, government agencies, nonprofits, healthcare systems, and industry research teams. Best of all, joining our career center is completely free! All CMU postdocs have access to NPA resources. Download the NPA Career Center's Job Seeker Manual here.

Job seekers will find many benefits within the NPA's Career Center, including:

• Create job alerts
• Receive a free resume review
• Partner with a career coach
• Explore community connections
• Use AI-powered insights to quickly evaluate job postings and better understand how well they match your experience, qualifications, and career goals

Individual Development Plans (IDPs)

Individual Development Plans (IDPs) are meant to promote professional and personal growth by formally documenting goals and facilitating dialogue, collaboration, and accountability between advisors and advisees. 

You can find resources and support for completing an IDP within CMU and beyond:



CMU Resources

Carnegie Mellon has created IDP templates for postdocs and advisors. The IDP templates are available here.

Additional Resources

For additional support in creating an IDP, you can explore myIDP, a free IDP tool designed to help graduate students and postdocs in the sciences define and pursue their career goals.

Postdoc Distribution List

The CMU Special Faculty/Postdoc Distribution List is a moderated list open to all postdocs and special faculty at CMU. Request to join with your Andrew email address. Postdocs are not automatically subscribed to this list, so please click the link!

Future Faculty Program

The Future Faculty Program (FFP) provides postdocs with a way to engage with the full range of services at The Eberly Center for Teaching Excellence & Educational Innovation and to document their professional development with teaching. You will have the opportunity to get direct feedback on your teaching (this can be a guest lecture, if you don't have a teaching appointment), attend seminars, and get feedback on a teaching statement as well as a syllabus for a hypothetical or real course.

You do not have to be enrolled in the FFP program to take advantage of these services, but it can be helpful to have this on your CV when applying to faculty jobs (and is a good way to get to know our services!). Learn more about FFP here!

The Future Faculty Program has a rolling enrollment process, and you can join at any time by emailing eberly-assist@andrew.cmu.edu.

National Postdoctoral Association

The National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) seeks to improve the postdoctoral experience by supporting a culture of inclusive connection. At the individual, organizational, and national levels, the NPA facilitates enhanced professional growth, raises awareness, and collaborates with stakeholders in the postdoctoral community. As noted above, the NPA also hosts a variety of programming for National Postdoc Appreciation Week.

Carnegie Mellon has an institutional membership with the NPA, which gives all CMU postdocs free access to NPA resources, including guides, webinars, and trainings. We encourage you to sign into the NPA website with your Andrew ID and take advantage of these opportunities!

NCFDD

NCFDD is a leading provider of professional development in higher education. CMU has an institutional membership, so be sure to take advantage of this resource if you haven't already! To do so, go here and select Carnegie Mellon University from the list of members. Then, select “Activate My Membership” and complete the registration form using your CMU email address. Finally, a confirmation email will include an “Activate Account” link. Please note that the myriad resources available through this organization are not limited to professional development opportunities for faculty or future faculty. This resource is available to all postdocs, not just faculty or future faculty.

Two offerings to explore:

The Core Curriculum: This series offers 10 key skills and provides the opportunity to complete them at your own pace. The skills include “Every Semester Needs a Plan” and “The Art of Saying ‘No.’”

The NCFDD Mentor Map: Skill #7 of The Core Curriculum, “Cultivating Your Network of Mentors & Sponsors,” offers a webinar that fully introduces this tool. You can access a visual representation of the Mentor Map here.

Academic Impressions

Academic Impressions is a resource dedicated to professional development in higher education. As their website states, their goal is to "develop leaders, strengthen teams, and drive lasting institutional success."

All Carnegie Mellon postdocs have access to Academic Impressions with an Andrew ID. If you'd like to start exploring the live and on-demand trainings offered by Academic Impressions, consider the Developing Leadership Skills in Your Early Career series, which includes on-demand trainings in areas such as:

Creating a Personal Leadership Philosophy

Advocating for Yourself and Managing Up

Time Management and Flexibility

You can search the entire library of available trainings here.



Tal Daniel

Postdoctoral Fellow, Robotics Institute

Click here to read the full Spotlight!

Have questions or news to share? Contact the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs at graded@andrew.cmu.edu.