Greetings!

Spring is here! In addition to the warmer weather, we have lots to celebrate in the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, including the winners of the 2026 Postdoc Spotlight competition and the upcoming inauguration of President Andrea Goldsmith, featuring opportunities for postdocs to get involved.

As always, please email us at postdocs@stonybrook.edu if you have any questions.

Congratulations to the 2026 Postdoc Spotlight Winners!

These postdocs distilled their research findings into 3-minute talks, effectively communicating the impact of their work to a general audience and earning the highest scores among the judging panel.

First Place: Myeongjin Bae, Neurology, "Why Balance Gets Harder with Age: What the Brain Tells Us"

Third Place: Anwesha Sil, Radiology, "A Smarter Way to Deliver Cancer Treatment"

Second Place: Anthony Bogetti, Laufer Center, "The Tiny Things That Do Everything Inside You"

People's Choice: Shafeeque Mohammedali, Neurology, "Why Some People Age Faster: The Gene–Metabolism Connection"

LEARN MORE

Upcoming Workshops

[New Workshop!] Guiding Difficult Conversations

📆 Friday, April 3, 2026 | 9:30 am to 3:30 pm | Wang Center 301

Participants will leave equipped with the tools needed to have difficult conversations that are productive and safe, contributing to positive outcomes. | Register Now

From Uncertainty to Clarity: Mindfulness for Career Decision-Making

📆 Monday, April 27, 2026 | 12 to 1 PM (Virtual via Zoom)

In a career landscape that feels increasingly uncertain, the pressure to plan your next move can lead to paralysis and burnout. From Uncertainty to Clarity: Mindfulness for Career Decision-Making is a workshop designed to help you navigate career transitions with intention and resilience. Instead of reacting to external pressures, you will learn to quiet the mental noise and tap into a deeper sense of personal and professional alignment. This session provides practical tools to cultivate wisdom in times of change and transform anxiety into strategic action. You’ll leave with a flexible framework for making high-stakes decisions that honor both your ambitions and your well-being.| Register Now

Stony Brook Events & Opportunities

Faculty Job Market 101

April 18 | 12:30 to 1:30 PM | Virtual

This foundational session in the Faculty Career Path series of workshops will cover strategies for securing a tenure-track faculty position. Register Now

Non-Faculty Career Series

The Center for Inclusive Education is hosting a Non-Faculty Career Series of workshops and panels to help you leverage your research experiences for positions outside academia. From resume preparation to self-care strategies, this series will equip you to tackle the job search with confidence. Please register for these upcoming workshops.

Federally Funded Research and Development Centers Panel | April 16 | 12 to 1:30 PM | Zoom
CIE Alumni Panel | April 30 | 12 to 1:30 PM | Zoom
Self Care During the Job Search | June 3 | 12:30 to 2 PM | In Person

Presidential Inauguration Panels

As part of the Presidential Inauguration celebrations, Stony Brook will host a series of Presidential Panel Discussions on Wednesday, April 15 in the SAC Auditorium. The panels will explore themes of engineering, leadership, innovation, and entrepreneurship, and postdocs are warmly welcomed to attend.

The panels include:

Women in Engineering | 9 to 10:30 AM
Women in Leadership | 11 AM to 12:15 PM
Innovation and Entrepreneurship | 3 to 4 PM

External Events & Opportunities

PhRMA Foundation Translational Medicine Postdoctoral Fellowship

The PhRMA Foundation Translational Medicine Postdoctoral Fellowship supports promising postdoctoral investigators pursuing research that bridges basic science discoveries with clinical applications to improve patient care. The program is designed to help early-career researchers develop advanced skills and build independent research careers in areas that accelerate the translation of biomedical discoveries into new therapies or health interventions.

Key Details

Funder: PhRMA Foundation
Program: Translational Medicine Postdoctoral Fellowship
Award Amount: $60,000 per year for up to 2 years (stipend support only; up to $120,000 total)
Letter of Intent Deadline: April 15, 2026
Full proposal by invitation

Program Focus

The fellowship supports multidisciplinary research training in translational medicine, particularly projects that move discoveries from laboratory research toward clinical application and improved patient outcomes.

Eligibility

Applicants must:

Hold a PhD, MD, PharmD, or equivalent terminal research doctorate before the fellowship begins.
Be conducting postdoctoral research at an accredited U.S. university.
Be within their first five years of postdoctoral training at the time of award activation.
Have a committed faculty research mentor/sponsor.

Preference is generally given to candidates who are conducting postdoctoral research in a laboratory different from where they completed their graduate training, allowing them to acquire new skills and perspectives.

Interested postdocs can reach out to Jason Phillips, Director of Foundation Relations at Stony Brook (jason.phillips.1@stonybrook.edu).