MinorityPostdoc.org is the premier web portal on the minority postdoctoral experience especially in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) disciplines. We feature articles, resources, & events about career advice, professional development, jobs, funding, fellowships, mentoring, and diversity issues. Unless indicated otherwise, all website content is authored by the Editor.
MinorityPostdoc.org is published by the non-profit, DiverseScholar, a project of the fiscal sponsor Community Partners. Our sponsors and partners are listed below. DiverseScholar offers a number of services to diversify the doctoral workforce:
- The Job listings page has many postdoctoral and professional job/opportunity advertisements for all employment sectors: academia, industry, government, non-profit, etc. Potential clients can read our advertisement rate information.
- We accept Institutional Subscriptions for access to our unique Doctoral Directory of diverse doctoral job candidates. This opt-in Directory is derived from individuals in our email contact list who have responded to our internal demographics/career survey. Check out our Postdoc Spotlight feature (below left) of prospective candidates for open positions.
- We maintain an opt-out, internal contact list of over 1,100 diverse postdocs. Client advertisement info is included in our monthly email announcements to this contact list.
- The MinorityPostdoc.org Resources list publicizes for free many opportunities to help doctoral graduate students transition to the postdoctoral stage and both grads/postdocs transition to their first professional position in academia, industry, and other careers.
- We organize or participate in many diversity-related Events including our new Postdoctoral Conference. Learn about the 2017 conference from the social media and recap article. Our professional development sessions educate and mentor doctoral trainees. Our policy and advocacy activities connect institutional diversity stakeholders to the difficult-to-find minority postdoctoral population. Slideshows from some of our past activities are archived on the Presentations page.
- We publish original written works under the brand DiverseScholar. Please submit article ideas by email.
Contact
Those interested in diversity postdoctoral issues are encouraged to contact us. Questions regarding any topics including advertising and publishing on this website should be directed to: .
Mission
To promote the recruitment, mentoring, and success of minority postdocs thereby catalyzing the diversification of the doctoral workforce.
Minority Postdoc Summit overview
Our inaugural event was the 2004 Minority Postdoc Summit. Postdoctoral research is a critical step in a scientific career. However this stage is often poorly defined resulting in a vulnerable part of a scientist's career development. Can current diversity postdoctoral fellowships serve as a model for enhancing the training for all postdocs? The 2004 Minority Postdoc Summit provided a forum for postdocs, funding organizations, professional societies, academic institutions, corporations, and other stakeholders to discuss issues, solutions, and outcomes concerning the postdoctoral experience. The long-term goal is to improve the recruitment, mentoring, and success of minority postdocs thereby facilitating the diversification of the scientific workforce. The short-term objective of the Summit was to network and brainstorm among participants to create annual career development opportunities for minority postdocs. The summary of the Diversity breakout session at the 2004 COSEPUP convocation served as talking points for the Summit. Read about the event.
Meet Current MinorityPostdoc.org Team Members
(incomplete list)
Alberto I. Roca, Ph.D. Founder & Editor, MinorityPostdoc.org & DiverseScholar.org;
Executive Director, DiverseScholar, a project of Community Partners.
Dr. Roca was a Project Scientist in the Biochemistry Department at the University of California, Irvine where he was formerly a UC President's Postdoctoral Fellow. His research involves using biophysical and bioinformatic approaches to understand the molecular mechanism of recombinational DNA repair. Dr. Roca is a first-generation Peruvian-American born in Houston, Texas. He received his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has received FASEB/MARC travel awards to present his work at the annual meetings of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, the International Society for Computational Biology (ISCB/ISMB), and the Biophysical Society. At the 2010 ISMB conference, his work received second place in the inaugural Killer App Award competition. The award recognized a novel bioinformatic method for visualizing large multiple sequence alignments.
Dr. Roca received an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation grant that allowed him to organize postdoctoral activities at the SACNAS conference (including the Minority Postdoc Summit) and to create the web portal MinorityPostdoc.org. He founded the SACNAS Postdoc Committee (2005), served on the 2008 SACNAS Program Committee, and co-founded the Diversity Committee of the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA; 2003). Dr. Roca has co-chaired many postdoc-related activities at the SACNAS conferences from 2003 to present. He has been an invited speaker on minority postdoctoral issues at the following conferences: the Compact for Faculty Diversity's annual Institute on Teaching and Mentoring; the Howard University/UTEP Institute on Preparing for Postdoctoral Experiences in STEM; and the COSEPUP Second Convocation on Enhancing the Postdoctoral Experience. In recognition of his achievements, Dr. Roca has received the UC-Irvine Chancellor's Living Our Values Award, the SACNAS Distinguished Service to the Society Award, and was a semi-finalist for the Echoing Green Fellowship in 2013, 2014, and 2015. Dr. Roca has volunteered as a FASEB/MARC Peer Mentor and as an Advisor for the NPA and the Understanding Interventions Conference. Since 2010, Dr. Roca has been working full-time helping graduate students transition to postdoc training and helping grads/postdocs transition to professional positions. He accomplishes these activities by working with trainees directly as well as with institutional diversity stakeholders. Finally, Dr. Roca has been writing and editing/publishing original articles under the DiverseScholar brand.
Edward Krug, Ph.D., Volunteer Advisor and past Project Director, NSF grant
Dr. Krug is both an educator and basic science researcher using emerging analytical technologies to study early heart development and the administrator overseeing postdoctoral policies at Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). He is an Associate Professor in the Department of Regenerative Medicine and Cell Biology at the Medical University of South Carolina, where he also serves as Associate Dean for Postdoctoral Affairs. Originally from Indiana, Dr. Krug is proud of the Cherokee spirit that he inherited from his great grandmother. Dr. Krug received his doctorate in biochemistry from Purdue University, with postdoctoral training in cell and developmental biology at both Texas Tech University and the Medical College of Wisconsin. Dr. Krug is in charge of all training in the Responsible Conduct of Research for summer undergraduates and health professionals, graduate students, and postdocs at MUSC. He leads two postdoctoral career development programs designed to provide undergraduates at HBCU/MSI institutions direct interaction with mid-stage researchers. The IRACDA program (funded by the MORE Division of NIGMS) is a specific collaborative effort between MUSC and Claflin University, but the PACD program is open to postdocs at any of the three research-intensive institutions in South Carolina matching scholars to any of 5 undergraduate HBCU/MSI campuses. Both programs combine a traditional postdoctoral research experience with the development of pedagogical and time management skills through teaching assignments at a minority-serving institution. Dr. Krug has led numerous career development sessions at MUSC, teaches a grant writing course to graduate students and postdocs, and has presented various best practices talks and posters at conferences such at SACNAS and the National Postdoctoral Association. In 2010, Dr. Krug was Project Director on a grant from the National Science Foundation that supports activities organized by the volunteers listed on this page. Dr. Krug has been a presenter at multiple DiverseScholar sessions such as at professional development activities at SACNAS.
Emil T. Chuck, Ph.D., Volunteer Advisor
Dr. Chuck is Director of Admissions of the School of Dental Medicine at Case Western Reserve University. Previously, he was the Health Professions Advisor and Term Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Biology at George Mason University. An active member of the National Association of Advisors in the Health Professions, Dr. Chuck oversees and advises over 350 undergraduate students, post-baccalaureates, and alumni who intend to pursue careers in health professional careers. Dr. Chuck is originally from Shreveport, Louisiana, and is of Chinese descent. He received his bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering at Duke University and his doctoral degree in cell biology from Case Western Reserve University. In his postdoctoral training at Metrohealth Medical Center, Duke University Medical Center, and Mt. Sinai Medical Center, he has been interested in the maintenance of electrical function in the heart during embryonic development and in heart failure models. More recently, Dr. Chuck has been working as an advocate in scientific education and workforce development and is a frequent presenter at regional and national conferences focusing on graduate and professional training. He founded postdoctoral researchers' organizations at Case Western Reserve University and Duke, and has been an active participant with the Science Careers Forum (advisor from 2008-2010). In 2007, Dr. Chuck was co-chair of the Diversity Committee of the National Postdoctoral Association and served on the Postdoctoral Core Competencies working group. Dr. Chuck organized the career development panel "Tell Me About Yourself: The One Minute Biosketch" at the SACNAS national conference.
Sibby Anderson-Thompkins, Ph.D., Volunteer Advisor
Dr. Thompkins serves as Special Assistant to the Vice Chancellor for Research and as Director of Postdoctoral Affairs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She brings more than fifteen years experience in academic advising and student affairs administration. Her expertise is in serving and supporting the success of women, internationals, and underrepresented minority undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral scholars. Previously, Dr. Thompkins served as Assistant Dean of Students and Assistant Dean in the Office of Student Academic Counseling at UNC. In addition, she served as an associate dean of student affairs at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. Prior to her return to UNC, she served as a clinical faculty member in education and as the Assistant Dean of the College at Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia. Dr. Thompkins is a third generation college-educated African-American raised in North Carolina, with a long family legacy of Black educators. Presently, Dr. Thompkins serves on UNC's Provost Council on Diversity Pipeline Programs and the Provost Committee on LGBTQ Life. On the national level, she has been an active member of the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) serving on the Diversity Committee, the NPA's first Diversity Officer, and the Advisory Group for the NPA ADVANCE Project: From Postdoc to Faculty: Transition Issues for Women Scientists. Dr. Thompkins has been a presenter at multiple DiverseScholar sessions such as professional development activities at SACNAS and postdoctoral advocacy talks at the NPA.
Cynthia-Lou Coleman, Ph.D., Volunteer Advisor
Dr. Coleman is a Professor of Communication at Portland State University in Oregon. Her research is on how science is communicated in mass media channels and with a special interest in how issues that engage indigenous peoples reveal social values. Coleman's research examines native perspectives and mainstream scientific discourse that unfold in such controversies as the unearthing of Kennewick Man, fishing rights in the U.S. Pacific Northwest, and mine construction on Indian lands. She has held fellowships at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and serves as an associate editor for the journal Science Communication. Coleman teaches theory and research methods and is currently chair of the Department of Communication. She is an enrolled member of the Osage (Wah-sha-she) Tribe. Dr. Coleman spoke on the panel "Broadening the Participation of Underrepresented Populations in Online Science Communication & Communities" at the ScienceOnline2012 conference as well as on "Blogging and Twitter Fundamentals: Promoting Your Science Online" at the SACNAS 2012 conference. In 2014 & 2015, Dr. Coleman served as a reviewer for the DiverseScholar Science Communication (SciComm) Diversity travel fellowship.
Sheri Dunn Berry, Liaison to Community Partners
Ms. Dunn Berry is the Director of Programs at Community Partners, where she oversees the organization's fiscal sponsorship program, grantmaker partnerships, and strategic consulting with nonprofits and civic institutions. Prior to joining Community Partners, for five years Ms. Berry served as the Executive Director of the Los Angeles United Methodist Urban Foundation, which provides training and small grants to leaders of faith-based organizations working to improve urban communities throughout greater Los Angeles. Ms. Sheri also served as the Executive Director of the National Community Building Network, a national peer-to-peer learning organization whose members worked to improve economic conditions and solve community problems in low-income neighborhoods across the country. She has held research and policy positions at organizations throughout California and Washington, DC, including the Urban Strategies Council, Children Now and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Ms. Berry received her undergraduate degree in Public Affairs from the University of California, Berkeley and holds a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Southern California. Ms. Dunn Berry is the liaison between DiverseScholar/MinorityPostdoc and the fiscal sponsor, Community Partners.
Sebastian Lopez, Coordinator
Mr. Lopez graduated from Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff in 2016 with a bachelor's degree in English literature with an Arabic language minor. Mr. Lopez is deeply interested in the literary and philosophical traditions of Europe, East Asia, and the Middle East. During his undergraduate career, Mr. Lopez worked as an Arabic teaching assistant for the Department of Global Languages and Cultures. In an attempt to reach across departmental lines, Mr. Lopez also worked at Northern Arizona's School of Hotel and Restaurant Management Writing Center. There he enjoyed assisting students develop their technical writing capacities. After gradating, Mr. Lopez worked for the Pomona School District as an Advancement Via Independent Determination (AVID) Tutor at Simon's Middle school in Pomona, California. From 2016-2018, in collaboration with AVID coordinators and teachers, Mr. Lopez facilitated small group tutorials in an effort to promote autonomous learning, questioning, and critical thinking skills among the students. In these largely student-led environments, AVID facilitators were encouraged to take a backseat in the tutoring process and allow the students to question, discuss, and reach conclusions concerning their course material. Mr. Lopez is a native Southern Californian and a second generation Mexican-American. He is working to enroll in a graduate program in Comparative Literature where he hopes to continue his studies in literature and philosophy. Mr. Lopez's first DiverseScholar project was updating the 2018 Diversity Calendar page.
Partners
DiverseScholar is a our non-profit whose fiscal sponsor is Community Partners. DiverseScholar publishes both DiverseScholar articles/media and the online web portal MinorityPostdoc.org.
Sponsors and Grant Partners
National Research Mentoring Network (NRMN): Univ of Wisconsin-Madison site (2015-2016)
Garnett-Powers (2006, 2013-2015)
National Association of Science Writers (2014 & 2015)
Certain activities were funded in full/in part by a grant from the National Association of Science Writers. Reference to any specific commercial product, process, or service does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement of or recommendation by the National Association of Science Writers, and any views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the National Association of Science Writers.
National Science Foundation (2010-2011)
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed on this website are those of the authors/speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of NSF.
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation (2003-2006)
Burroughs Wellcome Fund (2004)
Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology Office of Public Affairs (2004)
Credits
Website design: Rain Michaels
Flyer design (2004): Jen Frazer
Logo design: John Mezzasalma
Periodical & flyer (2011) design: Suzanne Hunter
Image Credits: Unless indicated otherwise, photos are by the Editor. Images, small graphics, and icons are from the following:
- Daniel DeWitt Brown: Diversity in Science Blog Carnival logo
- Ender Design: new, updated, pointing hand icons
- SurveyMonkey: survey icon
- Wikimedia: rainbow flag, mortarboard, disability icons
- Creative Commons Images: open source highway sign