Ongoing Activities and Event Series
![Postdoc Events](http://www.vanderbilt.edu/postdoc/wp-content/uploads/sites/332/2024/01/PXL_20230119_232028955.MP_-768x576-1.jpg)
Selected Recordings of Past Events
![2022 Postdoc Appreciation Picnic and Fannie Mae Dees Park.](http://www.vanderbilt.edu/postdoc/wp-content/uploads/sites/332/2024/01/PXL_20220920_223251932-768x576-1-e1700169405526.jpg)
National Postdoc Appreciation Week (NPAW)
Since 2009, the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) has sponsored National Postdoc Appreciation Week to recognize the significant contributions that postdocs make to research and discovery. Each year, the OPA curates several events in appreciation of our postdoc community that we hope you will enjoy. This is just one of the many ways we say thanks to our postdocs for their service and vital contributions to Vanderbilt.
We will celebrate National Postdoc Appreciation Week September 16-20, 2024.
Complimentary Postdoc Headshots
Monday, September 16 | 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. | Location: TBD
Photographer Mackenzie LaRoe will be shooting complimentary headshots for the postdoc community. Make an appointment for a new or updated headshot. Registration details to reserve your preferred time slot are forthcoming.
Annual Postdoc Family Picnic
Monday, September 16 | 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. | Fannie Mae Dees Park
Postdocs and their families are invited to a picnic at Fannie Mae Dees Park (also known as the "dragon park"). We look forward to a family-friendly event and seeing you in person! Please RSVP here so we have an accurate count for food; please note any food allergies/restrictions.
Complimentary Postdoc Headshots
Tuesday, September 17 | 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. | Location: TBD
Photographer Mackenzie LaRoe will be shooting complimentary headshots for the postdoc community. Make an appointment for a new or updated headshot. Registration details to reserve your preferred time slot are forthcoming.
Postdoc Coffee & Catered Breakfast
Wednesday, September 18 | 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. | Alumni Hall Lounge (100)
We will be hosting a coffee and catered breakfast in the Graduate Student & Postdoc Lounge of Alumni Hall on Wednesday morning to celebrate all of our new and current postdocs across VU and VUMC. Stop by anytime between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. to enjoy some hot coffee and a complimentary catered breakfast before you get your day started. Space is limited, so RSVPs are required.
VPA 'Speak Easy' Talk Series
Thursday, September 19 | 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. | Alumni Hall Lounge (100)
All postdocs are invited to the Vanderbilt Postdoctoral Association’s (VPA) scientific talk series, the ‘SpeakEasy’! Fellow postdocs will give a 10-minute peer presentation on their research in a fun and more casual setting to help hone those communication and presentation skills. Appetizers and cocktails will be provided. Please RSVP so that we can have an accurate head count for the event if you plan on attending, and if you are interested in sharing your own scientific story, please contact the VPA at postdoc@vanderbilt.edu.
Group Hike at Edwin Warner Park
Friday, September 20 | 3:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. | Edwin Warner Park
Help us wrap up National Postdoc Appreciation Week by meeting at the Warner Park Nature Center for an easy loop trail with your fellow postdocs. Please note that no dogs are allowed, so leave your furry friends at home! For those who do not have their own transportation, we will be coordinating a carpool to the trailhead from campus and back. More details for those interested in participating in the carpool will be forthcoming. RSVPs are required, regardless if you plan on utilizing the carpool.