Event to highlight KU postdoc researchers, STEM careers

LAWRENCE – Outstanding recent doctoral recipients in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields often begin their university career working as a postdoctoral fellows. An event showcasing the research of “postdocs” at the University of Kansas will be Wednesday, April 9, at the Kansas Union. The event is free and open to the public.

This is the second annual Postdoc Research Day and STEM Career Fair at KU. It is sponsored by the KU Postdoctoral Association with support from the KU Office of Research.

The program will begin at 9 a.m. in Alderson Auditorium with brief postdoc research talks. At 10:30 a.m., Paula Stephan, professor of economics in the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University, will speak on “How Economics Shapes Science.” Stephan is the 2012 Science Careers Person of the Year, and her presentation is co-sponsored by the KU Department of Economics.

Postdocs will then have the opportunity to network with industry representatives during a free lunch. Starting at 12:30 p.m., a public research poster session and career fair will take place in the Kansas Union Ballroom. Cash prizes will be awarded at 4 p.m. for the best talk and best poster of the day.

“The event was successful last year and raised awareness of postdocs on campus,” said Fernando Estrada, president of the association. “It’s a great opportunity to highlight the remarkable research being done by postdocs at KU.”

Estrada received a doctorate in molecular biosciences at KU, where he was a prestigious Madison and Lila Self Graduate Fellow. Estrada is currently a postdoc in the Emily Scott Research Group in the Department of Medicinal Chemistry and is funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health.

More information about the Postdoc Research Day and STEM Career Fair at KU is available online.