POSTDOCTORAL AFFAIRS

By skill category:

• Career Preparation
• Communication
• Leadership
• Research Skills
• Teaching
• Well-being

By disciplines:

• Humanities & Social Sciences
• STEM & Medicine

By location:

• Evanston
• Chicago
• Online

Research Computing Services offers workshops on programming, data analysis, and other technical skills for Northwestern researchers. All members of the Northwestern research community are welcome. There is no cost to attend most sessions, but advance registration is required.

Sponsoring Unit: Visit Research Computing Services for details.

STEM and SBE (social, behavioral sciences and economics) graduate students and postdocs are invited to observe faculty teaching undergraduate or early graduate courses and meet with faculty to discuss their perspectives and methods. Participants also engage in group discussions on selected readings that address key topics in teaching. The time commitment is limited to facilitate participation. The program is completed in one quarter. It is intended to be a first step in learning about teaching,but has also been valuable for students who have completed the Teaching Certificate Program.

Sponsoring Unit: Visit CIRTL at Northwestern and the Searle Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching for details.

Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows who complete CIRTL programs can receive four ascending levels of certification to demonstrate their mastery of the core ideas central to CIRTL: learning communities, learning through diversity, and teaching as research.

Sponsoring Unit: Visit CIRTL at Northwestern and the Searle Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching for details.

The Fellowship in Leadership allows participants to develop their capacity for leadership and delve into questions about leadership, teamwork, and fellowship that interest them and their peers. Fellows work collaboratively with program faculty and staff in an environment that fosters deep learning through inquiry and real-world problem solving. The Fellowship is open to full-time PhD students, post-docs, law students, medical students, and selected high-potential staff. To be eligible, students and post-docs must participate in the Leadership Coaching program prior to January of your application year.

Sponsoring Unit: Visit Center for Leadership for details.

This executive education-style workshop course teaches and enhances skills associated with effective grant opportunity identification, preparation, writing, and submission to researchers engaged in research. Postdoctoral trainees may use the Employee Reduced Tuition Benefit to offset the cost of the course.

Sponsoring Unit: Visit School of Professional Studies for details.

English Language Programs' group language classes are offered through the Department of Linguistics for eligible graduate students and postdocs. Courses are designed for students at intermediate and advanced levels of English proficiency. These courses are only available to graduate students and postdocs in The Graduate School.

Sponsoring Unit: Visit English Language Programs and The Graduate School for details.

The INVO Practicum is an unpaid 6-month internship program open to Northwestern graduate students and postdoctoral trainees who are interested in learning about the university technology transfer process. The interns are exposed to vast areas of innovation and gain hands-on experience in evaluating technologies for patentability, marketability and commercialization readiness. This program requires attendance at training sessions and a commitment of 10 hours per week over a six-month period.

Sponsoring Unit: Visit Innovation and New Ventures for details.

“Navigating the Research Enterprise” is an annual seminar series for early-career faculty and postdoctoral fellows at Northwestern University who have protected research time. It’s designed to provide them with the support they need to focus on developing the key skills young scientists require in order to progress beyond just doing good research. Attendees will be introduced to issues such as finding sources for research funds, writing effective grants and building a network of professional colleagues. 

Sponsoring Unit: Visit Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute for details.

This group welcomes members of the Northwestern University community using, or interested in using, the R statistical computing environment. Monthly meetings in Evanston feature group members presenting on different R features, packages, analysis projects, mini-workshops and group problem-solving.

All experience levels are welcome, but please note that the group does not teach members how to use R. Those looking to learn R or improve their skills can utilize services offered through Research Computing, especially DataCamp online.

Sponsoring Unit: Visit Northwestern R User Group for details.

NUCATS offers services and resources to support you while you write and submit grants, including boilerplate language that can be included in proposals and, coming soon, a repository of funded training, career and research grant applications.

Sponsoring Unit: Visit Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute for details.

The STAR program provides graduate students and postdoctoral trainees with an opportunity to engage in evidence-based classroom research within the context of a supportive community of practitioners. The STAR program is open to graduate students and postdoctoral fellows who are current or past participants of ONE of the following programs: the Teaching Certificate Program, Mentored Discussions of Teaching, the MOOC-Centered Learning Community, or an equivalent program at another institution.

Sponsoring Unit: Visit CIRTL at Northwestern and the Searle Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching for details.

“Succeeding with Your K Award” is a highly interactive and mutually supportive peer-mentoring seminar series. It is designed for early-career faculty or post-doctoral fellows who are supported on National Institutes of Health K awards and meant to help them develop the ability to look at their own work and that of others in a critical but supportive manner. 

Sponsoring Unit: Visit Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute for details.

The Teaching Certificate Program (TCP) offers graduate students and postdoctoral fellows a year-long sequence of seminars, special-topic workshops, and peer and faculty mentoring focused on improving student learning in their disciplines.

Sponsoring Unit: Visit Searle Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching for details.

40 Days is an annual series of programs and opportunities designed to create an intentional time and space to renew, reflect, and become more aware of one's self and those around them.  Inspired by practices of many spiritual traditions to set aside a portion of the year for reflection, this program invites all of any or no particular spiritual tradition to be nourished by these events.

Sponsoring Unit: Visit Religious & Spiritual Life for details.

BioOpportunities are events that introduce students to the variety of careers available to Life Sciences PhDs. Alumni and other professionals are invited to campus to talk about their careers. Recent topics include careers in data science, careers in life sciences consulting, and careers in science policy.

Sponsoring Unit: Visit IBiS Graduate Program for details.

The Biostatistics Collaboration Center (BCC) supports Feinberg investigators in the conduct of high-quality, innovative health-related research by providing expertise in biostatistics, statistical programming, and data management. Graduate students and postdoctoral trainees can sign up for a free 1-2 hour consultation appointment to assess their research needs, scope of work, and to learn more about additional services and support available.

Sponsoring Unit: Visit Feinberg School of Medicine for details.

BioSurvival workshops provide graduate students and postdocs with opportunities to develop a range of skills necessary to succeed in their future careers, including grant writing, presentation skills, and CV workshops.

Sponsoring Unit: Visit IBiS Graduate Program for details.

Register for NCA workshops and programs on the Evanston and Chicago campuses in our career portal, Handshake. Every quarter, NCA graduate student career advisers and counselors offer specific workshops for our masters and PhD students in partnership with student organizations, campus partners and departments. In addition to workshops, we offer application-only on-site visits in and outside of Chicago to engage with companies and hear from advanced degree alumni. Past career visits have included a two-site museum career trek, data science treks in the Chicagoland, management consulting visits, and a biotech trek to San Francisco. Additional information about events on and off campus will be included in regular newsletters from our masters and PhD career advisers, respectively.

Sponsoring Unit: Visit Northwestern Career Advancement for details.

The CIRTL Workshop Series is part of CIRTL at Northwestern which serves graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to improve undergraduate learning in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). These interactive workshops integrate the latest research and theory on student learning with best teaching practices for diverse learners. 

Sponsoring Unit: Visit CIRTL at Northwestern and the Searle Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching for details.

University chaplains and campus ministers are trained religious professionals on campus to serve the needs of students, faculty, and staff of any or no religious affiliation. All conversations are held in confidence. The chaplains are equipped by training and experience in counseling. They are also able to refer to appropriate psychological or psychiatric resources if necessary.

Sponsoring Unit: Visit Religious & Spiritual Life for details.

The Critical Theory Research Workshop is an interdisciplinary forum beyond the classroom for undergraduate students to share and develop their interests in critical theory. The group aims to develop more robust relations between undergraduate and graduate students interested in critical theory. The Critical Theory Workshop meets to discuss works of philosophy, literature, feminism, queer theory, Black thought, and anything else relevant to those thinkers and activists past and present who have sought to critique unjust structures of power (as well as eat pizza). We seek to integrate more closely the praxis of critical theory, discussing direct action and hosting activists and those in the fight against injustice. It is open to graduates (who typically lead discussions) and undergraduates of any field.

Sponsoring Unit: Visit Program in Critical Theory for details.

Dataquest is an online service with over 200 self-paced, interactive courses on using R, Python, and SQL for data analysis. PhD students, faculty, and postdocs interested in learning or improving their data analysis skills in support of their research are eligible for access. Undergraduates, master's degree students, and staff may request access if engaged in a relevant research project with a faculty sponsor or supervisor, or via special arrangement.

Sponsoring Unit: Visit Research Computing Services for details.

Data Science Nights are monthly hack nights organized by Northwestern graduate students and scholars. Each session features refreshments, a talk on a data science technique or application, and a hacking night with data science projects or learning groups. Aspiring, beginning, and advanced data scientists are welcome!

Sponsoring Unit: Visit Data Science Initiative and Northwestern Institute on Complex Systems for details.

Meditation is traditionally practiced in a group setting with the guidance of a teacher. Join these weekly 30-minute sessions to develop a new meditation habit, expand your current practice, and to connect with a community of contemplation on our campus.

Sponsoring Unit: Visit Religious & Spiritual Life for details.

The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a network of services available to postdoctoral fellows, including short-term counseling, to help you and your household family members cope with everyday life issues such as sleep difficulties, stress and anxiety or workplace problems. 

Sponsoring Unit: Visit Human Resources for details.

The Office of Foundation Relations at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine helps connect Feinberg postdoctoral trainees, graduate students, faculty, and staff in biomedical and bioscience research to non-federal foundations and associations that fund research. Postdoctoral trainees and graduate students can contact Michelle Melin-Rogovin, Senior Associate Director of Foundation Relations, to set up a one-on-one appointment to learn more about non-federal funding opportunities that can support their research needs and goals.

Sponsoring Unit: Visit Feinberg School of Medicine for details.

The Office of Foundation Relations at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine maintains a database of non-federal funding opportunities for biomedical and bioscience research. The database is searchable by career stage and keyword.

Sponsoring Unit: Visit Feinberg School of Medicine for details.

GoinGlobal provides comprehensive career and employment resources to help you find jobs and internships at home and abroad. Users will need to connect to the site through Northwestern University in order to access the resources. 

Sponsoring Unit: Visit Northwestern Career Advancement for details.

HELIX is both a digital magazine and a training program to help scientists build public science communication skills. Any scientist at Northwestern can participate. The editor works with all contributors to hone writing skills and develop storytelling techniques with the ultimate aim of presenting scientific content to general readers in engaging ways.

Sponsoring Unit: Visit Science in Society for details.

ImaginePhD is a free online career exploration and planning tool for PhD students and postdoctoral scholars in the humanities and social sciences. Humanities and social sciences PhD students and their mentors have long recognized the need for more resources to help bridge the knowledge gap between doctoral education and the realm of career possibilities. ImaginePhD is designed to meet this need by allowing users to assess their career-related skills, interests, and values; explore career paths appropriate to their disciplines; create self-defined goals; and map out next steps for career and professional development success.

Sponsoring Unit: Visit Graduate Career Consortium for details.

ELP's individual tutoring sessions offer the opportunity for eligible students and postdoctoral fellows to work one-on-one with a trained instructor. This option is open to MFA and PhD students in The Graduate School, as well as postdoctoral fellows.

Sponsoring Unit: Visit English Language Programs and The Graduate School for details.

Whether you are getting started on a writing assignment or need a second set of eyes on a final draft, The Writing Place consultants will work with you to provide guidance on any type or aspect of your writing. One-on-one writing consultations are offered at all of the Writing Place Locations.

Sponsoring Unit: Visit The Writing Place for details.

View NCA’s internship and job postings for graduate students in our career portal, Handshake. In addition to job postings, you can view information about specific employers on their respective pages, and register for employer events on campus. Events include coffee chats, information sessions, and speaker engagements. Additional information regarding job opportunities and events on campus will be included in regular newsletters from our masters and PhD career advisers, respectively.

Sponsoring Unit: Visit Northwestern Career Advancement for details.

Northwestern Career Advancement has created an webinar to provide insight on resources available to Northwestern graduate students, advice for how to structure a job search (academic or beyond), and tips for stress and wellness management through the process.

Sponsoring Unit: Visit Northwestern Career Advancement for details.

The Language Table series offers a chance to meet other people over light snacks for fun, informal activities and casual conversation centered around American culture.

Sponsoring Unit: Visit English Language Programs and The Graduate School for details.

One-on-one leadership coaching allows graduate students and postdoctoral trainees to build on their leadership strengths, explore their potential, and advance their personal leadership goals. Coaching consists of six one-hour sessions in one academic quarter with a leadership coach.

Sponsoring Unit: Visit Center for Leadership for details.

This website contains the locations of all the places on both the Evanston and Chicago campuses available for prayer and/or meditation.

Sponsoring Unit: Visit Religious & Spiritual Life for details.

“Mentoring Up + Down" is a three-part workshop series on managing your mentoring relationships both “up” as a mentee and “down” as a mentor. The core of the training consists of small group discussions where participants analyze case studies that highlight the skills critical to effective mentoring. This process-based learning, grounded in research and workshops developed at the University of Wisconsin, allows participants to develop individualized mentoring styles and philosophies through ongoing practice. Sessions are held quarterly for postdoctoral trainees in STEM and the humanities and social sciences.

Sponsoring Unit: Visit The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs and The Graduate School for details.

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is considered the gold standard in curricula designed to guide participants into cultivating a practice of mindfulness through techniques of body awareness, sitting and walking meditation, and mindful movement. MBSR fosters comprehensive personal wellness including an increase in emotional resilience and management of stress, anxiety, and pain. This is an 8 week program with 2.5 hour weekly classes and one all-day retreat. Participants also engage in home practice for forty-five minutes per day between each class.

Sponsoring Unit: Visit Religious & Spiritual Life for details.

myIDP is a unique, free, web-based career-planning tool tailored to meet the needs of PhD students and postdocs in the sciences.

Sponsoring Unit: Visit American Association for the Advancement of Science for details.

The Northwestern Career Advancement Career Guide PDF is your go-to resource for information on networking, exploring careers, the job/internship search, resume samples, cover letter writing and more.

Sponsoring Unit: Visit Northwestern Career Advancement for details.

NUWorkWell is a Northwestern University podcast for Work, Life & Wellness. Job searching while balancing research, teaching, and a personal life can feel all-consuming. From graduate alumni offering insight and support regarding specific job search processes, to practitioners sharing strategies and resources for managing wellness throughout career exploration and searches, these interviews are here to help you conduct a job search with sanity.

Sponsoring Unit: Visit Apple Podcasts for details.

The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs organizes workshops to help postdoctoral trainees prepare for the job application process, including sessions on translating CVs into resumes; how to write a cover letter; how to prepare for the interview process, and more.

Sponsoring Unit: Visit The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs for details.

The Pathway to the Professoriate discussion forum helps students and postdocs learn more about the pathway to an academic career and develop the skills they will need to get there. Discussion topics include choosing a postdoc, applying for faculty positions, interviewing, startup package negotiations, and the tenure process. Different types of academic positions (at community colleges, primarily undergraduate institutions, research I universities, etc.) are  discussed to help students identify their ideal academic career path.

Sponsoring Unit: Visit IBiS Graduate Program for details.

The Postdoc Academy is a comprehensive online and in-person program that helps postdoctoral trainees weave professional development into their daily lives. This flexible online resource focuses on building the skills needed to make the most of a postdoc experience, and in-person sessions help participants connect  with the local postdoc community.

Sponsoring Unit: Visit Searle Center for Teaching and Learning for details.

Join us for glorious music making in the resplendent beauty of Alice Millar Chapel. From rousing hymns to soaring motets, this is music to enrapture the ear and to enliven the soul. Admission is free.

Sponsoring Unit: Visit Religious & Spiritual Life for details.

Research Communication Training Program (RCTP) was founded because of the need for scientists to have excellent communication skills. RCTP coaches graduate and post doctoral researchers on improving these skills. The program focuses on three important and basic components of communication: building confidence in all communication roles, enhancing the clarity of the message, and forming a connection with any audience.

Sponsoring Unit: Visit The Graduate School and CIERA for details.

Science Club is an afterschool, mentor-based science program for middle school youth. This program brings graduate student mentors together with small groups of students to conduct fun and engaging scientific investigations.

Sponsoring Unit: Visit Science in Society for details.

Scientific research generates new understanding and innovation – but it can also yield unexpected, often breathtaking, beauty. This contest, and its subsequent exhibitions pique curiosity, providing new gateways into research and creative opportunities for diverse communities to connect to and explore Northwestern’s contemporary scientific research. Winners will participate in public events and exhibitions, partner with Evanston Township High School art students and receive training themselves.

Sponsoring Unit: Visit Science in Society for details.

Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows can learn about STEM teaching through online courses and concurrently participate in Northwestern's MOOC-Centered Learning Community.

Sponsoring Unit: Visit CIRTL at Northwestern and the Searle Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching for details.

English Language Programs offers supported online software for pronunciation and fluency practice. These programs are accessed online and can be used at any time and in any place. Students must actively use the system for a minimum of thirty minutes each week to earn a satisfactory grade for the quarter.

Sponsoring Unit: Visit English Language Programs and The Graduate School for details.

Versatile PhD is an online resource community dedicated to non-academic and non-faculty careers for PhDs in humanities, social science and STEM.

Sponsoring Unit: Visit The Graduate School for details.

Uniworld Online is a searchable database of American firms operating in foreign countries and foreign firms operating in the United States. Users will need to connect to the site through Northwestern University in order to access the resources. 

Sponsoring Unit: Visit Northwestern Career Advancement for details.

Vault provides rankings and reviews of thousands of top employers, and publishes numerous employer, career, internship, resume, and interviewing guidebooks for all industries. Users will need to connect to the site through Northwestern University in order to access the resources.

Sponsoring Unit: Visit Northwestern Career Advancement for details.

The Office of Work/Life and Family Resources  provides a range of services to help support graduate students and postdoctoral trainees as they navigate their academic responsibilities and family life, including workshops and resources on parenting and childcare. Schedule an individual consultation with Lesley Lundeen to learn more about the resources available to help you navigate your personal and professional responsibilities.

Sponsoring Unit: Visit TGS/Office of Work-Life and Family Resources for details.

Information on worship sessions of various religious sects for the Northwestern community.

Sponsoring Unit: Visit Religious & Spiritual Life for details.

YourLife provides a wide variety of programs, services, resources, and reading materials related to healthy lifestyles and wellness.

Sponsoring Unit: Visit Human Resources for details.