UIC to participate in multi-institutional postdoc recruiting event

On Oct. 14-15, the UIC Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (OPA) will be co-hosting the first virtual Chicagoland Postdoc Recruitment Event in partnership with Northwestern University and the University of Chicago.

This multi-institutional postdoc recruiting effort is the first of its kind in the nation. The event is designed to help faculty recruit the best postdocs for their research groups while also improving the “pipeline” challenge in academia by expanding opportunities for early-career researchers from gender, racial and historically marginalized backgrounds that have traditionally been underrepresented in academia and the sciences.

Advanced graduate students and early-career postdocs will be recruited to participate in two days of programming designed to introduce them to the postdoctoral programs in the Chicagoland area and the cutting-edge research happening at UIC. Participants also will learn about how to find postdoctoral opportunities, how to apply for postdoctoral positions and how to maximize their postdoctoral experiences.

Faculty from all UIC colleges are invited to participate in this event by volunteering to be available for virtual informational interviews with selected participants. Faculty who are interested in participating should enter their information via this form by Friday, June 4th.

While faculty do not need to be hiring at the moment to participate, this will be a great opportunity for UIC faculty to recruit postdocs for their research groups and contribute to the professional development of underrepresented researchers. Following the event, all faculty who volunteer will also receive a list of all participants for future recruiting efforts.

In addition, one of the goals of OPA is to provide resources to empower faculty who hire, train and mentor UIC’s postdoctoral researchers. OPA would like the input of UIC faculty members for how to improve postdoctoral training at UIC, and asks UIC faculty members to please take a few moments to respond to this short survey. Faculty do not need to train postdocs to respond to the survey.

UIC OPA is very excited to partner with Northwestern and UChicago on this recruiting event to assist faculty in recruiting top talent for their research groups while also contributing to the University’s commitment to expanding opportunities for individuals from underrepresented backgrounds. If you have any questions about this event, the application, or how you can help, please contact Valerie Miller, Director, Office of Postdoctoral Affairs at fako@uic.edu.