National Postdoc Appreciation Week 2026: Resources and Recognition for Georgetown Postdocs

More than 140 postdoctoral associates at Georgetown University make a difference every day through research, mentorship and community involvement. During National Postdoc Appreciation Week, we highlight their impact on the broader university community, as well as resources available to them.

Postdocs today face uncertainties in research funding and career prospects, but are still finding opportunities across foundations, government, and private industry, said Liz Salm, Ph.D., director of graduate and postdoctoral training and development for Biomedical Graduate Education (BGE) and co-chair of the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) Resource Development Committee.

On September 22, Salm co-presented a national workshop called Empowering Your Postdoc Experience, which featured the NPA’s postdoc needs assessment in the “Supporting the Whole Postdoc” toolkit created by the Resource Development Committee. She encouraged postdocs to take advantage of the toolkit and other resources from the NPA and across Georgetown, including BGE postdoctoral resources.

The toolkit “is really trying to focus on you, the postdoc, as a human,” Salm said. “It’s not just looking at your career development or your research/technical skill development. It’s thinking about all the different aspects of you, whether that’s health and wellness or the mentorship you’re receiving or the sense of community and belonging you have. So, it’s trying to help you identify where you may be lacking support, and where you can work on things.”

Anna Alikhani, co-chair of the Georgetown Postdoctoral Association (GUPDA), speaks at the Georgetown Postdoc Resources Lunch on September 21.

Postdocs learned about a variety of university resources at the annual Georgetown Postdoc Resources Lunch on September 21. Attendees heard about new sick leave benefits from Associate Vice President of Benefits & Wellness and Chief Benefits Officer Charles DeSantis, and immigration policy updates from Associate Director of International Scholar Services Sandra Galib. Presentations by Richard Cecil from the Joint Office of Research Administration and Anna Alikhani, co-chair of the Georgetown Postdoctoral Association (GUPDA), offered a look at how postdocs can submit research funding proposals and get involved with the postdoc community during their time at Georgetown.

Praise for Postdocs from BGE Ph.D. Students

This year we asked BGE Ph.D. students to share their gratitude for the postdocs they’ve worked with and learned from.

Dear Amal, I wanted to thank you for everything that I have learned from you and for all the help that you have provided me with! Thanks for your generosity and for sharing your wisdom! Wishing you all the best in this new academic year!
Sonsoles Liria, Biochemistry and Molecular & Cellular Biology

Thank you all for all your hard work!! Our labs (and institution as a whole!) wouldn’t function without your hard work and mentorship. We really appreciate all your time and efforts.
Philip Pikus, Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience

Dr. Song Qi has been a true leader in the CNL lab and has contributed substantially to the learning environment. His work is innovative, and he has been instrumental in setting up new paradigms and analytic pipelines. He has been an invaluable teacher, taking care to explain complicated concepts in a way that is digestible for the multiple levels of trainees, and he has gone out of his way to teach us concepts of interest, which fosters our curiosity. He has been a wonderful addition to our lab, and his work and generosity of time have made us all better scientists. Happy National Postdoc Appreciation Week, Song!
Chloe Casagrande, Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience

The postdoc in our lab is highly dedicated to his work, but is willing to take substantial time out of his busy day to help others with any inquiries. Even if he’s not an expert in the field of the question you are asking, he will go out of his way to find the answer or direct you to someone who is better suited to answer it. I appreciate all that he does for the lab, in terms of general maintenance and helping train the students here.
Giorgi Shautidze, Pharmacology & Physiology

Amal! You are a genius!
Emme, Pharmacology & Physiology

National Postdoc Appreciation Week 2026: Resources and Recognition for Georgetown Postdocs

Praise for Postdocs from BGE Ph.D. Students

More About Georgetown Postdocs