Photos: Celebrating Discoveries and Connections at Georgetown’s 2026 Postdoctoral Research Symposium
By Natalie Rabner and Benjamin Nochimson
Georgetown postdoctoral researchers are breaking new ground across many scientific disciplines and topics. At the annual Postdoctoral Research Symposium on April 29, 2026, postdocs presented their work and discoveries in areas ranging from maternal and infant health, to cancers and neurodegenerative diseases, to carbon nanotubes, to economics.
Elham Mohebbi, Georgetown University Postdoctoral Association (GUPDA) professional development committee chair, welcomes attendees to the symposium.
The annual symposium is hosted by Biomedical Graduate Education and the Georgetown University Postdoctoral Association (GUPDA), which organizes events and resources for postdocs.
Symposium organizer Elham Mohebbi, a Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) postdoctoral associate and chair of GUPDA’s professional development committee, said the event is an important opportunity for postdocs to socialize and make connections across departments, particularly at a time when many have been affected by federal funding cuts and immigration obstacles.
“I wanted to get together all of the postdocs to talk about their research and their challenges during their networking,” Mohebbi said.
Tina Liu, assistant professor of neurology, gives her keynote speech: “The Unofficial Curriculum of a Postdoc.”
Keynote speaker Tina Liu, assistant professor in the Department of Neurology and former National Institute of Mental Health postdoc, encouraged postdocs to pursue scientific independence through strategies such as resisting imposter syndrome, networking authentically and strategically to develop a scientific identity, and focusing on growth opportunities amid hardships.
Eight researchers gave oral presentations in a Pre-Clinical Science Building auditorium, and 15 prepared posters. At a subsequent reception, they got to talk about their work and their academic journeys.
Michael Lachanski, a postdoc in the Georgetown Institute for the Study of Markets and Ethics (GISME), gives his presentation.
“It’s kind of difficult for postdocs from different departments to really connect with each other,” said Michael Lachanski, a postdoctoral data science fellow at the Georgetown Institute for the Study of Markets and Ethics, who gave an oral presentation on universal basic income (UBI) as a potential support for economies transitioning from central planning to markets.
“As you advance, you get more and more siloed, I think … from undergraduate through graduate school, and then finally becoming a postdoc and maybe assistant professor,” he said. “And so I think [the postdoctoral symposium is] a great opportunity to see what other people are doing.”
Award Winners
Oral Presentations
- Stacy Post, “Comparing Weight Stigma, Maladaptive Eating, and Physical Activity Among Women Who Use vs. Are Eligible for GLP-1”
- Rita Yu-Tzu Chen, “Chronic nicotine reduces nigral dopaminergic activity and remodels pedunculopontine cholinergic subpopulations”
Poster Presentations
- Valerie Lewitus, “Exercise improves motor coordination and increases dopaminergic neuron excitability selectively in female mice”
- Minwoo Lee, “Providing social support, but not financial support, is associated with younger brain age in mid- to late adulthood”
- Hiba Douja Chehade, “Emergence of Primary Motor Cortex Dysfunction During Progressive Loss of Midbrain Dopamine Neurons”
Oral Presentations
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A lot of what people are doing here … really does represent, what does real research in this field [of] work, look like? And it’s just great to see everyone else’s talks.
Michael Lachanski, Postdoctoral Data Science Fellow, McDonough School of Business
Poster Presentations
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I think it’s important to disseminate the findings, share my work with people. Maybe they can see the importance of keeping our water resources clean. Also providing people with clean water, specifically in underrepresented communities. … That’s also an important part of the research.
Jumana Alja’fari, Postdoctoral Associate, Institute for Soft Matter Synthesis and Metrology
Award Winners
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Past Postdoctoral Symposia
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Students, faculty and staff are invited to learn about Georgetown postdocs’ research at the annual symposium on Wednesday, April 23, 2025. Keynote speaker Caleb McKinney plans to give advice for postdocs on navigating uncertainty and taking advantage of opportunities from Georgetown and beyond.
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