We are excited to announce the continuation of the UChicago BSD Career Advancement for Postdocs (CAP) Award: a Travel Award just for BSD Postdocs! Awards of up to $500 for scientific meetings and up to $1000 for professional development meetings will be given, which are meant to provide supplementary funding toward attendance at conferences, meetings, workshops, etc.

The PDA Seminar Committee plans weekly seminars, an annual mentoring roundtable and other career and professional development events. By working with other BSD groups, UChicagoGRAD, myCHOICE, the PDA Seminar committee is able to hold joint events across a variety of fields.

Need help with job documents (CVs/resumes/cover letters)? Want to practice job talks or interviews? Have a job offer and want to discuss negotiating? UChicagoGRAD has it all! Sign-up for an event, make an appointment with a career advisor, or peruse job postings via Gargoyle.

Annual certificate courses are available for postdocs, led by faculty, staff, or external facilitators/speakers. Currently there are 3 certificate courses: Mentor Training for Postdocs (8-session program), DEI Training for Postdocs (8-session program), and Leadership and Management Training for Postdocs (6-session program).

Interested in a teaching-focused career after your postdoc training? Although postdocs typically cannot serve as TAs during their training here at UChicago, the CCTL offers many courses and opportunities to refine your teaching skills. 

The ELI serves the international university community by providing courses and informal opportunities for improving spoken and written English in both academic/professional and conversational contexts.

The Institutional Research and Academic Career Development Award (IRACDA) is an opportunity for UChicago postdocs to combine a high-quality research experience with a mentored teaching experience at local partner institutions. Selected participants will work with a faculty Research Mentor at UChicago, where they will develop research-related skills, and faculty Teaching Mentors at partner institutions, where they will experience classroom teaching and pedagogical training.

myCHOICE exposes, educates, and provides  trainees with career options and experiences that leverage their strong biomedical research training by highlighting employment opportunities focused on business, education, government policy, industry, innovation, research, and the public sector.

We have compiled a number of resources to help you as you progress through your scientific training, including institutional boilerplate forms for NIH grants, information on Responsible Conduct of Research series, and funding sources. 

Interested in a career in biotechnology? The University of Chicago Biotechnology Association’s mission is to provide career education and skill development opportunities to University of Chicago graduate students and postdoctoral scholars.