Friday, December 8, 2023

UTSA enhances support for postdoctoral researchers

UTSA enhances support for postdoctoral researchers

(May 21, 2019) — UTSA recently established an Office of Postdoctoral Affairs to provide professional development services and networking opportunities for the university’s postdoctoral fellows. The office will be jointly administered by the divisions of Academic Affairs and Research, Economic Development, and Knowledge Enterprise; it will be housed in the Graduate School under the leadership of Vice Provost and Dean Ambika Mathur.  

Postdoctoral fellows, commonly referred to as “postdocs,” are engaged in mentored research or scholarly training at a host institution within five years of completing their doctorate degree. UTSA has more than 100 postdoctoral fellows in various disciplines across the university.

“Postdoctoral research is integral to a university’s research mission, and this office will foster experiences to promote a robust research training environment and community for UTSA’s postdocs,” said Kimberly Andrews Espy, provost and vice president for academic affairs.

“Postdoctoral fellows play a vital role in advancing UTSA’s goal to reach status as a Research Intensive University and become a nationally-recognized multicultural discovery enterprise,” added Bernard Arulanandam, interim vice president for research, economic development, and knowledge enterprise. “The Office of Research Support is pleased to partner with the Graduate School to provide more comprehensive support and an enhanced campus experience for UTSA’s postdocs.”

The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs will provide professional development activities such as workshops and seminars on grant/fellowship preparation, manuscript writing, CV and resume preparation, job interviewing skills, and more. Mathur says having a centralized hub for postdoctoral activities will provide a structure for developing future programming and ideally will lead to an increase in publications and grants for UTSA postdocs.

“Through this office, we will provide programming to augment their research training with professional skill development to help our trainees pursue their chosen careers, whether in academia or in industry,” Mathur said. “Additionally, our programming will be available to postdocs at our partner research institutions, such as UT Health San Antonio and Southwest Research Institute, thereby engaging the broader postdoctoral community in San Antonio and fostering more opportunities for collaborations.”

Rebecca Luther


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UTSA’s Mission

The University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.

UTSA’s Vision

To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.

UTSA’s Core Values

We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.

UTSA’S Destinations

UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education .

Our Commitment to Inclusivity

The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to promoting access for all. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.