In celebration of Postdoc Appreciation Week:

Postdocs face many hurdles in their pursuit of research excellence and independence. None more frustrating than making the most of this challenging yet rewarding opportunity. Ultimately, the point of postdoc training is not maintaining a lengthy postdoc tenure but landing a satisfying job. Regardless of what they do in their career, postdocs need to gain and master many skills both directly related to their scientific training and beyond. Jim Gould's talk will outline the flow of the postdoc experience from beginning to end by providing actionable advice on how to get the most out of postdoctoral training, while laying out strategies for choosing the right research environment to thrive along with planning, and executing, a successful postdoc tenure. Jim wrote up his thoughts about this in his book, Making the Most of the Postdoc: Strategically Advancing your Early Career.

James Gould, Ph.D., is Director for Postdoctoral Affairs, HMS/HSDM Office for Postdoctoral Fellows, and Program Director, Responsible Conduct of Research, Harvard Medical School, where he has implemented research, career, and professional development programs and policies for
HMS-affiliated trainees since 2011. Prior to HMS, Dr. Gould completed two postdoc fellowships at the National Cancer Institute of the NIH where he became involved in training affairs and studied cancer metabolism. Dr.Gould received his BS in Biotechnology/Molecular Biology from Clarion University of Pennsylvania and his PhD in Biochemistry and MolecularBiology from the University of Louisville.