Symposium Schedule

Time (ET)Event
11:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.Check-in
12:00 - 12:55 p.m.Lunch
1:00 - 1:10 p.m.Welcome and Introductions
1:15 - 2:15 p.m.

Research talks

  • Five 10 minute talks, 5 minutes for questions
2:20 - 2:55 p.m.

Lightning talks

  • Six 5 minute talks, 5 minutes for questions
3:00 - 3:15 p.m.Break and Networking
3:20 - 4:20 p.m.

Research talks

  • Five 10 minute talks, 5 minutes for questions
4:25 - 5:00 p.m.

Lightning talks

  • Six 5 minute talks, 5 minutes for questions
5:05 - 5:15 p.m.Break and Networking
5:20 - 5:30 p.m.Award presentation

 

Submit Your Abstract to Give a Talk

The Office of Postdoctoral Services is soliciting abstracts for research talks (10 minutes) and lightning talks (5 minutes). The deadline for submitting an abstract is October 1, 2025.

You will be notified whether your abstract has been accepted for a 10-minute research talk or a 5-minute lightning talk by October 10, 2025.

You can submit an abstract through Georgia Tech's InfoReady system.

  • Note: Abstracts will be judged by current postdoctoral scholars at Georgia Tech using this rubric. Higher scoring abstracts will be considered for research talks, while lower scoring abstracts will be considered for lightning talks.

 

Awards

The Georgia Tech Postdoctoral Research Symposium awards are the only campus-wide source of travel funds available to postdocs. Winners can use these funds to attend a conference or a related professional development event. We anticipate the following awards:

Best Research Talk Overall, $2000 (tentative) 

  • Sponsored by the Office of the Executive Vice President for Research 

     

Best Lightning Talk Overall, $1500 (confirmed)

  • Sponsored by the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Education

 

Best Talk from the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, $1000 (confirmed)

 

Best Research Talk from the College of Engineering, $1250 (confirmed)

Best Lightning Talk from the College of Engineering, $1250 (confirmed)

 

Best Research Talk from the College of Sciences, $1250 (confirmed)

Best Lightning Talk from the College of Sciences, $1250 (confirmed)

 

Research and Lightning Talks

Postdocs selected to give a research talk will have 10 minutes to present their research and its significance. The format echoes that of traditional research talks and is meant to give an opportunity to prepare for a conference later this year.

Postdocs selected to give a lightning talk will have 5 minutes to present their research and its significance. The Lightning Talk format was adopted in 2017 in response to feedback that more postdocs should have the opportunity to speak at the symposium. Plus, being able to concisely explain your discovery and its impact to a non-expert audience is a skill that all researchers need to develop.

 

Questions?

Please send any questions to postdoc-services@gatech.edu.