Did you know that the third week of September is National Postdoctoral Appreciation Week? That makes this a fitting time to announce the opening of the new Office of Postdoctoral Services, which is under the Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Faculty Affairs.

The mission of the Office of Postdoctoral Services is to enhance the experience of postdoctoral fellows, also known as “postdocs”. A postdoc holds a doctoral degree, is in a temporary position pursuing research with a faculty mentor, and is learning the professional skills necessary for his or her next career stage. Currently, there are 355 postdocs at Tech, with half in the College of Engineering and a third in the College of Sciences.

Tech’s first manager of the Office of Postdoctoral Services, Jana Stone, started her position on Sept. 3.

“This is an exciting time for Georgia Tech,” observes Susan Cozzens, vice provost of Graduate Education and Faculty Affairs. “Our postdoc community is growing and remains a critical component of a strong and vibrant research institution. I am looking forward to working with Dr. Stone and the postdocs to enhance postdoctoral services, career development, and sense of belonging at Georgia Tech.”

Stone began advocating for postdocs during her own postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and continued in her next position coordinating outreach programs at Duke University. She also works with the National Postdoctoral Association where she is vice-chair of the organization's 2014 meeting.

“Our goals for the new office are to build a sense of community among postdocs across the Institution and to develop policies and programming that fit our postdocs’ needs," Stone said. "So far, everyone I’ve met on campus has been incredibly supportive of these efforts."

To celebrate the opening of the office and to recognize Tech’s hardworking postdocs and mentors, the Office of Postdoctoral Services will be hosting a picnic for postdocs on Oct. 16.