Michigan State University is a proud institutional member of the National Postdoctoral Association, which provides resources, advocacy and networking opportunities for postdocs throughout the country and internationally. Since 2010, when the US House of Representatives officially recognized this week with H.Res.1545 of the 111th Congress, we have observed the week starting on the third Monday in September to acknowledge the work and dedication of postdoctoral scholars and researchers. We currently have just under 600 postdocs at MSU, mostly appointed as Research Associates, and they contribute to many of the core activities of the university, including research, mentoring, teaching, outreach and service. Our postdocs come from all over the world, and work in many disciplines.

Since it was established in 2019, the MSU Office of Postdoctoral Affairs has focused efforts on supporting postdocs in their research and career development, and works with individual departments and units across the campuses to provide structure and support in recruiting excellent postdocs and doing our best to prepare them for independent careers.

If you know a Spartan postdoc in your area, be sure to cheer them on.

There are a lot of ways to get involved whether you are in East Lansing and want to attend one of our in-person events, including the Postdoc Orientation on Tuesday at 11 am, Meet-and-Greet at Owen Hall on Thursday at 9 am, or the Postdoctoral Association’s Social Hour at Horrocks on Friday from 5:30-7 pm; or you can take advantage of the many online events, including “Leveraging MSU and online resources to help your career“, put on by the MSU Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, or any of the events listed on the National Postdoctoral Association’s NPAW page.

If you are new to MSU or need to be added to the MSU Postdocs online contact lists, please reach out to the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (opa@grd.msu.edu).