Dear Colleagues,

I am writing to announce the establishment of a new Office of University Postdoctoral Affairs, which will focus on enhancing the experience of postdoctoral scholars from recruitment and retention, to career guidance and professional development. Located within the Office of the Provost, this new office will be led by Associate Dean Audra Van Wart, who will work with the Deans of the Faculty, Public Health, Engineering, Biology and Medicine, and the Office of the Provost to coordinate support and professional development programming for postdocs throughout the University.

Postdoctoral scholars are vital contributors to the University community and to advancing Brown’s mission of teaching, research and service, helping to drive innovation and discovery. Postdoctoral scholars have continued to be central to the University’s work during this pandemic, and will continue to be active participants in research and scholarship as we respond to the impacts of covid-19 on and beyond our campus community.

We also recognize that these early stage scholars and researchers have unique needs that are distinct from faculty, staff or graduate student colleagues, and this new office will provide the necessary centralized source of support, guidance, advocacy, and professional development tailored to their career stage.  

Under development for the last several months, the new office will launch immediately to advance the following efforts:

·      Build community and dialogue with postdocs campus-wide through regular office hours, individual consultations, and advising of postdoctoral groups (e.g. Brown Postdoc Council).
·      Facilitate communication through the Postdocs@Brown website, dedicated email address, and other University communication channels.
·      Convene and manage a Postdoctoral Advisory Council (which will include postdoc representatives) to discuss issues, concerns, and opportunities specific to postdoctoral scholars, and make policy recommendations as needed.
·      Use data on postdocs collected from across the University to highlight issues of special interest to postdocs.
·      Build relationships with centers of postdoctoral activity across the University, and enhance the coordination and programming between these centers.
·      Once on-campus operations return to normal, build out a formal office with a physical location and staff.

Dr. Van Wart brings the experience and commitment to launch this important effort. Since joining Brown in July 2019, she has served as Associate Dean for Training, Education, and Program Development in Brown’s Division of Biology and Medicine, where she is focused on the training and professional development of graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and junior faculty in the biomedical sciences. In this role, she has launched the Advance-K Scholar Program for developing junior physician scientists and translational researchers; directs a Research Integrity course designed for early career scientists; and has oversight of postdoctoral programming in the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. She also has significant prior experience in developing and directing new programming for trainees and junior investigators, having co-developed and co-directed Virginia Tech’s largest interdisciplinary doctoral program in Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health. At the national level, she is an elected member of the Steering Committee for the AAMC Graduate Research, Education, and Training (GREAT) Group, and has spoken widely about PhD training and careers in the biomedical sciences, including at the NIH Graduate Fair, ABRCMS, SACNAS, and webinars for NRMN and ASBMB.

We are grateful for the many contributions of our postdoc community at Brown, and look forward to working with departments, faculty and staff to support their ongoing career development and success.

Sincerely,

Richard M. Locke
Provost