The PDFO is dedicated to providing a wide variety of quality professional development opportunities to UBC’s postdoc community.
The PDFO is proud to offer four flagship professional development programs in addition to regularly-scheduled professional development workshops:
- Foundations of Career Planning Program: A three-part workshop program designed to introduce postdocs to the support and resources required to establish the foundations of a post-PDF career in academia or with a primary focus on industry. By the end of the program, participants will have developed through self-reflection the foundations needed to structure a development plan, put together a professional portfolio, and navigate the industry interview and negotiation process.
- PDFO-SPARC Internal Review Training Program: Launched in 2018, the PDFO-SPARC Internal Review Training Program is designed to integrate emerging scholars into UBC’s internal grant review process while also strengthening the competitiveness of UBC’s CIHR Project Grant applications.
- Postdoctoral Fellows Teaching Internship (PDTI): In collaboration with the Centre for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (CIRTL), the Postdoc Teaching Internship is comprised of a three-day Instructional Skills Workshop (ISW) and opportunities to work with a mentor.
- Summer Institute in Project Management: A program designed to provide a comprehensive overview of topics in research project management, including an introduction to the principles, and key elements of scope, time, cost, quality, stakeholder and risk management for projects in research. Participants attend six two-hour sessions over a two-month period, and modules are supplemented by online readings and videos.
Additional professional development resources that are available to UBC-appointed Postdoctoral Fellows can be found on the Professional Development Resources page.
Upcoming Workshops and Events
UBC offers and administers programs that provide professional development to PDFs. Events offered by the PDFO will open for registration approximately two weeks in advance of each session. Registration is required for all PDFO events. Participants who are successfully registered in a professional development session will receive a confirmation email from the PDFO within a week of the session.
The PDFO reserves the right to cancel, postpone, or reschedule a course due to low enrollment or other unforeseen circumstances. If this occurs registrants will be contacted via email as soon as possible.
PDFO Workshops and Seminars
| Event Title | Event Date Sort descending | Organizer |
|---|---|---|
| Who do you think you are? Identity and Bias at work | - | Postdoctoral Fellows Office |
| Orientation for Postdoctoral Fellows: Summer 2022 | - | Postdoctoral Fellows Office |
| Postdoc Instructional Skills Workshop - Summer 2022 | - | Postdoctoral Fellows Office |
| Better Time and Energy Management | - | Postdoctoral Fellows Office |
Other Workshops and Seminars
| Event Title | Event Date Sort descending | Organizer |
|---|---|---|
| Applying the principles of sound leadership and team building | - | Mitacs Training |
| Building Your Project Network Map | - | Mitacs Training |
| Refined Project Communication Plan | - | Mitacs Training |
| Mastering the elevator pitch | - | Mitacs Training |
| Incorporating reconciliation, equity, diversity, and inclusion into your project | - | Mitacs Training |
| Project and Time Management | - | Mitacs Training |
| Framing your project in a masterful presentation | - | Mitacs Training |
Previous Events
| Event Title | Event Date Sort ascending | Organizer |
|---|---|---|
| Building Your Project Network Map | - | Mitacs Training |
| Research Fellow- Virtual Recruitment Event | - | Children's Hospital of Philadelphia |
| Project and Time Management | - | Mitacs Training |
| Professional Networking Skills Masterclass (POSTPONED) | - | Postdoctoral Fellows Office |
| Teaching as Research Workshop | TAR Application Help Drop-In | - | Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology |
| Refined Project Communication Plan | - | Mitacs Training |
| Teaching as Research Workshop | Research Ethics & BREB Applications | - | Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology |
| Foundations of Career Planning: The Best Candidate Wins - Job Interview and Negotiation Strategies | - | Postdoctoral Fellows Office |
| Building Your Project Network Map | - | Mitacs Training |
| Teaching as Research Workshop | Exploring the Education Literature | - | Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology |
Privacy Notification: Your personal information is collected under the authority of section 26(c) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA). This information will be used for the purpose of planning and administering each professional development workshop and event offered by the Postdoctoral Fellows Office (PDFO). Questions about the collection of this information may be directed to the PDFO at postdoctoral.fellows@ubc.ca.