Register and pick up your nametag!
The Postdoc Talk Competition is an opportunity for postdocs to showcase and present their research or scholarly work to a scientifically diverse and educated audience in 10 minutes.
Winners will be selected by a panel of faculty judges based on speaker's proficiency in communication, enthusiasm, language, visuals, and articulation of research. For more details see the scoring rubric here: Postdoc Talk Competition Scoring Rubric
Prizes: $300 for 1st place, $200 for 2nd place
All eyes on the spiny mouse: an emerging model for retinal regeneration
Into the Void We Go: Kentucky Caves and the Search for New Drugs
Performing Home Rehabilitation Exercises and Wearing Minimalist Shoes During Daily Activities Improves Pain and Function in Adults with Plantar Fasciopathy
Fungi-mediated bioleaching
Synthetic Graphites from Coal Extracts for Li-Ion Batteries
The Postdoc Slam Competition is an opportunity for postdocs to tell an appealing story about their research or scholarly work to a general audience (i.e. non-specialist audience) in 3 minutes or less with a single static slide. It is very different than other academic exercises in research distillation and is intended to help researchers communicate effectively with a non-specialist audience.
Winners will be selected by a panel of science communicators based on speaker's proficiency in communicating and engaging with a non-specialist audience. For more details see the scoring rubric here: Postdoc Slam Competition Scoring Rubric
Prizes: $200 for 1st place, $150 for 2nd place, $100 for 3rd place, $50 for 4th place
A Pocket-Sized Lab for Big Public Health Problems
Small cells go big: from a simple cut to a complicated skin wound
Beam Me Up, Glow! Polystyrene’s Fluorescent Makeover
Can high performance lead to injury?
Dye-Free Time-Resolved Laser Speckle Contrast Imaging for Blood Flow Assessment in Rat Skin Flaps
Precision Magnetometry: (Nearly) Everything is Magnetic, So What Do We Do About It?
From Viruses to Obesity: How Pregnancy Stressors Rewire the Placenta’s Immune System
Neural Jumpstart: Restoring Autonomic Function After SCI
When Overdoses Happen but Help Is Far Away
Heartfelt Timing: Eat Right on Time
The Postdoc Poster Session is an opportunity for postdocs to share their research in a relaxed atmosphere with fellow researchers on campus. Posters are encouraged to be accessible to a broad academic audience including graduate students, postdocs, and faculty from a wide spectrum of disciplines.
The theme this year is From Textbook to Lab: Postdocs Present to UK Undergraduate Aspiring Scientists which is why winners will be selected by undergraduate research ambassadors based on quality of content, display, and oral presentation. For more details see the scoring rubric here: Postdoc Poster Competition Scoring Rubric
Prizes: $200 for 1st place, $150 for 2nd place, $100 for 3rd place, $50 for 4th place
The career panel is intended to showcase the breadth of careers that PhDs and postdocs choose to pursue and give graduate students and postdocs an opportunity to learn from the career paths of established professionals. To read about our panelists in more detail, please visit the Speakers & Guests page.
Researcher and Development Master Distiller | RD1 Spirits
Scientist | Procter & Gamble
Research Scientist | Lepidext
Senior Technical Account Manager | GenScript
Research Associate | NSF ESCAPE
The recruitment fair is intended to connect PhDs and postdocs with their next position by networking with recruiters from industry interested in hiring PhD level professionals.
2025-2026 SOPS Executive Committee Announced
Postdoc Poster Session winners announced
Postdoc Talk Competition winners announced
Postdoc Slam Competition winners announced