Postdoc Slam, the annual research communications contest presented by the Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs (GEPA), returns this year on Tuesday, September 22. Postdoc Slam is the featured event of UCSF's celebration of National Postdoc Appreciation Week, September 21 to 25.
Postdoc Slam challenges postdocs in a range of disciplines to share a compelling presentation of their research in three minutes or less, using language that not only their peers but also non-specialists will understand. The intention of Postdoc Slam is not to dumb-down or trivialize research; rather, it is meant to incentivize postdocs to clarify their ideas and to help others appreciate and understand the significance of their work.
We're excited to announce this year's ten finalists — selected by a panel of screening judges — who will compete for cash prizes of $4,000, $2,000, $1,000, and $750 at the live event on September 22. The entire campus community is welcome to join us for Postdoc Slam, either in person in Genentech Hall at Mission Bay, or via the live stream. In-person and remote viewers alike will be able to cast their vote for the "People's Choice" prize winner. Please mark your calendar for Tuesday, September 22, at 4 p.m. PDT!
Congratulations to these ten postdoctoral scholars who will give 3-minute talks on a wide range of research topics at the lively Postdoc Slam event:
Chaitali Anand, PhD
Carlo Condello, PhD, faculty mentor
Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases
Before the Storm: Mapping Tau in Down Syndrome to Predict Alzheimer's Next Move
Abhilash Barpanda, PhD
Arun Wiita, MD, PhD, faculty mentor
Department of Laboratory Medicine
Hidden in Plain Sight
Mahima Choudhury, PhD
Christopher Hernandez, PhD, and Kelsey Collins, PhD, faculty mentors
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
The Secret Phone Calls Between the Knees and the Gut
Deanna Halliday, PhD
Pamela Ling, MD, MPH faculty mentor
Department of Medicine
How Do You Quit a Quit Aid?
Meng Liu, PhD
Param Priya Singh, PhD, faculty mentor
Department of Anatomy
The Secret to a Younger Body Is in Your Brain
Yolanda Martí Mateos, PhD
Isha Jain, PhD, faculty mentor
Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease / UCSF Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics
A Bloody Secret to Lower Sugar
Christine Olson, PhD
Peter Turnbaugh, PhD, faculty mentor
Department of Microbiology and Immunology / Hooper Foundation
Missing the Brain Train
Bryan Ryder, PhD
Jason Gestwicki, PhD, faculty mentor
Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases
Clearing Protein Garbage through Unlocking the Proteasome
Puspangana Singh, PhD
Shaeri Mukherjee, PhD, faculty mentor
Hooper Foundation
The Art of Cellular Sabotage: Lessons from a Master Hacker
Shoshana Williams, PhD
Melanie Ott, MD, PhD, faculty mentor
Department of Medicine
No Lab, No Power, No Problem: Improving the Accessibility of Diagnostics
Read more about the Postdoc Slam competition.