External Resources for Postdocs

Below is a list of non-Columbia resources that are beneficial to postdocs. OPA also includes information about some upcoming external events in the Thursday Listings email to all postdocs on our mailing list.

The New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS) organizes many seminars, workshops, and courses for NYC area scientists and non-scientists. Columbia postdocs receive a free membership to the NYAS when signing up here with their Columbia email address.

The NYAS also runs the Science Alliance, a hub of career development resources for students and postdocs in the NYC area that consists of a consortium of all of the NYC area Universities.

The NPA facilitates enhanced professional growth, raises awareness, and collaborates with stakeholders in the postdoctoral community. They offer a variety of resources and events for the postdoc community and hold an annual conference. Columbia postdocs can receive a free membership to the NPA by signing up with their Columbia email.

The AAAS seeks to "advance science, engineering, and innovation throughout the world for the benefit of all people." AAAS publishes five respected peer-reviewed journals and is a great spot for science news. See the AAAS website for more information.

NIH OITE offers a variety of archived videos of their career and professional development skills workshops on such topics as communication skills, grant writing, career exploration, networking for scientists and engineers, the industry job search, and the academic job search, among others.

MyIDP and ImaginePhD are excellent resources that can help you assess your career-related skills, interests, and values and manage your career-related decisions and goals. 

  • Science Careers is a great resource for articles on science-related career information and news. Science Careers also provides a large searchable database of science related job opportunities. Science careers can be found here: http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/
  • The New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS) organizes many seminars, workshops, and courses for NYC area scientists and non-scientists. The main NYAS webpage is located here: http://www.nyas.org/default.aspx . The NYAS also runs the Science Alliance, a hub of career development resources for students and postdocs in the NYC area that consists of a consortium of all of the NYC-area Universities. The Science Alliance webpage contains video interviews with individuals with science backgrounds who have gone on to a variety of careers (research and non-research) and can be found at: http://www.nyas.org/career-resources-center 
  • Women in Science @ Columbia (http://womeninscienceatcolumbia.org/), the NY Women in STEM organization (www.NYWiSTEM.wordpress.com) and their website can be found here:www.NYWiSTEM.wordpress.com and the Association for Women in Science (AWIS - https://awis.org/) are excellent resources for folks in STEM fields who identify as women.
  • Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in Long Island, NY runs numerous courses for students and postdocs on particular scientific research focus areas. Their course listings can be found here: http://meetings.cshl.edu/courses.html
  • Are you considering an Industry career? If so, check out Science Career’s guide for scientists transitioning to Industry jobs: http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_magazine/previous_issues/articles/2014_07_03/caredit.a1400170
  • If you are interested in biotech start-ups, consider checking out Harlem Biospace: http://harlembiospace.com/ 
  • For anyone interested in becoming a scientist-entrepreneur, you might want to check out The Entrepreneurship Lab, a NYC based organization designed for NYC life scientist students and postdocs interested in gaining practical entrepreneurial experience. Their webpage can be found at http://elabnyc.com/.
  • Interested in learning more about the latest happenings in the science and technology entrepreneurship world? If so, you might want to keep up-to-date using http://www.xconomy.com/
  • If you are interested in what is happening in the non-profit sector, a great resource is The Chronicle of Philanthropy, which also maintains a searchable database for jobs in the non-profit sector at many foundations and non-governmental organizations. The Chronicle of Philanthropy can be found here: http://philanthropy.com/section/Home/172/
  • Another great resource for the non-profit sector is Idealist, which maintains databases of volunteer opportunities as well as a plethora of jobs available at non-profits across the country. Their website can be reached here: http://www.idealist.org/
  • Interested in working on the policy end of Science? Check out AAAS: http://www.aaas.org/program/science-technology-policy-fellowships
  • Thinking about exploring a career in consulting? Did you know that Columbia University has a consulting club? The Columbia Graduate Consulting Club holds regular events and membership to their group is open to postdocs. Check out their website:http://www.columbia.edu/cu/consultingclub/
  • Anyone interested in life science consulting may want to check out The Solution Lab, a non-profit dedicated to educating graduate students and postdocs about healthcare and pharma consulting through workshops, seminars, and volunteer experiences. The solution lab webpage can be found at http://thesolutionlab.org/