{"id":45,"date":"2025-01-27T13:01:14","date_gmt":"2025-01-27T17:01:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graduate.ucf.edu\/annual-report-2023-2024\/?page_id=45"},"modified":"2025-03-06T11:29:44","modified_gmt":"2025-03-06T15:29:44","slug":"postdoctoral-scholars","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/graduate.ucf.edu\/annual-report-2023-2024\/postdoctoral-scholars\/","title":{"rendered":"Postdoctoral Scholars"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\"Postdoctoral Scholars at UCF<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Postdoctoral scholars, or postdocs, are an essential component of UCF\u2019s research ecosystem. These scholars join UCF for a limited period to engage in advanced research and receive specialized training, preparing them for future roles in academia and industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"Office of Postdoctoral Affairs<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The newly established Office of Postdoctoral Affairs serves as a central hub for postdoc-related support. It keeps postdocs informed about university resources, policies, and events while fostering professional development and promoting networking both on and off campus. The office occasionally provides paid opportunities for professional development, so scholars do not need to use their $5,000<\/strong> allowance. Additionally, the office oversees the Preeminent Postdoctoral Program (P3) and the new Short-Term Postdoctoral Support (STePS) program, collaborating with colleges from recruitment through the onboarding of new postdocs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\" Postdoc Advisory Committee<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Postdoc Advisory Committee was established and met for the first time in the Fall 2023 to bolster the support for postdoctoral scholars. This committee, consisting of UCF administrators, faculty, and postdocs, provides guidance on policy changes and suggestions to improve the environment for postdoctoral scholars at UCF.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\" Postdoc Advisory Committee members<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Dr. Ali Gordon<\/strong> \u2013 Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Associate Dean of Graduate Affairs<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Dr. Winston Schoenfeld<\/strong> \u2013 Professor, Optics and Photonics and Vice President for Research<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Dr. Kathleen Richardson<\/strong> \u2013 Trustee Chair and Pegasus Professor, Optics and Photonics<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Dr. Xiaofeng Feng<\/strong> \u2013 Associate Professor, Physics<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Dr. Bethany Backes<\/strong> \u2013 Associate Professor, Social Work and Lead, Violence Against Women Cluster<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Dr. Grace Fox<\/strong> \u2013 Postdoctoral Scholar, Computer Science<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Dr. Alex Nikolaidis<\/strong> \u2013 Postdoctoral Scholar, UCF Center for Ethics<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Dr. Ghaith Rabadi<\/strong> \u2013 Professor and Graduate Program Director, Modeling, Simulation, and Training<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Dr. Salvador Almagro-Moreno<\/strong> \u2013 Associate Professor of Medicine, Biomedical Sciences<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"\"Workshops and Initiatives<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In fall 2023, the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs hosted three workshops with campus partners on the following key topics: quarterly hiring, the postdocs\u2019 $5,000 professional development allowance, and a refresher on P3 and STePS. In Spring 2024, the office announced it would cover all academic poster printing costs for postdocs, utilizing the new poster printer in the Office of Graduate Student Life. Additionally, the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs was also invited to present at the Summer Faculty Research Institute hosted by the UCF College of Community Innovation and Education. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"\" Salary Increase<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In response to feedback from the Postdoc Advisory Committee, the minimum annual salary for postdocs was increased from $55,000 to $57,000. This was announced in April 2024 and will take effect in fiscal year 2025.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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More Resources than Ever<\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n \r\n Learn more <\/i>\r\n <\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/section>\r\n \n\n\n\n

Preeminent Postdoctoral Program (P3)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Launched in 2017, the Preeminent Postdoctoral Program (P3) was designed to increase the number of postdoctoral scholars at UCF, with a target of reaching 200<\/strong> STEM postdocs, one of the 12 key metrics required for earning Florida\u2019s \u201cPreeminence\u201d designation. P3 provides faculty researchers with $25,000 <\/strong>per year towards a postdoc\u2019s salary for two years, totaling up to $60,000<\/strong> in support. Additionally, P3 awardees receive a $5,000<\/strong> professional development allowance. As of 2023-2024, this allowance can now be used for multiple professional development activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Short-Term Postdoctoral Support (STePS)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

To help reach the 200-postdoc goal, the Short-Term Postdoctoral Support (STePS) program was piloted in the Summer and Fall 2023. STePS offer a six-month bridge employment opportunity to UCF doctoral graduates, allowing them to continue their academic development under faculty mentorship while transitioning to the next step of their careers. The program has been appealing to faculty, requiring only a $10,000<\/strong> contribution while the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs provides the remaining $24,000<\/strong>. Originally aiming for 30 awards, the program surpassed expectations, granting 35<\/strong> awards by the end of 2023\/24.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Outcomes<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The P3 and STePS programs have been instrumental in significantly increasing UCF\u2019s postdoctoral population. From just 75 postdocs (70 STEM) in 2016, UCF now boasts 221<\/strong> postdocs (218<\/strong> in STEM) as of 2023, exceeding the state of Florida\u2019s preeminence metric for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Annual Total Number of Postdoctoral Scholars<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Year<\/th>Postdoctoral<\/th>STEM Postdoctoral<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
2016<\/td>75<\/td>70<\/td><\/tr>
2017<\/td>104<\/td>92<\/td><\/tr>
2018<\/td>159<\/td>146<\/td><\/tr>
2019<\/td>188<\/td>170<\/td><\/tr>
2020<\/td>163<\/td>142<\/td><\/tr>
2021<\/td>198<\/td>136<\/td><\/tr>
2022<\/td>196<\/td>144<\/td><\/tr>
2023<\/td>221<\/td>218<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>
Postdocs by year table. *P3 not active until 2017<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Postdoctoral Scholars at UCF Postdoctoral scholars, or postdocs, are an essential component of UCF\u2019s research ecosystem. These scholars join UCF for a limited period to engage in advanced research and receive specialized training, preparing them for future roles in academia and industry. Office of Postdoctoral Affairs The newly established Office of Postdoctoral Affairs serves as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":122,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-notitle.php","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-45","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nPostdoctoral Scholars - 2023 GS Annual Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/graduate.ucf.edu\/annual-report-2023-2024\/postdoctoral-scholars\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Postdoctoral Scholars\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Postdoctoral Scholars at UCF Postdoctoral scholars, or postdocs, are an essential component of UCF\u2019s research ecosystem. 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