Office of Postdoctoral Education Annual Awards
Excellence in Science Award
The Office of Postdoctoral Education and the Postdoctoral Advisory Committee initiated this award in 2010. The award recipient will receive recognition and a $1,000 prize (to spend at their discretion).
Applications open: TBA
Due: TBA
Sample Excellence in Science Award Application (PDF)
Past Recipients of the Excellence in Science Award
2022 - Emily Welby
2021 – Jennifer Stancill
2020 – Christine Klemens
2019 – Chen Chen
2018 – Katelyn Sadler
2017 – Daniel Bretl
2016 – Pui Kei Wu
2015 – Louise Evans
2014 – Jeremy Wood
2013 – Brian Hoffman
Professional Development Award
Awards are given out twice a year in the spring and fall. Award amount and number of recipients are contingent on availability of funds. Awardees will be determined through a peer review process.
Who should apply? Those who have done the below, or plan to soon:
- Attend a virtual conference (for science, networking or career development)
- Take an on-line course (for science or career or professional development)
- Learn a new technique, skill, or line of research
To apply, fill out the application and submit a letter of support from your PI/mentor to postdoc@mcw.edu.
Applications open: TBA
Due: TBA
Sample Postdoctoral Professional Development Award (PDF)
Past Recipients of the Professional Development Award
Fall 2022
- Jennifer Stancill, Biochemistry
- Joshua Nord, Biochemistry
- Karthikeyan Thirugnanam, Pediatrics
- Milad Rouhimoghadam, Versiti
- Nikola Sekulovski, CBNA
- Ratnashree Biswas, Versiti
- Xinlei Li, Medicine
Previous Award Winners (PDF)
Edward J. Lennon MD Outstanding Woman Postdoctoral Researcher Award
One woman postdoc, per year, is recognized as the recipient of this award and receives recognition plus a monetary award of $1000 (to be spent on research).
Applications Open: 11/6
Applications Due: 11/17 by 5:00 PM (CST)
Application: Edward J. Lennon, MD Outstanding Woman Postdoctoral Researcher Award Application (DOCX)
Past recipients of the Edward J. Lennon, MD Outstanding Woman Postdoctoral Researcher Award
2022 – Xinrui (Sarea) Wang
2021 – Barbara Palkovic | Anesthesiology
2020 – Jennifer Stancill | Department of Biochemistry
2019 – Katelyn Sadler | Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Anatomy; Neurosciences
2018 – Megan Slaker | Pharmacology and Toxicology
2017 – Pan Pan | Medicine
2017 – Karima Ait-Aissa | Medicine
2016 – Stephanie Cossette | Department of Pediatrics, Neonatology
2016 – Justine Abais-Battad | Department of Physiology
2015 – Sushma Kommineni | Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics
2014 – Dasha Ilatovskaya, PhD | Department of Physiology
2013 – Savitha Sethumadhavan, PhD | Department of Biophysics
2012 – Anne Diers-Dranka, PhD | Department of Biophysics
2011 – Alison Kriegel, PhD | Department of Physiology
Postdoctoral Paper of the Year
This is a new award created in 2021, and scored based on the significance of the finding to the field, on the contribution of the postdoc to the publication and on the quality of the manuscript. Winners will have recognition and prizes.
Past Recipients of the Paper of the Year Award
2022 - Ankan Gupta “Cilia proteins are biomarkers of altered flow in the vasculature”
Ankan Gupta, Karthikeyan Thirugnanam, Madhan Thamilarasan, Ashraf M. Mohieldin, Hadeel T. Zedan, Shubhangi Prabhudesai, Meghan R. Griffin, Andrew D. Spearman, Amy Pan, Sean P. Palecek, Huseyin C. Yalcin,5 Surya M. Nauli, Kevin R. Rarick, Rahima Zennadi, and Ramani Ramchandran
Journal: JCI Insight
2021 - Punashi Dutta - “KPT-330 Prevents Aortic Valve Calcification via a Novel C/EBPβ Signaling Pathway”
Punashi Dutta, Karthik M. Kodigepalli, Stephanie LaHaye, J. Will Thompson, Sarah Rains, Casey Nagel, Kaitlyn Thatcher, Robert B. Hinton, Joy Lincoln
Journal: Circulation Research
Postdoctoral Mentor of the Year
This award is sponsored by the MCW Office of Postdoctoral Education and is given to MCW Faculty who demonstrate excellence in their mentorship of MCW postdocs. Postdocs may nominate their own primary faculty mentor using this application form. Applications will be carefully considered by the MCW Postdoctoral Association Awards Committee, and a winner determined.
Applications for the 2023 Award are due March 24 at 5 p.m.
Download 2023 application (DOCX).
2022 - Alison Kriegel, PhD, Associate Professor | Physiology