PDA Volunteer Opportunities

Position: Postdoctoral Association Representatives
Number of positions: 3
Currently filled by: Agustin Moreira Saporiti (Ecosystems Center), Sarah Walker (Bell Center), Vacant (Bay Paul Center)
Responsibilities: The role of representatives is to speak and act on behalf of the Postdoctoral Association (PDA), serving as a liaison between postdoctoral scientists/fellows and the faculty and administration at the MBL. Representatives will advocate for postdocs on larger scale concerns that go beyond the individual committees and working groups. Representatives are expected to organize monthly PDA meetings, set the agenda for PDA meetings, lead PDA meetings, keep track of the postdoc email inbox and (re-)direct concerns or questions to the correct channels

Position: Secretary
Number of positions: 1
Currently filled by: Michael Sackville (Bay Paul Center)
Responsibilities: The role of the secretary is to organize communications between PDA members. This includes but is not limited to taking notes and writing minutes at the PDA meetings and disseminating the notes and meetings to all postdocs.

Position: Fellowship Working Group
Number of positions: 2
Currently filled by: Sarah Walker (Bell Center), Gjendine Voss (Bell Center)
Responsibilities: The Fellowship Working Group aims to formalize and simplify procedures for postdocs that have received fellowships, in regards to employee status, benefits, etc. Representatives are expected to attend the Fellowship Working Group meetings, and active contributions to the working group may be required; in terms of preparing suggestions, and helping to create documents detailing different fellowships. Representatives are expected to summarize meetings and share meeting notes with the PDA, and to also raise important decision points at PDA meetings. Representatives will also take concerns that arise at PDA meetings and bring them to the Fellowship Working Group.

Position: Housing Committee
Number of positions: 2-3
Currently filled by: Molly Moynihan(Ecosystems/Bay Paul Center), Michael Palmer (Bay Paul Center)
Responsibilities: The Housing Committee is formed by representatives of all status groups in the MBL. It was conceived with three main goals; 1) creating a formal protocol within the MBL to provide emergency housing to postdocs, RAs or other coworkers due to the housing crisis in Cape Cod, 2) centralizing housing communications within the MBL for easy information transfer regarding housing opportunities, and 3) advocating for fair and accessible housing for all not only within MBL, but also in the broader Woods Hole and Falmouth community. Representatives within this committee are invited to provide further input and concerns, in addition to raising issues about housing. Additionally, representatives are encouraged to participate in housing advocacy and activism.

Position: Social Media
Number of positions: 1-2
Currently filled by: Website: Jessica Stock (Bell Center), Twitter: Jennifer McCarthy-Taylor (Bell Center)
Responsibilities: Maintain the PDA twitter account and the PDA page on the MBL website.
Position: Professional events
Number of positions: 1-2
Currently filled by: Jessica Stock (Bell Center), Jennifer McCarthy-Taylor (Bell Center)
Responsibilities: Organize professional development events for postdocs, which includes (but is not limited to) the monthly Coffee Hour with Faculty.

Position: Social events
Number of positions: 1-2
Currently filled by: Agustin Moreira(Ecosystems), Michael Palmer (Bay Paul Center)
Responsibilities: Organize social events for MBL postdocs.
Position: Postdoctoral Symposium Organizers
Number of positions: 2-3
Currently filled by: Gjendine Voss(Bell Center), Jessica Stock (Bell Center), Sarah Walker(Bell Center)
Responsibilities: The Postdoctoral Symposium is an annual 1-day event that focusses on promoting work from postdoctoral scientists/fellows, research assistants and graduate students at the MBL. The symposium includes (but is not limited to) research talks, a poster session and a career panel that is open to the entire scientific community at the MBL. Organizers are responsible for coordinating all aspects of the event, including booking the auditorium, scheduling the event, promotion, registration, abstract submission, booking representatives for the career panel, funding acquisition as deemed necessary etc.

Position: MBL committee: Diversity and Inclusion
Number of positions: 1-2
Currently filled by: Cristina Roman-Vendrell(Bell Center), Agustin Moreira(Ecosystems)
Responsibilities: The Diversity and Inclusion committee is an advisory committee that offers recommendations to the Director of the MBL on matters pertaining to equity, diversity and inclusion. The postdoc representative is expected to attend all Diversity and Inclusion meetings, and to share brief summaries of these meetings with the members of the PDA. Representatives will also share any issues of concern to postdocs in PDA meetings, and raise concerns that postdocs have in the Diversity and Inclusion committee meetings.

Position: MBL Advisory Bodies:Community Council
Number of positions: 1
Currently filled by: Vacant
Responsibilities: The MBL Community Council is an advisory group consisting of no more than 15 members elected by Members of the MBL Society in good standing. The role of the MBL Community Council is to advise the MBL President/Director and Chief Operating Officer upon their request on general aspects of MBL community life connected to and essential for the MBL research and education missions, but not the research or education missions themselves. This includes, for example, housing, childcare, facilities, campus life, and Woods Hole/Falmouth community relations. The postdoc representative will attend the MBL Community Council meetings and is also expected to share brief summaries of these meetings with the members of the PDA. The representative is also expected to share any issues of concern to postdocs in PDA meetings, and raise concerns that postdocs have in Community Council meetings.

Position: MBL Advisory Bodies: Science Council
Number of positions: 1
Currently filled by: Sarah Walker (Bell Center)
Responsibilities: The Science Council of the MBL Society is an advisory group consisting of no more than 15 scientists elected by Members of the MBL Society. The Science Council is a group that advises the President/Director with respect to matters concerning MBL’s mission and its scientific and instructional endeavors. The postdoc representative will attend Science Council meetings and is expected to share brief summaries of these meetings with the members of the PDA. The representative is also expected to share any issues of concerns to postdocs in PDA meetings, and to raise concerns that postdocs have in Science Council meetings.

If you are interested in filling a vacant position within the PDA, please reach out to the PDA representatives via mblpostdocs@mbl.edu.