What happened at this year's NHLI Postdoc and Fellow Day?

A report on the most recent NHLI Postdoc and Fellow Day that took place in late February 2024 at the NHLI Education Centre, Brompton Campus.

Our recent biennial National Heart and Lung Institute (NHLI) Postdoc and Fellow Day had a good turn out of over 50 attendees including current PhD students, Postdocs, and fellows. Attendees were joined by our guest speakers who represented a diverse range of career backgrounds, and the day was full of valuable insights and networking opportunities.

"They openly shared their whole journey; and the countless attempts it took to become group leaders, and how they sustained their passion for their work throughout. Their heartfelt narratives resonated deeply with us and gave us courage and belief in our own potential" Bohee Lee

The event kicked off with a series of engaging sessions covering a range of topics, including "Paths to Group Leaders," "The Teaching Route," "Careers outside of Academia: Biotech, Start-ups, and Policy," and "Careers in Scientific Publishing". Each session featured two or three speakers, with Q&A sessions.

The session began with introductions by the NHLI Postdoc and Fellows committee and important updates from Imperial and NHLI shared by Professor Miriam Moffatt. We then delved into "Paths to Group Leaders," led by Dr Heike Miess, a Research Management Professional at UCL. This session was followed by inspiring talks from Dr Regis Joulia, a Wellcome Trust funded Group Leader, and Dr Franz Puttur, a leader of the immunity and dendritic cell biology lab at NHLI. They openly shared their whole journey; and the countless attempts it took to become group leaders, and how they sustained their passion for their work throughout. Their heartfelt narratives resonated deeply with us and gave us courage and belief in our own potential. Professor Beata Wojciak-Stothard and Simone Walker shed light on the Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion initiatives at NHLI, highlighting their well-structured plans and unwavering support for all researchers.

Choose your own adventure

The subsequent sessions featured talks from NHLI alumni who had moved onto diverse career paths. Dr Coen Wiegman and Dr Elaina Maginn shared valuable insights into the teaching route, emphasising their passion for education and offering practical advice on enhancing teaching skills and managing frustrations. Following this, the session on careers outside of academia opened our eyes to alternative paths. Dr Matthew Coates from UCB Celltech showed us the world of Biotech, and Eva Scholtus, a Senior Policy Advisor from the Royal Society, offering valuable insights on leading the science policy team’s work on human health. The breadth of career choices discussed gave us so much inspiration. Each speaker also discussed the potential highs and lows of working in academia and industry, providing valuable perspectives on career options.

Paying it forward

I had the privilege of moderating the final session on "Career in Scientific Publishing," featuring Dr Susanne C. Brink from CellPress and Dr Francisca Schultz from Nature. They talked about their passion for science and roles as editors. Their experiences as editors resonated with the challenges faced by postdoc researchers, reminding us of our potential and encouraging us not to limit ourselves in various career paths.

Throughout the sessions, the speakers' journeys from the challenges to successful career paths were truly enlightening. Many postdocs, including myself, often wrestle with uncertainty and anxiety about our future paths. However, their stories provided valuable insights and showcased the potential paths available to us, opening our eyes to the possibilities ahead. As the session concluded, I believed that our experiences, wherever they may lead us, have the potential to one day inspire future generations of PhD students and postdocs, just as these speakers have inspired us.