pd|hub to lead discussion on advancing change at the 2025 NPA Annual Conference

Postdoctoral education currently faces many challenges due to disruptions impacting the U.S. research enterprise. As we navigate these uncertain times, it is important to lean in and continue advancing our efforts to support the professional development of postdocs. Join pd|hub team members Cynthia Fuhrmann, Bill Lindstaedt, and Barbara Natalizio in Boston on Saturday, March 22nd at 1:30pm ET at the 2025 National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) Annual Conference, where we will lead a session titled Driving Change in Postdoctoral Professional Development: Lessons Learned from the pd|hub Collections. 

Ten years ago, the research training community identified career and professional development as core components of postdoctoral education, along with the need to more efficiently advance the adoption of evidence-based practices for supporting these core components. To address this need, professionals from across the graduate/postdoctoral communities came together in 2016-2019 to form Professional Development Hub (pd|hub) as an initiative to build recognition for the importance of career and professional development and to advance evidence based practices in this space (learn more). One outcome was formation of the pd|hub Collections framework, a new model for curating, disseminating, and supporting implementation of effective educational approaches.

In Saturday's NPA session, we will reflect on the successes and lessons learned from the first pd|hub Collection (which was developed and launched over the past 4 years) and discuss how these insights can inform future opportunities for our community to advance change–even at times of limited resources. Then, in small groups, participants will define needs and priorities for postdoctoral education in the coming years: In this time of uncertainty and disruption, what are the current needs in postdoctoral education related to advancing career and professional development? What priority actions are needed to continue advancing this field, as individuals and as a united community? In what ways might pd|hub leverage its strengths to support ongoing advancement of evidence-based practices?

This interactive workshop will connect participants with resources already developed through the inaugural pd|hub Collection, and catalyze a discussion about shared challenges and desired actions in the field. We hope you’ll join us in this important discussion on how we might together drive local and national change to advance evidence-based practices for postdoctoral professional development.