Past Events

2023 SOPS Annual Holiday Networking Event

Dec 9, 2023, 4:00 – 8:00 PM

The Society of Postdoctoral Scholars organizes a holiday networking event each year for new postdocs to meet existing postdocs. This event is intended to allow postdocs to grow their local network and learn about the Society of Postdoctoral Scholars and the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs.

2023 Annual Research & Career Symposium

Sep 21, 2023, 8:00 AM – 7:00 PM

The Society of Postdoctoral Scholars (SOPS) at the University of Kentucky (UK) is hosting their Annual Research & Career Symposium to showcase the work of UK postdoctoral scholars and fellows, promote networking among the UK research community, and encourage discussions on career paths for postdocs and PhD students.

2023 Summer Networking Event

Aug 19, 2023, 4:00 – 8:00 PM

Summer is here! Come join your fellow postdocs for an afternoon of networking fun! You will have the opportunity to learn about SOPS activities, meet the executive committee members, and mingle with other postdocs and friends. Family & friends are welcome! Food by Athenian Grill will be provided! Please register below. Please note that we will close the registration on August 11, 2023 to allow ample time for the caterer to prepare our feast!

63 Best Career Options for PhDs With Resume Workshop

Aug 9, 2023, 9:30 – 11:30 AM

In this seminar, attendees will gain a thorough understanding of their industry career options. This seminar will be customized to the background of the PhDs who are attending. Understanding which industry positions are on the rise will help attendees see what’s available to them outside of traditional tracks. Attendees will gain insights into trending industry positions that are rapidly rising in popularity, as well as bread-and-butter positions that can always be counted on in the job market for PhDs regardless of economic circumstances.

Night Science: Creativity Workshop for Developing Research Ideas

Jul 12, 2023, 2:00 – 4:00 PM

Day science is what we traditionally think about when we think of "science". It is hypothesis-driven, empirically supported, and logical. Night science, on the other hand, involves unconnected, loosely related ideas and associative leaps. Often, our research questions come from night science, but it can be hard to think creatively when we are immersed in "day science". In this workshop (modified from Drs.

From Postdoc to a Real Job in Academia

Jun 7, 2023, 2:00 – 4:00 PM

The UK Society of Postdoctoral Scholars presents an academic job search workshop featuring an overview of the academic job market by Dr. Morris Grubbs (Assistant Dean of UK Graduate Student Professional Enhancement) and a panel of recently hired professors from the University of Kentucky on their experiences of going through the academic job search process not too long ago.

Annual SOPS Summer Barbecue

Jul 16, 2022, 4:00 – 8:00 PM

Summer is here! You might be wondering if it's possible to enjoy your summer while still working on your career. Find out by joining us on July 16 for this SOPS Summer Networking event. We invite you to take advantage of a chance for meeting and engaging with other postdocs and friends. Food will be provided! Bring your family, a friend or partner. Register here for the event!

GROW talks!

Jun 1, 2022, 12:00 PM – Jun 23, 2022, 1:00 PM

The Society of Postdoctoral Scholars has scheduled a series of talks called the GROW talks to help you open your network and be equipped to collaborate locally and globally. The events will be held virtually on Zoom on all Wednesdays in June, save the 29th. Additionally, the talks are all scheduled to be held from 12:00-1:00 PM on Wednesdays. We hope to see you there!

2020 SOPS Symposium: Postdoc Lightning Talk Competition

Sep 25, 2020, 12:00 – 1:00 PM

Postdocs participate in the lightning talk competition for a chance to win cash prizes! Lightning talks are fast paced, single slide, 1 min (i.e. 60 sec) presentations intended to wow the audience. Winners are selected by audience members who will rate each talk as they present.

2020 SOPS Symposium: Science Communication - Increase the impact of your work

Sep 24, 2020, 12:00 – 1:00 PM

Dr. Alexandra Colon-Rodriguez, a fellow postdoc from the University of California Davis, discusses how science communication can increase the impact of your work.