Associate Dean for Research and Training
Almost 300 postdoctoral scholars call UAB home, and we are excited to welcome you to the Blazer community! Across campus from the School of Engineering to the School of Nursing, scholars are engaged in creative research that promotes the greater global good. You can find them huddling over a microscope, boarding a plane headed to Argentina to attend a meeting by the International Society of Eye Research, or writing a children's book in Campbell Hall after RNA-sequencing. Their wide-ranging curiosity drives our Office of Postdoctoral Education (OPE) to support scholars with an array of resources and opportunities during their journeys here to professional and personal growth. This commitment to postdoctoral scholar success on and off campus stems from our office's inception. UAB's OPE was established in April 1999 as the nation's third university office devoted exclusively to supporting postdoctoral scholars during their training years. Two of their first initiatives involved establishing a base postdoctoral salary and benefits package for all scholars. Thus, you are joining a community that has a long history of advocating for postdocs. The office runs through the Graduate School and Global Affairs and is overseen by the Associate Dean for Research and Training. It works in tandem with the Postdoctoral Association and the Black Postdoctoral Association, two postdoctoral peer groups, and the Council on Postdoctoral Education, a committee of postdocs and faculty that counsels OPE on programming and policies that affect scholars.
We are dedicated to preparing postdoctoral scholars for their future careers in research, academia, public policy, education, and beyond. UAB, ranked in the top 4% among public universities for NIH awards as well as being recently named the first health promoting university in the U.S., offers an infrastructure that can support interests from medicine and public health to mathematics and the natural sciences.
If you are considering a postdoctoral position here at UAB or are already in residence, we welcome your suggestions and look forward to working with you. Our door in Lister Hill Library is always open. Stop by!
With warm regards,
Lisa M. Curtis, Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Research and Training
Graduate School and Global Affairs
The office of Postdoctoral Education is here to help you plan and succeed during your training and growth at UAB. Please let us know how we can support you. Email us at
Address
UAB Office of Postdoctoral Education
1700 University Blvd.
Lister Hill Library Room G10
Birmingham, AL 35233
Administration
Dr. Lisa M. Curtis
Associate Dean for Research and Training
(205) 934-8227
Lakeysha Keyes
Program Manager of Operations & Finance
(205) 934-6809
Ashley Foster
Program Manager
(205) 975-7020
The UAB Office of Postdoctoral Education (OPE) is committed to the development and success of outstanding postdoctoral scientists. Here at UAB, almost 300 postdocs are training currently in a variety of disciplines, including but not limited to engineering, medicine, natural sciences, mathematics, public health, and optometry.
Our mission is to provide the thriving UAB postdoc community with opportunities to be successful in their future careers and serve as a resource for the needs of the UAB departments that provide postdoc mentorship. Opportunities provided to our postdocs include:
- Certificate in Postdoctoral Training that includes topics in grant writing, lab management, teaching, business entrepreneurship, and other skills.
- Awards for career enhancement, travel, grant incentives, and internships.
- Competitive salary and benefits.
- Networking through hosted events and postdoc-led associations.
Together with our Postdoc Association and Black Postdoc Association, our office works to develop career opportunities that enhance and define the training experience for all postdoctoral scholars at UAB. Through feedback and collaboration with these postdoc associations, the UAB OPE is able stay engaged with the needs of our postdoc community.