Teaching Resources
Searle Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching
The Searle Center for Advancing Teaching and Learning offers a number of programs to enhance postdocs’ teaching skills:
CIRTL at Northwestern
The Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL) is a network of universities working together to enhance undergraduate education through the development of future faculty. CIRTL at Northwestern is designed to build a community of practitioners within and across disciplines – both locally and nationally – to improve undergraduate student learning in the STEM and SBE disciplines.
Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows are invited to participate in local on-campus and national online cross-network programs:
TeachX
TEACHx sparks innovation in teaching and learning by showcasing experiments and celebrating successes in a community-oriented environment. This annual symposium brings together instructors, students, learning designers, and technology specialists to make connections, begin collaborations, and learn from their peers.
Northwestern Prison Education Program
The Northwestern Prison Education Program (NPEP) is an initiative of Northwestern University to provide a high-quality liberal arts education to incarcerated students in Illinois in partnership with Oakton Community College and the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC). NPEP fills a vital need in Illinois by being the only degree-granting program in the state providing a full liberal arts curriculum—humanities, fine arts, social sciences, and STEM courses—to incarcerated students.
Career Exploration
Individual Development Plan (IDP)
Complete an IDP to map and track your career goals, values, and plans.
Postdoc Academy Online Course
The Postdoc Academy is a comprehensive online and in-person program that helps postdoctoral trainees weave professional development into their daily lives. This flexible online resource focuses on building the skills needed to make the most of a postdoc experience, and in-person sessions help participants connect with the local postdoc community.
InterSECT Job Simulations
InterSECT is an online platform that allows PhD-level scientists and humanists, regardless of professional stage, to explore future career options.
Grant Writing
NUCATS Grant Writing Resources
The Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (NUCATS) offers services and resources to support and enhance your grant submission. Whether you are applying for an RO1 or a U grant, they have services and resources that can help you and your team through the process.
Succeeding with Your K Award
“Succeeding with Your K Award” is a highly interactive and mutually supportive peer-mentoring seminar series. It is designed for early-career faculty or post-doctoral fellows who are supported on National Institutes of Health K awards and meant to help them develop the ability to look at their own work and that of others in a critical but supportive manner.
Volunteer Opportunities
Center for Civic Engagement
Northwestern University’s Center for Civic Engagement facilitates engaged student learning and promotes a lifelong commitment to social responsibility and active citizenship through their programs and events.
Find More Resources on the OPA Website!
The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs has compiled a robust resource of professional development resources for postdocs at Northwestern.