In this blog, we interview Dr Joan Chang, Research Fellow, Division of Molecular and Cellular Function, and runner up for the Organisation Award at the National Postdoc Conference 2023.   

Hi Joan, please could you start by telling me about your role at the University. 

I came to the University in 2016 as a postdoctoral research associate, which means I worked for a PI (Principal Investigator). I got my independent fellowship in 2021 and started as a PI in April 2022. I now have a small lab of a postdoc, PhD student, and a couple of rotation students.  

You were recently nominated for an award, please can you tell me about this? 

I was nominated for the Organisation Award at the National Postdoc Conference 2023, for my work organising Postdoc Appreciation Week in the UK. The conference happens every two years, rotating between different universities. The whole idea is to allow postdocs from different institutions to come together. The day is focused on career and personal development, providing networking opportunities, and updating postdocs about relevant policy or programme changes/rollouts.  

Last year, it was in Loughborough, organised by C-DICE (Centre for Postdoctoral Development in Infrastructure Cities and Energy). Here at Manchester, we send delegates, usually postdoc representatives (reps) at the School or Faculty level. Reps are meant to be the bridge between postdocs and the higher ups in the University, bringing their opinions upwards but also influencing decisions made at a higher level. 

Please tell us about Postdoc Appreciation Week. 

The first time I heard about Postdoc Appreciation Week was when I was doing a short postdoc in the US. The only thing I remember was that you were supposed to be appreciated by PIs, my PI did not do anything, but I do remember given cupcakes by the Department! 

When I came back to the UK, I didn’t really think much about it because for me it wasn’t a big deal. However, I realised some postdocs didn’t feel like they had psychological or emotional support.  

In 2019, one of my good friends, Dr Ines Hahn, now a lecturer at York, said why don’t we have anything in Manchester? So, we then aligned our appreciation week with International Postdoc Week. For the first few years, our events were organised by postdocs with financial support from the University. Even back then, I (and others) really believed that it should be the PIs who drive this, with help and feedback from postdocs, so that postdocs can just enjoy being appreciated. 

How did you become involved? 

Ines spearheaded the organisation of the first UoM event in 2019, but after she moved to York, 2020 hit and I took over organising the first UoM online event. Due to COVID, the University didn’t know what was happening financially and I realised this is something every single institution is feeling and so for me, I just thought, why don’t we try to do something as a collective from different universities. That idea started this whole national Postdoc Appreciation Week thing.  

The first national event was in 2020 and we have continued it ever since. Prior to this, not all universities had their own event, and so because this was something online, free and recorded, you could just watch it on your own time, and you might find useful information or tools, or it will at least uplift your spirit. We had postdocs signing in from Russia and Brazil, so our reach was surprisingly very wide!  

The idea is we have a national event to kickstart the whole week, usually in September, and then individual universities and divisions organise their own events either the same week or later to avoid overload.  

For me, I was in a very privileged position as I have been quite lucky with my PIs. I realised information, knowledge, and tools that help with coping are things that doesn’t seem to dissipate quickly amongst postdocs, that was really the driving force to start this initiative, so that everyone gets something out of the national event. 

I wanted to have something that is uplifting, so people know they are not in this by themselves. Academia can be quite a lonely space and being a postdoc is not an easy career choice. 

How was this year’s Postdoc Appreciation Week commemorated? 

For last year’s national event, our theme was “creating connections and rediscovering joy”, which was all about exploring the similarities and differences between postdocs from different disciplines, and how a lot of our joy in our work is through interacting with people from very different walks of life and creating connections with them.  

In Manchester, we had a brunch event, which included different stations for various groups, for example our research development team and the well-being team. Postdocs could prebook CV clinics and career advice sessions to attend on the day. We also had a puppy for anyone that just wanted to come and relax.  

How has the campaign been received here in Manchester? 

It has been good. The first year we had over 200 people and then it dropped down to 60-70 because of COVID.  

This year it was very well received, although there were some complaints about how food ran out quickly as we hit maximum capacity, so that is our lesson learned for next year!  

I am happy that every year there is representation from all three faculties and people do seem to appreciate it.  

Do you have any top tips for anyone planning a similar campaign/session etc. 

Events can never be perfect, so it is important to take feedback on board. But remember you cannot please everyone.  

Also, just be honest and keep doing it. If you truly believe in the cause, you will find people who appreciate what you do and will want to be a part of it.  

It is important to find a legacy plan because you cannot do it forever. That is one of the issues I am experiencing right now. People need to know this is not a fluke or something transient. Especially if you have run it yourself for 2-3 years, you need to think about how you are going to get the next generation involved. 

To find out more about National Postdoc Appreciation Week: visit their website, follow @UK_NPAW on X/Twitter or watch their online events on vimeo. 

To find out more about PPIE in FBMH: watch our short film, sign up to the monthly Public Engagement Digest, visit the PPIE blog, follow @FBMH_SR, visit our PPIE Toolkit or contact srbmh@manchester.ac.uk.    

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