Postdoc Spotlight
SBU Postdoc Spotlight is a celebration of the research performed by Stony Brook's postdoctoral scholars.
Spotlight talks are designed like a Three Minute Thesis talk to be accessible to specialists and non-specialists alike. The Postdoc Spotlight is a great opportunity to see some of the latest discoveries and exciting research taking place at Stony Brook.
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNERS
| Award | First Name | Last Name | Graduate Program | Talk Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Antonio | Novaes | Medicine | Turning Off Kidney Damage, Turning On Hope |
| 2nd | Lissa | Fortes Soares | Public Health | How to be Stronger in Older Age |
| 3rd | Jonathan | Plessis-Belair | Neurobiology & Behavior | Brain Aging on Trial |
2025 POSTDOC SPOTLIGHT COMPETITORS
| Name | Program | Talk Title |
|---|---|---|
| Varghese Babu | Materials Science & Chemical Engineering | A Cold Hard Truth |
| Monoj Das | Medicine | Rewriting Genetic Recipes: Highlighting a Cure for Kidney Disease |
| Ishrat Dollan | SoMAS | Rain of Terror |
| Lissa Fortes Soares | Public Health | How to be Stronger in Older Age |
| Win Lin | Physics & Astronomy | Searching for the Dark Photon |
| Kanti Nandan Mihooliya | Medicine | Breaking the Resistance! |
| Antonio Novaes | Medicine | Turning Off Kidney Damage, Turning On Hope |
| Jonathan Plessis-Belair | Neurobiology & Behavior | Brain Aging on Trial |
| Ying-Jen Yang | Laufer Center | Decoding Life’s Miniature Machines by “Shrinking” the Physics of Everyday Engines |
Speaker Information
Eligibility
To compete in the Postdoc Spotlight, postdocs must:
- Be SBU postdocs;
- Work in any disciplinary field, with those in the Fine Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences particularly encouraged to participate;
- Have advanced in their research to a stage where findings, preliminary conclusions, and broader impact can be discussed. Findings from previous research is welcome, however postdocs may only participate in the Spotlight once;
- Affirm during speaker sign-up that their supervisor supports presentation of their research; and
- Commit to participating in all 3 coaching sessions.
Coaching Sessions
Postdoc Spotlight competitors undergo research communication coaching that is grounded in techniques from the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science. Coaching takes place in small groups where peer feedback and support is expected and encouraged while students workshop their draft presentations.