Achievement awards honor postdoctoral researchers and faculty mentors

Eight postdoctoral researchers and two faculty mentors were honored with Postdoc Achievement Awards as part of Cornell's participation in National Postdoc Appreciation Week, celebrated Sept. 21-25.

Postdoctoral researchers were honored with awards recognizing outstanding community engagement, leadership and mentoring. A newly established award recognizes faculty members for providing outstanding mentorship to postdoctoral researchers.

Excellence in Mentoring Postdoctoral Scholars

Recipients of the new Excellence in Mentoring Postdoctoral Scholars Award were nominated by one or more active postdoctoral scholars in the faculty member's supervision and were selected by members of the Cornell Postdoctoral Association. The inaugural winners are:

• Paula Cohen, professor of genetics and associate dean for research and graduate education in the College of Veterinary Medicine, and director of the Cornell Reproductive Sciences Center (CoRE)
• Andreas Malikopoulos, professor in civil and environmental engineering in the Cornell Duffield College of Engineering and director of the Information and Decision Science Lab

"This recognition means the world to me. Postdoctoral researchers are the heartbeat of my lab, and indeed of any lab," Cohen said. "Their hard work, intellectual curiosity and tenacity are a critical force for scientific discovery, and their dedication inspires other lab members. I am pleased this award recognizes that mentoring postdocs is different than mentoring graduate students. They are at a different career stage and often need more focused career guidance, more life counseling and certainly more cheerleading."

Excellence in Community Engagement

The Achievement Award for Excellence in Community Engagement recognizes postdocs who have fostered postdoc communities and involvement on campus, or who have participated in outreach projects that connect Cornell with public needs. This year's winners are:

• Peiwei Chen, postdoctoral fellow in molecular biology and genetics in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
• Megan Dias, Brooks Engagement postdoctoral associate in the Brooks School of Public Policy

Excellence in Leadership

The Achievement Award for Excellence in Leadership recognizes postdocs who demonstrate innovative, initiative-driven inclusive leadership impacting their academic, work or community environments. This year's winners are:

• Janani Guru Chenna Basuvappa, postdoctoral associate in biomedical engineering in the Cornell Duffield College of Engineering
• Ashish Kumar, Cornell Atkinson Postdoctoral Fellow in animal science in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
• Kwang-Won Park, postdoctoral associate in chemical and biomolecular engineering in the Cornell Duffield College of Engineering

Excellence in Mentoring

The Achievement Award for Excellence in Mentoring recognizes postdocs who have demonstrated exemplary mentorship within the Cornell or local community. This year's winners are:

• Rebecca "Bec" Schmitt, postdoctoral associate in biomedical and translational sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine
• Inbal Ravreby, Klarman Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Psychology
• Charlotte Zimmerman, Active Learning Initiative postdoctoral associate in physics in the College of Arts and Sciences

Recipients of the awards for postdocs were nominated and endorsed by letters from faculty, staff, and graduate and undergraduate students in one or more categories.

"One of the greatest privileges of my role is seeing the talent and development of our postdocs," said Cynthia Leifer, Ph.D. '00, director of the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs and professor in microbiology and immunology in the College of Veterinary Medicine. "Postdocs are the engine that drives our research and scholarship, and they also lead and mentor. These awards provide an opportunity to recognize postdocs whose contributions have made a meaningful difference to our community and beyond."

Chen, a recipient of the community engagement award, was pleased by the success of postdocs' efforts to support their broader community. "What began as a small idea to host professional development workshops has grown into a space where postdocs can come together, connect and support one another. I'm honored that our work has been recognized by Cornell. I hope we can pay it forward by continuing to build community and a sense of belonging, not just for current postdocs but for future postdocs who come to Cornell to advance their careers."

Park, a recipient of the leadership award, has served as a postdoctoral representative and as president of the Upstate New York Chapter of the Korean-American Scientists and Engineers Association. "To be recognized with this award for work driven purely by a desire to serve means a great deal to me. By celebrating leadership at this level, Cornell affirms that community service, peer wellbeing and empathy are essential pillars of scientific excellence," he said.

Schmitt, a recipient of the mentorship award for postdocs, said that supporting students' curiosity and growth as independent thinkers is one of the most fulfilling parts of their work as a scholar. "My trainees' dedication, creativity and resilience inspire me every day," they said. "I am truly honored to receive this award."

The awards were presented during the Postdoc Appreciation Reception for postdocs and faculty mentors, held on Sept. 24.

Postdoc Research Slam Competition

Cornell's first Postdoc Research Slam Competition, based on the three-minute thesis competition, was held immediately before the Postdoc Appreciation Reception. Finalists had three minutes to present original research to a broad audience that included specialists outside the presenter's field of study. A panel including four faculty members and a senior research officer at Cornell selected a first prize winner and two runners-up:

• Adeel Arshad, postdoctoral associate in animal science in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, won first prize for his presentation, "Could Cow Microbes Help Cut Feeding Costs?"
• Irina Tolkova, postdoctoral associate at the Cornell K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, won first runner-up.
• Meghan A. Beatty, a postdoctoral associate at the Cornell K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, won second runner-up.
• Janani Guru Chenna Basuvappa won the People's Choice Award.

J. Edward Anthony is a writer for Cornell Research and Innovation.