Postdoc Forum II: Postdocs Between Roles: Navigating Responsibility, Communication and Expectations

Postdocs often find themselves supporting others long before they lead a team of their own. They mentor junior colleagues, supervise students, communicate with administration and research partners, and at the same time navigate their role as members of someone else’s group. This Postdoc Forum meeting will open space for sharing these everyday challenges, reflecting on different expectations and responsibilities, and offering practical tips on how to handle them with more confidence.

27. 5. 2026 od 15.00 | Kampus Hybernská, Praha 1

Registration

WHAT?

While not in charge of their own research group, postdocs often do find themselves mentoring more junior colleagues in their team, supervising undergraduate and graduate students and communicating with administration and research partners. Future team management plans are also often expected as a part of many funding applications. At the same time, postdocs are still subordinates of their current PIs. As a result, the postdoctoral researchers have to handle different demands and responsibilities, and adopt distinct communication strategies in their everyday work.

The second Postdoc Forum meeting, which will consist of presentations by experts and participatory group discussions, addresses these issues and offers practical tips on how to navigate them.

Topics will include student supervision, communication with team colleagues, relationships with the PI, department or laboratory head, and the kind of leadership and management responsibilities postdocs often take on despite not being in a PI role – including how to navigate and carry out these responsibilities effectively from a non-PI position.