Join us August 22nd for our interdisciplinary symposium for all postdocs and graduate students on the Chicago campus of Northwestern. Guests are welcome.
Registration is mandatory.
Call for Abstracts
Build your presentation skills and present at the symposium for your chance to win a poster or video award.
Videos will be pre-evaluated and the best video screened at the symposium.
Abstract submission is closed.
Information for poster presenters: poster boards are 3' high x 5' wide (ca. 90 x 150 cm)
Connect with your peers and Chicago area professionals.
Learn about career opportunities and grow your skill set.
Shape your future career and find the leader within.
NUPA and CGSA 2019 Current Research and Future Careers Symposium Program
8:45 am Registration
9:00 am Welcome Address
9:15 am Teaching Careers Panel
10:15 am Poster Presentations Session, Sponsor Tables, Raffle
11:30 am Lunch with Table Focus Groups, Sponsor Tables, Raffle; Lunch will be provided
1 pm Keynote by Lia Haynes Smith, PhD;
Director of the U.S. National Authority for Containment of Poliovirus, CDC Atlanta
2 pm Leadership workshop by Kim Kleeman; coach (PivotUP!); entrepreneur, CEO (Sunbeam Marketing Solutions), Partner in the tech accelerator elmspring, and Editor of the Chicagoland DealFlow Report
3:30 pm CGSA Career Panel I (Science Policy and Law)
4:45 pm CGSA Career Panel II (Biotech/Biopharma)
6:00 pm Awards Ceremony
6:15 -8 pm Reception with opportunities to connect with NU mentors and Chicago area professionals
Raffle prizes provided by Lynn Hazan & Associates. Relationship Recruiters in Communications & Marketing.
Lynn Hazan will be available for resume reviews during poster and lunch sessions. Raffle prizes are non-transferable unless arranged through NUPA. The prizes are non-refundable and cannot be converted to cash.
Follow us at nupostdocs.eventbrite.com to stay up to date on other NUPA events!
Curious about contributing to the symposium or future events?
Join the Career and Professional Development Committee! Email cap@nupostdocs.org for details.
We hope that you will subsequently join us as a member. We welcome all backgrounds, and especially invite the humanities and other disciplines with few postdocs! Our goal is that every postdoc at Northwestern will enjoy the symposium.

2019 Keynote: Lia Haynes Smith, PhD
Lia Haynes Smith, PhD, is the first permanent director of the U.S. National Authority for Containment of Poliovirus (NAC) located in CDC’s Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response. The NAC implements the poliovirus containment plan in the United States, ensures the national poliovirus inventory is maintained, and performs audits of and certifies all poliovirus essential facilities. Dr. Haynes Smith is also the National Poliovirus Containment Coordinator for the United States. Dr. Haynes Smith is a graduate of Spelman College, and holds a PhD in neuroscience with a concentration in Immunology from Northwestern University.
Lia Haynes Smith, PhD, is the first permanent director of the U.S. National Authority for Containment of Poliovirus (NAC) located in CDC’s Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response. The NAC implements the poliovirus containment plan in the United States, ensures the national poliovirus inventory is maintained, and performs audits of and certifies all poliovirus essential facilities. Dr. Haynes Smith is also the National Poliovirus Containment Coordinator for the United States. Dr. Haynes Smith is a graduate of Spelman College, and holds a PhD in neuroscience with a concentration in Immunology from Northwestern University.

Leadership Workshop by Kim Kleeman
Be the Change you want to See in the World- Gandhi
Kleeman is a leader, speaker, and a serial entrepreneur but started her career as a teacher/debate coach and quickly realized business was in her DNA.
As a speaker and coach, Kleeman specializes in creating vision, leadership, and growth with companies. Helping companies pre-funding to $150 million organizations, Kleeman has launched various brands, products, and organizations with her growth-oriented clients. Kleeman was also a principal and board member in elmspring, a real estate VC tech accelerator, housed at 1871 in Chicago which successfully exited in 2018.
Having designations such as Top Women in Digital Marketing, Chicago Crain’s 40 Under 40 and landing her first company on the Inc. 500 list (#5 in Education), Kleeman understands how to pivot herself and others. Focused on top-line revenue, Kleeman speaks on the Future of Leadership, Sales and Business Growth regularly. She helps people hone in on opportunity or a transition and helps make it come to fruition Kleeman also speaks about how to Brilliantly Innovative in her new Program. Kleeman is also a co-founder in the Inner Circle, a B2B professional networking group. All this and she has a wonderful marriage of 22 years and 3 awesome kids and resides in the Chicagoland Area.
Be the Change you want to See in the World- Gandhi
Kleeman is a leader, speaker, and a serial entrepreneur but started her career as a teacher/debate coach and quickly realized business was in her DNA.
As a speaker and coach, Kleeman specializes in creating vision, leadership, and growth with companies. Helping companies pre-funding to $150 million organizations, Kleeman has launched various brands, products, and organizations with her growth-oriented clients. Kleeman was also a principal and board member in elmspring, a real estate VC tech accelerator, housed at 1871 in Chicago which successfully exited in 2018.
Having designations such as Top Women in Digital Marketing, Chicago Crain’s 40 Under 40 and landing her first company on the Inc. 500 list (#5 in Education), Kleeman understands how to pivot herself and others. Focused on top-line revenue, Kleeman speaks on the Future of Leadership, Sales and Business Growth regularly. She helps people hone in on opportunity or a transition and helps make it come to fruition Kleeman also speaks about how to Brilliantly Innovative in her new Program. Kleeman is also a co-founder in the Inner Circle, a B2B professional networking group. All this and she has a wonderful marriage of 22 years and 3 awesome kids and resides in the Chicagoland Area.
Confirmed Panelists:
Teaching Panel:
Policy and Patent Law:
Industry and Pharma:
Teaching Panel:
- Stephanie Knezz - Professor of Instruction at Northwestern University
- Olivia Mariel Chesniak - Postdoc in the Searle Center for Learning and Teaching
- Barry Aprison - Visiting Scholar, Department of Molecular Biosciences
- Marcelo Vinces - Weinberg College Adviser and Assistant Professor of Instruction in Biology
Policy and Patent Law:
- Connie Lee - Associate Dean for Basic Science at the University of Chicago and a member and former Chair of the Public Policy Committee of the American Society of Cell Biology
- Kate Neville - Partner at Marshall, Gerstein & Borun LLP
- Laurie McNamara -Associate Attorney at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
- Sean McConnell - Senior Policy Analyst in Genomics at the American Medical Association
Industry and Pharma:
- Sarah Lorenzen - Associate Director of Medical Affairs, Salix Pharmaceuticals
- Kelsey Hodge-Hanson - Medical Writer/Editorial Researcher, AMICULUM
- Tim Herr - Candidate in Health Sciences Integrated PhD program (HSIP) at NU
Co-founder of Ancillary Genomic Systems, LLC - Joy Ramos - Scientific Director, Complete Healthvizion
Table Focus Groups Topics:
- Being an international
- Dual career couples
- Open Science
- Family resources and well-being at NU
- Entrepreneurship
- Finding scientific help and collaborators
- Science communication
- Women in STEM
- Family and parenting
- Community outreach
Location:
The Robert H. Lurie Medical Research Center
303 East Superior Street
60611, Chicago, IL
(Corner of Fairbanks and East Superior)
The Robert H. Lurie Medical Research Center
303 East Superior Street
60611, Chicago, IL
(Corner of Fairbanks and East Superior)