Postdoc Employees and their Education in Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

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Postdoc Employees and their Education in Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

What is the survey? The Berkeley Lab Postdoc Survey is sponsored by Laboratory Director Paul Alivisatos and the Postdoc Initiative Committee (PIC). The Committee is charged with assessing the current environment for postdocs and taking steps to support making Berkeley Lab a premier institution of choice for conducting postdoctoral research. The Berkeley Lab Postdoc Survey was initiated in March and will help identify our strengths as well as areas for improvement. This effort is part of a Lab-wide initiative to conduct employee surveys on a regular basis. Our goal is to make Berkeley Lab a great place to work.

Who conducted this survey? To collect and tabulate data results, we contracted with MOR Associates, an organizational resources firm that specializes in conducting surveys and has supported public, nonprofit, and private sector organizations. Founded in 1983, MOR Associates has led dozens of major survey efforts on behalf of higher education, such as UC Berkeley, MIT, Stanford University, University of Washington, USC, Northeastern University, NYU and others. Their body of work includes workplace climate surveys, client satisfaction surveys, job satisfaction surveys, and service discovery surveys.

Was the survey confidential? Only MOR Associates had access to individual responses. They tracked who responded, but only to ensure that reminders were sent to non-responders. At the conclusion of the data-gathering phase and before analysis began, personally identifiable information was removed from the data. No one at Berkeley Lab saw individual responses. All responses were reported in aggregate by division. Survey responses from divisions with fewer than six postdocs were combined with other divisions to maintain confidentiality.

Will I be able to see the survey results? Yes, the Postdoc Survey Report is posted on this web page. See the top item on the web page.

How were employees invited to take the survey? All postdoc employees working in scientific divisions receiveed an email invitation to participate from Paul Alivisatos and Vera Potapenko, Chief Human Resources Officer.

What is the Laboratory's Postdoc Initiative Committee (PIC)? The purpose of the Postdoc Initiative Committee is to assess the current environment for postdocs, identify key issues of importance, and recommend steps to support making Berkeley Lab a premier institution of choice for conducting postdoctoral research.

Background. In 2002, the Lab joined a UC committee that reviewed polices and procedures regarding postdoc employment. In 2004, the Lab formed the Postdoctoral Fellow Advisory Group. Headed by Zahid Hussain, Physicist Senior Scientist and Division Deputy for the Advanced Light Source (ALS), this group reviewed various aspects of employment for postdocs and made recommendations to senior management. As a result, the Lab improved the benefits program for postdocs by adding vision and dental benefits and life and disability insurance.

Current Activities. In 2008, the Postdoctoral Fellow Advisory Group reconvened as the Postdoc Initiative Committee with a new mission and broadened membership to include scientific staff members who were previously Berkeley Lab postdocs (see membership below). Some initiatives include:

A benefits orientation designed specifically for new postdocs

A new policy (RPM 2.28) that includes guidelines for recruiting, coaching, and mentoring postdocs

Professional development workshops for postdocs on scientific writing and presentation skills, sponsored by the Berkeley Lab Learning Institute (BLI) in spring 2009.

Postdoc Initiative Committee (PIC) Membership. Committee members include:

Paul Ashby, Physicist Staff Scientist, Materials Sciences

Tracy Bigelow, HR Center Manager for the Advanced Light Source, Chemical Sciences, Materials Sciences (co-chair)

Susan Brady, Head, Center for Science and Engineering Education

Jill Fuss, Biophysicist Project Scientist, Life Sciences

Zahid Hussain, Physicist Senior Scientist, Advanced Light Source

Brian Kienitz, Postdoctoral Fellow, Environmental Energy Technologies Division

Vera Potapenko, Chief HR Officer

Nancy Talcott, HR Center Manager for Earth Sciences, Environmental Energy Technologies, Genomics/JGI, Life Sciences, and Physical Biosciences (co-chair)

Penny Wong, HR Division Partner for Materials Sciences and Chemical Sciences

Workshop Series for Postdocs & Graduate Student Research Assistants (GSRA’s)

Below is a list of and links to descriptions of Berkeley Lab Learning Institute (BLI)-coordinated onsite workshops for postdocs and GSRA’s:

C.A.R.E.E.R. Development Planning for Postdocs & GSRA’s (BLI0118)

Creating Visual Displays of Data for Research Journals (BLI0115)

Creating Research Presentations in Powerpoint (BLI0116)

Negotiating & Conflict Resolution (for Postdocs and GSRA’s) (BLI1045)

This site is a resource for postdocs and GSRAs looking for scientific positions at organizations outside of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Included are links to position listings at a variety of institutions, as well as scientific and postdoc position announcements forwarded by various Laboratory Divisions. Visit https://commons.lbl.gov/display/positions.

Contact UsMailing Address:

Center for Science & Engineering Education

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

One Cyclotron Road

MS: 7R0222

Berkeley, CA 94720

Phone: 510-486-5511

Fax: 510-486-4813

Email: csee@lbl.gov

CSEE Staff:

· Susan Brady, PhD - CSEE Department Head 510-486-5325- SABrady@lbl.gov

· Colette Flood - Internship Program Manager - 510-495-2648 - CLFlood@lbl.gov