The rockefeller university

Yiming Niu from the Funabiki lab

On July 11, the Rockefeller Postdoctoral Association (PDA)  kicked off it’s annual Summer Seminar Series. The series offers a forum for postdocs and students to share their current research and receive constructive feedback from the Rockefeller community. Each week, a different faculty member hosts and two different postdocs present.

The opening event was led by Thomas P. Sakmar, Rockefeller’s Richard M. and Isabel P. Furlaud Professor. UnJin Lee from the Zhao lab presented his research on the the origin of nascent de novo genes, and Yiming Niu from the Funabiki lab discussed new findings into how cells regulate proper chromosome segregation during cell proliferation.

Albana Kodra, one of the organizers of the series

“It’s so important to have the opportunity to solicit questions about our work and to learn from our peers,” says Albana Kodra, a postdoc in the Mucida lab who helped plan this year’s seminar series.

“Our home institution is the place to really practice and hone our skills not just as scientists, but also as communicators,” says Adrian Morales, a postdoc from the Brady lab, who planned the series alongside Kodra. “It’s a warm environment where we can come together and support each other.

The series is held every Thursday in the Carson Family Auditorium from 12:00 to 1:00 PM until August 29 and each session is followed by lunch in the faculty club. Future topics will range from the mechanisms of nervous system disease to mosquito reproduction to the regulation of cellular metabolism. The full schedule of talks can be found here.

The PDA Summer Seminar Series is supported by the Office of the President and the Dean’s Office, with administrative support from Mercedes Harris.