Berkeley Lab Postdoc Association

The Berkeley Lab Postdoc Association is an organization run by and for about 1000 postdocs and early career scientists working at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. We organize many activities to strengthen our ties to the Lab, to each other and to the (Berkeley) Bay Area. Our goal is to facilitate social interactions, scientific exchanges, seminars and general orientation.
 
Berkeley Lab Postdoc Association

Berkeley Lab Postdoc Association

News and Upcoming Events

Wine Tasting Night

Date | Venue: Friday (3/1) at 6.30 pm | Gilman Wine Block 

March’s BLPA dinner & pub night will be taking place next Friday (3/1) at 6.30 pm at Gilman Wine Block (750 Gilman St, Berkeley, CA 94710). We will be attending a (free admissions) wine tasting, live music, pop-up chefs/food event organized by Donkey and Goat Winery (adjacent to the Gilman Wine Block). Event link is here

Attendees can take the “North Berkeley” lab shuttle to reach the venue. The nearest shuttle stop is “Red Oak Ave.” Come for food (not on the house) and fun with your fellow postdocs and make awesome new friends (older than 21).  Hope to see you there!

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Bouldering

When | Where: new announcement coming soon…

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Hiking

When | Where: Saturday, March 16 | Sunal Regional Wilderness Hike

BLPA is excited to invite you to a hike in Sunal Regional Wilderness on Saturday, March 16, 2024. We will be hiking the Little Yosemite and Indian Joe Creek Loop. The hike is around 6.2 miles (10 km) with 1600 ft (500 m) elevation gain.

Here are the essential details for the trip:

Date: Saturday, March 16, 2024
Meeting Time:8:00 AM
Departure Time: 8:15 AM
Meeting Point: University Hall West Lot, 2123 Addison St, Berkeley, CA 94704
Secure your spot now by filling up the registration form available here.

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Slack Fun Space

We have launched a new Slack “fun space” for all LBNL and affiliated postdocs.
We have dedicated spaces to chat about housing, healthcare, taxes, COVID-19 & vaccination, hobbies & events, food, movies & tv, childcare, sell or buy stuff and even to post photos of your pets! Sign up here and join the conversation.

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Past events

Thanksgiving Pot Luck Lunch

While Thanksgiving is traditionally a time when Americans would gather with family, many postdocs live far from family or come from overseas. On Thanksgiving, November...
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Hiking: Bothe-Napa Valley State Park

On December 2, 2023, BLPA members embraced the serene beauty of Bothe-Napa Valley State Park. This hike was a delightful escape into nature, blending scenic...
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Hiking: Mt. Tallac

On November 29, 2023, the BLPA team embarked on a spectacular hike up Mt. Tallac. This exhilarating climb was not just a test of endurance...
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Hiking: Berkeley Hills

On a crisp autumn day, November 19, 2023, our BLPA community ventured out for an invigorating hike in the picturesque Berkeley Hills. Surrounded by stunning...
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Hiking: Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park

The participants of the event at Reinhardt Redwood Regional Park on Saturday, October 21st, 2023, relished their 7.5-mile hike through the hidden redwood forest, conveniently...
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Hiking: Muir Woods

On Sunday 9th April, several postdocs went for a hike in the Muir Woods National parks, near Marin County, California. It is part of the...
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Bouldering

On Saturday March 25th, many postdocs went to the Pacific Pipe to practice bouldering, a style of rock climbing. The event was well attended and...
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Hiking: Inspiration Point

On Saturday March 18th, several postdocs went for a hike in the Inspiration Point to Wildcat Peak, near Kensington. The hike was fun and hiking...
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Resources

BLPA Board

BLPA is made up of volunteers – and we are always looking to grow! Are you interested? Do you want to know about the inner workings of BLPA and contribute to the postdoc community, building a larger network? Please contact us (postdoc (at) lbl.gov) or sign up to check out one of our many committees!

 

Weronika Wolszczak

Co-chair

Nuclear Science Division

David Halat
Secretary

Materials Sciences Division

Kshitiz Gupta
Coordinator
, Social Committee

The Joint BioEnergy Institute

Rajiv Ramanujam Prabhakar
Coordinator
, Outreach Committee

Chemical Sciences Division


Trisha Kishore Bhagde
Coordinator, Lab-Industry Networking Connection (LINC) Committee

Energy Storage & Distributed Resources

Soumyadeep Ghosh
Treasurer & Webmaster

The Joint BioEnergy Institute

Emil Rofors
Board Member

Nuclear Science Division

Fatima H. Garcia
Board Member

Nuclear Science Division

Mauricio Lopez Luna
Board Member

Chemical Sciences Division/ALS

Maher Alghalayini
Board Member

Energy Technologies Area

Archana Yadav
Board Member

Earth & Environmental Sciences

Bernard Field
Board Member

Molecular Foundry

BLPA Committees

We are always on the lookout for new events that could be fun and that we can bring to the postdoc community together as well as enthusiastic individuals interested in serving the postdoc community. If you have any ideas for events, please let us know by email to postdoc@lbl.gov or by dropping a line to a board member you know. If you’d like to volunteer with BLPA, please fill out this form.

Social Committee

Social Committee puts together a wide variety of events to enrich the postdocs’ personal lives and support networking among postdocs in a social context. We organize social events and outdoor activities including movie nights, game nights, hikes, pub nights, meet & greet events as well as a labmate program for new postdocs and we are happy to include new ideas. Join us to support social interactions among postdocs at Berkeley Lab.

Outreach Committee

Outreach Committee focuses on self development and diversity & inclusion activities including brown bag seminars (postdoc-to-postdoc, science café, cultural lunch) as well as coffee with postdocs blogs, outreach events and workshops. We also enhance communication between the BLPA Board and nation-wide postdoc community and foster networking and collaborative communication across divisions. Join us in preparing seminars, workshops, blog posts, newsletters while improving your science communication and public speaking skills.

Lab-Industry Networking Connection (LINC) Committee

LINC committee organizes tech talks, company site visits, networking events and career fairs to educate postdocs about careers beyond academia and facilitate effective networking between postdocs and industry partners. Join us if you are interested in expanding your professional network and exploring opportunities beyond academia while improving your communication, networking, leadership, time and project management skills.