Expand your professional skills and prepare for your career!
This program will grow your Queen’s network and will complement your academic development.
Beginning in September during National Postdoc Appreciation Week (September 15-19, 2025) the FREE eight-month program features eight workshops and eight catered lunches with Queen’s mentors. To fit busy schedules, the sessions run between 1 to 3 hours, and the lunches are an hour long (for further details, see the menu below). The program ends with a celebratory certificate-granting reception for participants, their families, mentors, facilitators, and the community! Workshops stem from five Core Competencies based on the National Postdoctoral Association’s recommendations:
Program Requirements
Attending all eight workshops is required to complete the certificate, along with eight catered networking lunches. Space is limited, so please register for the program only if you can attend all sessions.
Individual workshops are open to all postdocs without participation in the full certificate program.
- Introduction to the Human Rights and Equity Office (December 3, 10:00-11:30am, Zoom)
- Reconciliation and enhancing engineering projects and research with Indigenous knowledge (February - to be confirmed)
- Mobilizing Research in an Evolving Media Landscape (April 1, 10:00am-12:00pm, location to be confirmed)
- Program Orientation and Mission, Vision, Values (September 18, 9:00am-12:00pm, Mac Corry B176)
- Grant Writing (January 14, 10:00am-12:00pm, Mac Corry B176)
- Developing a Teaching Dossier (November 12, 10:00-11:30am, Mac Corry B176)
- Establishing & Managing Your Lab (October 15, 9:00am-12:00pm, Mac Corry B176)
- Project Management (March 10, 10:00am-12:00pm, location to be confirmed)
- Participants are encouraged to suggest topics for discussion, which may include follow-up on workshop material
- 12-1pm in Gordon Hall room 401
- September 24, October 22, November 19, December 17, January 21, February 18, March 18, April 22
- Dates and times TBA
Additional Resources
Completing a Professional Development Plan (PDP) will help you achieve success during your fellowship by identifying areas for further growth and skills development. While completion of a PDP is not a mandatory program element, it is strongly recommended. You can find samples here:
- Queen’s IDP
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research (
- The National Postdoctoral Association (US-based) provides a .
Participants are also strongly encouraged to share their research through the following:
- School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs Research Showcases
- Grad Chat radio show
- Three-Minute Research