Speaker Information

Eligibility

To compete in the Postdoc Spotlight, postdocs must:

• Be SBU postdocs;
• Work in any disciplinary field, with those in the Fine Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences particularly encouraged to participate;
• Have advanced in their research to a stage where findings, preliminary conclusions, and broader impact can be discussed. Findings from previous research is welcome, however postdocs may only participate in the Spotlight once;
• Affirm during speaker sign-up that their supervisor supports presentation of their research; and
• Commit to participating in all 3 coaching sessions.

Coaching Sessions

As a Postdoc Spotlight competitor, you undergo research communication coaching that is grounded in techniques from the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science. Coaching takes place in small groups where peer feedback and support is expected and encouraged while students workshop their draft presentations.

To participate as a speaker in the competition, you must commit to three mandatory coaching sessions. You have the option of attending an additional fourth coaching session, which we suggest you pencil in on your calendar.

The first session will provide an overview of best practices for honing one's message for a general audience. In the second and third sessions, speakers will receive coaching on their individual talks in small groups. 

Please try to save the coaching dates on your calendar until you know you are selected.