By Emily Youngblood, Postbac in the Food Allergy Research Section, Laboratory of Allergic Diseases (LAD)
Want to learn about the research NIAID’s postbaccalaureate (postbac) trainees are conducting? The “NIAID Postbac Research Spotlight Series” is an initiative designed to highlight the work of postbacs and the incredible breadth of research being conducted at NIAID. Postbacs are provided an opportunity to give a 10-minute oral presentation on their research followed by 3 minutes of questions from attendees. The spring sessions of the 2024 Series covered parasite-bacteria relationships, mechanisms behind HIV vaccines, filoviruses, enteroviruses, optimization of lung organoids, and many more fascinating topics.
For postbacs who are nervous about speaking in front of others, participating in the Spotlight Series is a chance to practice in a low-pressure, supportive environment. Worried you don’t have data? You can instead opt to talk about gaps in your research field that you want to fill. Interested in discovering what other postbacs are accomplishing? This is the perfect setting to learn and ask questions! Other benefits include practicing how to talk about your research for interviews or future presentations and meeting other postbacs.
Presenting your research can be a daunting experience, a thorn in the side of many scientists. However, effectively communicating your science is a crucial skill for those interested in a career in research, and the more practice, the better. To that end, the Spotlight Series provides a welcoming environment where you can focus on honing your presentation skills.
“Public speaking in academic [and] research settings can be so stressful, so being able to do so in an environment where everyone is so supportive and thoughtful is incredibly empowering.” – Breanna Kim, postbac presenter
The Spotlight Series allows postbacs to present to a broader audience with varying levels of familiarity with their specific research field. While tailoring your presentation to a specific audience is an important skill, being able to simplify your research into something more digestible can be a challenge. Yet the simplest presentations can often be the most informative and engaging. When asked to reflect on her experience as a presenter, postbac Olivia Durant noted, “Presenting to a more general audience helped me distill the purpose of my research and my results into concepts that could [be] more easily…shared with others.”
The next round of sessions in the “NIAID Postbac Research Spotlight Series” will take place this summer, and the call for speakers will open in April 2024. Sign up to speak or attend a session to support your fellow postbacs! Information will be shared on the NIAID Fellows Training SharePoint site and via email. For more information contact Jennifer West, Ph.D., NIAID Postbac/Summer Intern Program Coordinator.
Spring 2024 Postbac Speakers
January 31, 2024 | NIH Main Campus Bethesda
- "Exploring the Role of Parasite MicroRNAs in Wolbachia-Host Relationships"
Hailey Johnson, Systems Genomics Section, Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases (LPD) - "Microbiome-Host Responses and Predictors of Long-Term Health Outcomes in Children With Covid-19"
Mickayla Bacorn, Clinical Microbiology Unit, Laboratory of Host Immunity and Microbiome (LHIM) - “Tgfbr1 LOF Mutation Augments IL-33 Mediated Proinflammatory Cytokine Release”
Emily Youngblood, Food Allergy Research Section, Laboratory of Allergic Diseases (LAD)
February 14, 2024 | Twinbrook
- "Prevention of Hemolysis in Erythrocytes Maintained Under P. Falciparum Culture Conditions"
Alexander Burbelo, Malaria Genetics Section (LMVR) - "Sandfly Salivary Protein LJL04 Binds to ECM Proteins and Leishmania Parasite"
Kristina Tang, Mosquito Immunity and Vector Competence (LMVR) - "HIV Vaccines Induce Hypofunctional CD8+ T Cells With Low Structural Avidity"
Jonathan Webber, HIV-Specific Immunity Section, Laboratory of Immunoregulation (LIR)
February 28, 2024 | Rocky Mountain Laboratories
- "Characterization of the ROS Response in Coxiella burnetii"
Matthew Anderson, Coxiella Pathogenesis Section, Laboratory of Bacteriology (LB) - "Characterization of Disease in IFNAR-/- Mice Following Infection With Recombinant VSV Filoviruses"
Olivia Durant, Immunobiology and Molecular Virology Unit, Laboratory of Virology (LV) - "Serological Screening for Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus (CCHFV) in South-Central Uganda"
Evan Mihalakakos, Disease Modeling and Transmission Section, Laboratory of Virology (LV) - "Optimizing the Lung Organoid Model and Differentiation of ATII into ATI"
Johan Ortiz Morales, Molecular Pathogenesis Unit, Laboratory of Virology (LV)
March 13, 2024 | NIH Main Campus Bethesda
- “Pre-Clinical Immunogenicity and Efficacy of an Intranasal Adenovirus type 4 (Ad4) - Vectored SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine”
Breanna Kim, HIV-Specific Immunity Section, Laboratory of Immunoregulation (LIR) - “Competition Dynamics in Zika Virus Antibody-Dependent Enhancement Assays”
Taylor McGee, Translational Immunobiology Unit, Laboratory of Infectious Diseases (LID) - "Deep Indel Screening Reveals Structural Constraints on Enterovirus A Evolution"
Walker Orr, Quantitative Virology and Evolution Unit, Laboratory of Viral Diseases (LVD)
Learn more about postbaccalaureate training opportunities at NIAID.