Quick Links
The School of Medicine offers a wide range of training resources to support postdoctoral research fellows.
Additional Resources
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All new postdoctoral fellows are required to complete IDPs with their mentor within the first year of their fellowships and update these plans annually. Learn More About IDPs.
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For information about the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training requirements for postdoctoral research fellows, visit our new RCR Resources page.
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Postdoctoral research fellows are eligible to take a limited amount courses throughout Johns Hopkins University. Rules and policies will depend upon the specific school/division that offers the course. View the Postdoctoral Fellow Course Registration Procedures.
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A resource from the National Postdoctoral Association to help postdocs understand what milestones to aim for during their postdoctoral fellowship. Read more about the timeline.
Resources for International Postdocs
Office of International Services
International trainees are served by the Office of International Services (OIS). They offer help with immigration, visa status, and legal matters. The can also offer resources for adjusting to life in the U.S. Visit the OIS Website.
Professional Development Resources for International Trainees
The Professional Development & Career Office website lists options for training in communications, grant writing, and preparing for careers after the postdoc. Learn more here.
JHU Holiday Educational Resource Reference
An educational resource guide to observed JHU holidays can be found here.
Research Training Resources
Individual Development Plans (IDPs)
All JHU postdoctoral fellows are required to have an IDP and to meet annually with their mentor to discuss IDP goals. In 2022, the School of Medicine implemented an online IDP tracking system for postdocs and their faculty PIs to use to sign and submit verification of IDP compliance with JHU requirements. Postdocs are automatically notified of their IDP submission due date each year. Once postdocs have met with their PI/mentors, they complete an online IDP checklist that both the postdoc and their PI/mentors sign and submit online. For questions, please contact our office ([email protected]). To learn more about the IDP requirement, including due dates and resources to customize your IDP meeting, visit our IDP page.
Funding your Postdoc Research
Available Funding Opportunities
Grant Writing
The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs co-hosts an advance K-Grant Award Writing Workshop with PDCO three times throughout the year. These events will be posted on our homepage as they become available. An overview of the K-Grant writing workshop can be found here.
Statistics Consulting
JHU offers several resources for postdoctoral research fellows to access for statistics consulting. Read about the different options available.
National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity
JHU is an institutional member of NCFDD, which grants you access to their resources at no cost. Sign up here. Please note that you must format your email address as @jhu.edu (rather than @jhmi.edu) when you sign up. Find more information about what they offer for postdocs.
Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Training
All postdoctoral fellows who engage in research at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine are required to complete RCR training. NIH requires a minimum of 8 hours of RCR training to be completed every 4 years. RCR requirements can be fulfilled through a combination of online training, didactic sessions, and panel discussions to meet federal guidelines. To learn more, visit Responsible Conduct of Research Program page from the Office of Policy Coordination.
Topics covered by the RCR program include: Research Misconduct, Data Acquisition and Management, Human Subjects Protections, Animal Welfare, Mentoring, Authorship, Conflicts of Interest, Collaborative Research, Peer Review, and Scientist as a Responsible Member of Society.
The three components of the RCR training program are:
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You can access this course through the myLearning JHU portal. This course has 7 sections, and completion of all sections is required.
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A series of JHU SOM faculty discussions about perspectives on their approach to and conduction of research with integrity. This series covers a broad spectrum of RCR topics and are held throughout the academic year. Note: Seven REWards workshops can be substituted for research integrity colloquia. For equivalency questions, see the Office of Policy Coordination FAQ.
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One department or division meeting per year should be dedicated to a discussion of RCR topics. Visit the Division of Research Integrity's intranet site for information on fulfilling this requirement. You can also earn RCR credit by attending the following JH Data Services workshops: 'Best Practices for Data Management and Sharing' and/or 'Introduction to Reproducible Research' and/or 'Protecting Human Subjects Data.' See below for Spring 2022 list of JH Data Services courses that SOM postdocs can take for RCR credit. For more information and to register, please contact JHU Data Services: [email protected]
JH Data Services Courses for RCR Credit
JH Data Services occasionally schedule courses postdoctoral fellows can take for RCR credit. When courses are available the information will be available here.
For more information and registration, please contact JH Data Services. For more information about School of Medicine RCR training requirements visit the RCR Program website.
Requirements for Grant Submissions
- If you are thinking about applying for a grant, you can find information on RCR requirements here for NIH Training Grants (including F and K). Find additional information about K awards (under "Additional Review Considerations").
- NIH has extended flexibility for in-person RCR training due to COVID.
- Read about the Rigor and Reproducibility training resources from the NIH.
Professional and Career Development Opportunities and Resources
The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs co-hosts a number of research training events with the PDCO including an advanced K-Grant writing workshop. More information can be found here.
The PDCO offers a number of professional development and career opportunities for JHU postdocs, including career support services, the Academic Job Search Toolkit, and the Leadership Development Toolkit.
Check out the Teaching Academy Training Resources page, which serves as a hub for past recorded workshops, courses, trainings and more!
Career Counseling
Postdoctoral fellows can make appointments for individual career counseling (matters relating to career exploration, job searches and applications, resumes, CVs, and cover letters, etc.) either by booking appointments with the PDCO through their online career services platform Handshake. Other inquiries about fellowship-specific advising not related to career counseling should be directed to the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs.
Parking and Transportation
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You can purchase the MTA College Pass through the MTA CharmPass Mobile App on your smart phone. Instructions for downloading the CharmPass to create/set-up your individual account can be found here, as well as watch a short "How To" video here.
Please note you will be required to use your JHU School of Medicine email address when registering. Once you have registered your account, please contact the SOM Business Office at [email protected] to confirm registration and activate your account. If you have questions, contact the SOM Business Office.
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Johns Hopkins provides multiple shuttles for postdoctoral fellows to make commuting from around Baltimore easier. You can find information about shuttles, the TransLoc app, and satellite parking by logging in with your JHED here.
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Departmental Postdoc Representatives
In the Fall of 2018, the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs began implementing a plan to create a forum of postdoctoral research fellows from each department in the School of Medicine to serve as representatives for their peers. We are currently identifying one postdoctoral representative from each department to communicate with the other fellows in their department, help answer questions postdocs may have, and to build a more effective channel of communication with the postdoc office. We held our first meeting with our inaugural cohort of representatives in December 2018. We are continuing to seek one representative from each department in the School of Medicine. Current representatives are listed below. New postdocs in the School of Medicine are encouraged to reach out to their departmental representative to learn more about resources available for their training.
Former Department Representatives
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Biological Chemistry
Soma Ghosh, Ph.D., completed her Ph.D. in Computational Biology at Indian Institute of Science, India, and is currently a postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Tamara O’Connor’s lab in Biological Chemistry. Soma uses a combination of computational methods and experimental techniques to uncover the key molecular events that govern Legionella pathogenesis. The presence of ~270 known translocated substrates or effectors and the inherent redundancy amongst them make Legionella an excellent model system to study bacterial pathogenesis at a systems level. In addition to efforts in the lab, Soma also volunteers for the Johns Hopkins Postdoctoral Association (JHPDA). Email: [email protected]
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Cell Biology
Dhiman Pal, Ph.D., completed his doctoral degree in Cellular and Biochemical Parasitology at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata. He is a postdoctoral fellow under the mentorship of Dr. Peter Devreotes, with whom he investigates the biochemical excitability of signal transduction networks governing chemotaxis and phagocytosis in immune cells. In addition to his research, Dhiman has volunteered for the Johns Hopkins Postdoctoral Association and a current participant in the JHU Teaching Academy. As a postdoctoral peer representative for Cell Biology, Dhiman will assist his colleagues with their concerns, provide information regarding resources available to postdocs at JHU, and serve as a direct line of communication with the postdoc office. Email: [email protected]
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Medicine - Infectious Diseases
Johan Melendez, M.S., Ph.D., is a postdoctoral research fellow in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. His current research focuses on the development, evaluation, and implementation of rapid tests for the diagnosis of STIs and characterization of antimicrobial resistant gonorrhea. Email: [email protected]
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Medicine - Neuroscience
Grace Muller, Ph.D., completed her Ph.D. in Physiology at Yale University, and is a 4th year postdoctoral fellow in Dr. David Kass’s lab in Cardiology. Grace’s research focuses on the role of the phosphodiesterase type1 (PDE1) protein in cardiac function. We have found that PDE1 inhibition enhances cardiac function in pre-clinical models. This finding can benefit heart failure patients, and we are testing this applicability in an ongoing clinical trial. In addition to efforts in the lab, Grace has volunteered for the Johns Hopkins Postdoctoral Association (JHPDA), and also serves as a peer representative to SOM postdoctoral fellows. Email: [email protected]
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Molecular and Comparative Pathobiology
Alicia Braxton, D.V.M., earned her DVM from North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine. As a postdoctoral fellow in the Molecular and Comparative Pathobiology Department, she is concurrently completing a Laboratory Animal Medicine residency and PhD training. Through the Cellular and Molecular Medicine program, Alicia is studying pancreatic precursor lesions using next generation sequencing as a strategy for early detection and prevention of pancreatic cancer in the lab of Laura Wood, M.D., Ph.D. Email: [email protected]
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Neurology
Dr. Kathryn Moss, Ph.D., is currently a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Ahmet Höke in the Neuromuscular Division of the Department of Neurology. She is interested in identifying pathomechanisms of inherited and acquired peripheral neuropathies. Her research is focused on PMP22 copy number variation disorders (Hereditary Neuropathy with Liability to Pressure Palsies [HNPP] and Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, Type 1A [CMT1A]) and Chemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neuropathy (CIPN). Specifically, she is characterizing the role of dysregulated adhesion in the demyelinating peripheral neuropathies HNPP and CMT1A and identifying mechanisms of SF3B2 downregulation-mediated neuroprotection in CIPN. Email: [email protected]
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Opthalmology
Sayantan Datta, Ph.D. Email: [email protected]
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Orthopaedic Surgery
Naomi Dirckx, Ph.D., completed her doctoral work at KU Leuven in Belgium, where she investigated the role of the skeleton in global glucose homeostasis by focusing on hypoxia signaling in the osteoblast. Currently, she is a 2nd year postdoctoral fellow under the mentorship of Dr. Thomas Clemens. She aims to discover the role of citrate in bone strength and quality and to unravel the metabolic pathways by which osteoblasts generate citrate and incorporate it into bone minerals. This project will increase knowledge about the mechanisms of new bone formation needed to develop new therapeutic strategies to tackle low bone mass disorders. She is also the current co-president of the Johns Hopkins Postdoctoral Association (JHPDA). Email: [email protected]
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Otolaryngology
Megan Beers Wood, Ph.D., is a postdoctoral research fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Paul Fuchs. Her research uses noise-induced hearing loss models to study the effect of damaging noise on the cochlea. High levels of sound can lead to cell death in the cochlea. Cochlear type II afferent neurons do not respond to sound, but do respond to cell damage. Recent work from Dr. Fuchs’ laboratory suggests that type II afferent neurons report damage and may be responsible for nociception in the ear. Her work aims to shed light on the role of type II afferent neurons in the sensation of damage and pain. Email: [email protected]
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Pathology
Parnaz Daneshpajouhnejad, M.D., obtained her medical degree from Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran and joined Johns Hopkins University to pursue her goal in becoming a future Pathologist. Parnaz has almost 10 years of research experience since medical school and is currently a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Pathology. She is working on the underlying genetic mechanisms of chronic kidney disease and age-related changes in the kidney. Her hobbies are reading novels and psychology books, playing the piano, painting, yoga, tai chi, playing tennis, and photography. Email: [email protected]
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Pediatrics
Rachel Alinsky, M.D., M.P.H., is a board-certified physician in Pediatrics and Internal Medicine. She is currently a post-doctoral fellow in Adolescent Medicine in the Department of Pediatrics and recently finished her Masters in Public Health with a concentration in Health Systems & Policy. She has spent time as both a clinical fellow and now a research fellow, and focuses on health services research regarding access to care for adolescents with substance use disorders. Email: [email protected]
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Physiology
Aline Gottlieb, M.D., earned her medical degree at the University of Duisburg-Essen and has been working in the field of Internal Medicine (Gastroenterology/Hepatology) for the past four years. In March 2019, she became a postdoctoral fellow under the mentorship of Dr. Svetlana Lutsenkos, where she studies the effects of copper misbalance on the development of liver steatosis. She is the current secretary for the Johns Hopkins Postdoctoral Association (JHPDA). Email: [email protected]
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Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Sciences
Francesca Anna Carrieri, M.S., M.S, Ph.D., was born and raised in Italy and graduated from the University of Urbino with a B.S. in Biotechnology and two M.S. degrees in Industrial Biotechnology and Molecular Biology. In 2011, she joined the Laboratory of Genetics at the National Institute on Aging as visiting fellow for three years. She then received her Ph.D. in Cell Biology from the University of Dundee in Scotland. Currently, Dr. Carrieri is a postdoctoral fellow under the mentorship of Dr. Phuoc Tran, where she investigates candidate genes involved in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) chemotherapy and radiation resistance and will develop novel mouse models of SCLC. Francesca’s long-term research goal is to develop predictive biomarkers in order to improve patient therapy responses. Email: [email protected]
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Radiology
Sanaz Ameli, M.D., received her M.D. from Tehran University of Medical Sciences in Tehran, Iran. She is currently a postdoctoral research fellow in the division of body MRI in Russell. H Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiologic Science. Her research focuses on studying malignant tumor characteristics on molecular level by using Functional MRI. Sanaz has been doing research for almost ten years and presented her results in several conferences. Email: [email protected]
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School of Public Health
Aravinthkumar Jayabalan, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow at Dr. Leung’s lab and is currently working on dissecting the physiological relevance of non-membranous structures called stress granules at School of Public Health (SPH). As the department representative of SPH, Aravinth aims to help postdocs at the School of Public Health identify all the resources available to postdocs at Johns Hopkins University ranging from professional development to community building. Email: [email protected]
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Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
Matthew Hurley, Ph.D., is a postdoctoral fellow in the Behavioral Neuroscience Lab in the Department of Psychiatry. After earning his graduate degree from Marquette University in 2018, he joined Dr. Tim Moran's lab, where he is using translational research models to understand the biological mechanisms of anhedonia in Anorexia Nervosa. Email: [email protected]
Former Department Representatives
- Bahar Tuncgenc, PhD. Kennedy Krieger Institute (2018-2019)