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CU �Ǹ�Թ� annually celebrates the impact of postdoctoral researchers during National Postdoc Appreciation Week, which was officially recognized by Congress in 2010 to highlight the contributions of postdoctoral scholars to academic research.

Postdocs play a vital role in advancing CU �Ǹ�Թ�’s research mission – driving innovative discoveries, collaborating across disciplines, and mentoring the next generation of researchers.

As CU �Ǹ�Թ� celebrates 150 years, the university also joins a 150-year tradition of postdoctoral research in the United States.

From September 21-25, the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (OPA) honored CU �Ǹ�Թ�'s postdocs and faculty mentors with a week of events celebrating their contributions to research, education, and the university community. Highlights included a kickoff luncheon and presentation of Outstanding Postdocs and Postdoc Mentors of the Year Awards. Additional events included a social at Fiske Planetarium, professional development sessions on mentoring and funding strategies for research, and a national lab career panel.

Shanelle Clarke accepts the Outstanding Postdoc Mentor of the Year Award on behalf of Sean Humbert, who was unable to attend

Outstanding Postdoc Mentor Award recipient, Rachel Rowe, celebrates with her nominator, Gabriel Nah

Outstanding Postdoc Mentors of the Year

The Outstanding Postdoc Mentor of the Year Award honors exceptional faculty mentors who actively engage with postdocs. Massimo Ruzzene, Senior Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation and Dean of the Institutes, presented these awards.

This year's recipients are:

Rachel Rowe (Integrative Physiology)��

Rachel was nominated by postdoctoral fellow Gabriel Nah, who described her as an exceptional mentor who recognizes the potential in each trainee and intentionally invests in helping them become confident, independent scientists and leaders. He emphasized her individualized approach to mentorship, tireless advocacy for her trainees’ professional development, and commitment to creating an inclusive and supportive scientific community that extends well beyond her own laboratory.

Sean Humbert (Mechanical Engineering)

Sean was nominated by postdoctoral associate Shanelle Clarke, who described him as “the gold standard of postdoctoral mentorship.” Clarke noted Humbert’s individualized approach to training and his commitment to preparing postdocs for independent careers, including creating opportunities for her to lead a successful Air Force Research Laboratory proposal, connect with senior federal program officers, and build her teaching portfolio.

OPA congratulates the award recipients and expresses gratitude to the faculty judges for their time and expertise.��

Outstanding Postdocs of the Year

The highly competitive Outstanding Postdoc of the Year Awards recognize CU �Ǹ�Թ� postdocs who excel in research productivity, innovation, communication, leadership and advocacy.

This year’s recipients are:

Senior Vice Chancellor Massimo Ruzzene presents the Outstanding Postdoc of the Year Awards to Anneke Kakebeen and James Crum. Also pictured is Kakebeen’s nominator, Lee Niswander

Anneke Kakebeen (Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology)

Anneke was nominated by Dr. Lee Niswander, who described her as an exceptional scientist, mentor, teacher, and communicator. Dr. Niswander emphasized Anneke’s innovative research linking lipid biology and neural development, as well as her remarkable success securing three NIH awards, including a highly competitive K99/R00. Anneke has also distinguished herself as a mentor and educator, supervising student researchers and developing an innovative undergraduate research course. Her accomplishments reflect her scientific creativity, leadership, and strong potential for an independent research career.

James Crum (Institute of Cognitive Science)

James was nominated by Dr. Leanne Hirshfield, who described him as “one of the most capable postdocs I’ve ever mentored,” highlighting his expertise in cognitive neuroscience and multimodal research methods. She praised his impressive scholarly productivity, including first-authored papers in Nature Human Behaviour and Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, as well as his leadership of complex research efforts. James has also trained graduate and undergraduate researchers, developed an open-source analysis pipeline, and pursued interdisciplinary collaborations, demonstrating the expertise and leadership needed to build an impactful research program.

Honorable Mentions

Additionally, OPA is pleased to recognize the Honorable Mentions for Outstanding Postdocs, selected from this year's many outstanding nominations.

• Avi Roy (Physics, NIST PREP)
• Brandon Hayes (INSTAAR, Mechanical Engineering)
• Gabriel Nah (Integrative Physiology)
• Prachi Dutta (Aerospace Engineering)��
• Georgios Tseropoulos (Chemical & Biological Engineering)
• Joshua Manning (Ecology & Evolutionary Biology)
• Md Azimul Haque (RASEI, National Laboratory of the Rockies)

Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellowship

2026–2027 Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellow Jasmine Garland is honored during the Postdoc & Mentor Appreciation Lunch

As part of this year’s celebrations, CU �Ǹ�Թ� recognized the 2026-2027 Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellow, Jasmine Garland (Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering), whose work exemplifies academic excellence.

Dr. Garland was recognized for her research on developing data-driven optimization and machine learning approaches to improve the resilience, reliability, and equity of energy systems under climate change. As a fellow, she will examine the climate–grid nexus by integrating extreme weather data into power system models to support climate-aware planning and operations for electrical infrastructure. Working under the mentorship of Dr. Balaji Rajagopalan, with additional guidance from Dr. Kyri Baker, her work aims to benefit communities most vulnerable to climate-driven power disruptions and energy inequities.

The fellowship provides dedicated research time and mentorship to support each fellow’s path toward a tenure-track career and deeper engagement with CU �Ǹ�Թ�'s scholarly community. Nominations are open for the 2027-2028 cycle and due November 2.

Postdoctoral Association of Colorado (PAC) �Ǹ�Թ�

PAC �Ǹ�Թ�, a volunteer organization led postdocs on campus, also recognized recent winners of its award programs. PAC �Ǹ�Թ� President Giada Bedendi highlighted the group’s mission to foster a sense of community by offering social activities for postdocs and their families. The recipients of PAC’s Travel Award and Research/Outreach Award programs were celebrated and are listed below.

• Emmaline Longnecker (Mechanical Engineering)
• Frederick Bergmann (Institute of Cognitive Science)
• Prachi Dutta (Aerospace Engineering)��

National Postdoc Appreciation Week serves as a reminder of the critical role postdoctoral scholars and their mentors play in the university’s success. Celebrations like these reinforce CU �Ǹ�Թ�’s commitment to fostering a culture of recognition and support, ensuring that postdocs feel valued, empowered, and inspired as they drive innovation and advance scholarship.