About PAC
The Postdoctoral Association of Colorado (PAC) was formed in 2004 to serve the needs of individuals holding postdoctoral positions at the University of Colorado Boulder or in the national labs collaborating on campus research projects. The PAC is an association run by postdocs for postdocs. Our goal is to create an environment that fosters professional advancement through programming, support services, and networking opportunities for all Postdocs (and to have a little fun along the way!).
If you are interested, we are always looking for new members to join, and we welcome new ideas for how to better serve the postdoc community. Feel free to contact us at pacboulder@gmail.com
PAC Mission Statement
PAC's mission is to provide an environment that fosters professional advancement through programming, support services, and networking opportunities for all Postdoctoral fellows. Through these activities, we as postdocs will be better able to define our roles in the university and community, allowing us to become successful educators, researchers and professionals.
We are convinced that diversity enriches both the scientific community and society at large, and that the full benefit of this diversity can only be reached if every human being feels safe and welcome in their community. As a postdoctoral community of Boulder, we commit to actively work towards creating a safe environment and equal opportunities for all postdocs, independent of their background, origin, gender, race, sexual orientation and identity, religion, ability, accessibility, and intellectual or socioeconomic status. We commit to use our influence in the scientific community to amplify the voices of underrepresented and historically marginalized groups and to help dismantle institutional racism and discrimination of any sort.
You can find the bylaws .
The and Dean of the Graduate School at the University of Colorado at Boulder placed supports for postdoctoral fellows under the Graduate Teacher Program in 2003. An initial Postdoc focus group requested that the university provide professional development to address Postdoc's unique needs and positions, specifying a focus on training for faculty and research positions, job search support, research team management techniques, and an introduction to nonacademic or alternative career paths for individuals who hold the doctorate. Because the Graduate Teacher Program offers extensive preparing future faculty activities and two certificates in teaching at the university level as well as a Professional Development Certificate for Business, Government, Industry, and the Arts, postdoctoral fellows were referred to the Graduate Teacher Program for training in teaching.
In 2004, CU Boulder joined a national survey effort on postdoctoral fellows led by Sigma XI. Survey data on the 50 institutions surveyed, as well as answers to the 17 questions posed locally to postdoctoral fellows in the Boulder area, underscored the need to provide professional development for both academic and nonacademic careers for postdoctoral fellows. In 2004, we created the Postdoctoral Association of Colorado (PAC) to give a public face to our support for postdocs in the Boulder area. Postdoctoral fellows at the University of Colorado at Boulder and in the National Labs are welcome to attend teacher training activities through the Graduate Teacher Program and to participate in all Postdoctoral Association of Colorado activities.
In 2011, the PAC, originally working with the graduate school, moved to the Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Research (OVCR) under administrative supervision of Senior Associate Vice Chancellor for Research, Patricia Rankin.
In 2016, the PAC faced a new page of its history with the creation of the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (OPA). The PAC and OPA are work together to enhance the postdoctoral experience on campus.
If you are interested, we are always looking for new members to join, and we welcome new ideas for how to better serve the postdoc community. Feel free to contact us at pacboulder@gmail.com