This year, the very first edition of Postdoc Appreciation Week NL (#PAW-NL) will take place from September 15–19, 2025. The event aims to highlight the vital role of postdocs in academia and celebrate their successes, as well as to draw attention to their perspectives, broad potential, and needs for a successful future both within and beyond academia. APH is proud to participate in this nationwide initiative, with a range of activities organized especially for our APH postdocs. Join us for a week of activities celebrating your dedication and hard work as a postdoc. We look forward to welcoming you!
Check out the flyer below for a brief overview of the full week program of APH activities during Postdoc Appreciation Week, or read the detailed descriptions of the activities below.
Lunch talks: from struggles to success for APH postdocs in academia
Monday September 15, 11:30-13:00 (including lunch buffet)
An interactive meeting will be organized that brings together PIs and postdocs for talks about career challenges and experiences, fostering open dialogue for career success. A lunch will be provided to all participants during the session.
Location: VU campus, Main building
Participation is free, but there are limited spots available. Register here!
Professional portrait photos for APH postdocs
Tuesday September 16, 10:00-12:00
Professional portrait photos are important because they can make a powerful first impression and convey a sense of trust and credibility. They are essential for both personal and professional purposes, and can contribute to building a strong brand and a positive reputation for you as a person within or without academia. During the activity, your professional portrait photo will be taken by professional photographer Laura Ponchel. After a week you will receive your photos in high quality per email.
Location: VU campus, NU-building
Participation is free, but there are limited spots available. Register here!
Professional portrait photos for postdocs from all research institutes
From all the research institutes of Amsterdam UMC collectively, we are offering all postdocs the opportunity to have their professional portrait photo taken. This can be done on various days at the locations below between 10:00 and 16:00.
- Monday: VUMC - O2 Lab Building "pop up" room
- Tuesday: AMC - AMC staff entrance M01
- Wednesday: VU - VU University Medical Faculty Hallway A3
- Thursday: AMC - AMC D3-212
Participation is free, but there are limited spots available. Register here!
Workshops for APH postdocs
Workshop: Let your voice be heard
Wednesday September 17, 13:30-17:00
Postdoc researchers are often very busy with various tasks and regularly take work home or on vacation. At the same time, it is often difficult to say no when someone asks them to do something. How can you politely say what you mean? And stand up for your own interests without damaging the relationship? How can you raise your voice occasionally without getting a headache? During this workshop, we will do many short exercises, including different styles of conflict management and different ways to say no. We will also work on cases from the participants. We will conclude by formulating goals: what will participants change? This workshop is provided by Kiki Hohnen (Hertz training).
Location: VU campus, NU-building
Participation is free, but there are limited spots available. Register here!
Workshop: Overcoming the imposter syndrome
Thursday September 18, 13:30-17:00
Unfortunately, many scientists suffer from the so-called Imposter syndrome, or imposter phenomenon. They constantly evaluate themselves critically: “I'm not adding anything new”, “Others would probably have done this much better”. How do you deal with these paralyzing thoughts? In this workshop, you will receive tips on how to overcome the imposter syndrome. For example, by learning not to relate all failures to yourself. We will also discuss factors that contribute to imposter syndrome and how you can reduce them. This workshop is provided by Kiki Hohnen (Hertz training).
Location: VU campus, NU-building
Participation is free, but there are limited spots available. Register here!
Spotlighting APH postdocs
Keep an eye on the APH communication channels. Every day during the Postdoc Appreciation Week, APH postdocs will be put in our spotlight, featuring an interview.
APH LinkedIn - APH Instagram - APH webpage
Visit the Postdoc Appreciation Week NL webpage to learn more about this nationwide initiative and discover additional activities for postdocs.