Colloquium, Dr. Shilpa Sharma, UWM Chemistry Postdoctoral Research Scholar

The transition from graduate school to a postdoctoral position often brings changes in expectations, responsibilities, and ways of thinking about research and career goals. In this seminar, I will share my experience moving from graduate training into a postdoc, focusing on what felt different, what was challenging, and what I wish I had known earlier.

We will begin with a brief overview of my academic background and how I approached the postdoc application process, including factors that influenced my decision. I will then discuss key differences between graduate school and postdoctoral work, such as increased independence, shifting mentoring dynamics, and expectations around productivity and ownership of research.

The seminar will also include an overview of how I initiated my postdoctoral research. I will present three projects I have worked on, highlighting the scientific questions, computational approaches, and selected results to illustrate how research projects develop in a new environment.

Finally, I will reflect on broader topics such as skill development, work-life balance, and how I am thinking about future career directions. The goal of this seminar is to provide a practical and honest perspective that may help graduate students better prepare for the transition to a postdoc.