Postdoctoral Teaching Academy Graduates First Cohort of Fellows

Congratulations to the pilot cohort of 18 postdoctoral scholars who completed the inaugural Postdoctoral Teaching Academy in 2025-2026. Certificates were presented at a lunch on Wednesday, May 14, 2026. 

Graduate students have opportunities to teach at UT Austin as Teaching Assistants and Assistant Instructors, but postdoctoral scholars are more often working outside the classroom. This means that postdocs typically don’t have the opportunity to grow their teaching and mentoring experience until they go on the job market. 

A survey conducted by UT System of postdoctoral scholars across the System’s academic institutions indicated that 50% of postdoctoral scholars responding wanted an opportunity to develop their competencies in teaching and mentoring. These postdocs expressed the desire for opportunities to improve their teaching experience through formal programs. 

Associate Dean of Postdoctoral Affairs, Lydia Contreras, and Director of Postdoctoral Affairs, Del Watson, saw a need for a teaching program tailored to the unique needs of postdoctoral fellows at the University. The Postdoctoral Teaching Academy provided an opportunity for highly motivated postdoctoral scholars to build their knowledge and confidence around evidence-based teaching practices. The skills and teaching experience developed through the program are transferable to a wide range of careers within and outside academia. 

“As I prepare for the job market, I have sometimes felt less confident about my teaching experience because much of my background has been in mentoring rather than formal classroom teaching,” YeonHa Ju, postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and graduate of the Teaching Academy, said. “When I first saw the advertisement for the Postdoc Teaching Academy, I immediately thought, ‘This is exactly what I need right now.’” 

As part of the program, postdocs met for nine weeks in workshops and discussion sections co-hosted by the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs and former Center for Teaching and Learning. The workshops covered topics such as building course materials, utilizing technology in the classroom, pedagogical approaches, and how to engage and assess students. Postdoctoral scholars had an opportunity to build teaching competencies, apply skills in a teaching session, prepare components of a teaching portfolio, and received mutual support from postdocs across disciplines as they worked to achieve their teaching goals. 

“I am confident that the knowledge and skills I gained through the Teaching Academy will be highly valuable in my future teaching and mentoring,” Yelim Hong, postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Educational Psychology and a graduate of the Teaching Academy, said. “I learned the importance of developing clear learning goals for each class and ensuring that every assignment has a meaningful purpose that connects directly to those goals.” 

With assistance from Bob Duke, University of Texas System Distinguished Teaching Professor, this initial pilot program culminated with an opportunity for the participant to deliver 1-2 guest lectures under the guidance of a faculty mentor. 

“It was amazing to learn alongside a cohort of postdocs who were also applying for jobs and developing their own teaching visions,” Dale Forrister, postdoctoral fellow in Integrative Biology and a graduate of the Teaching Academy, said. “The skills we learned have already helped me put together stronger applications and made me a more competent interviewer. I'm excited to apply these skills when I finally land a position and begin teaching.” 

The graduates of the 2025-2026 Postdoctoral Teaching Academy are as follows: