Postdoc LINK Research Symposium

Leadership, Innovation, Network, Knowledge

 

About Postdoc LINK

Thursday, September 17, 2026 | 10 am to 2 pm | Stony Brook Union Ballroom

Postdoc LINK is Stony Brook University’s research symposium celebrating the work, ideas, and impact of postdoctoral scholars across disciplines. LINK stands for Leadership, Innovation, Networking, and Knowledge — the core values reflected in the postdoctoral experience and in the contributions postdocs make to the university’s research community.

The symposium brings together postdocs, faculty, campus partners, and university leaders for a day of research presentations, interdisciplinary exchange, professional connection, and recognition of postdoctoral achievement.

Agenda

Time Details Location

9:30 am to 10 am

Coffee and Registration

Union Ballroom (Lobby)

10 am to 10:15 am

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Union Ballroom

10:15 am to 11 am

LINK Lightning Talks

Union Ballroom

11 am to 11:15 am

Break

 

11:15 am to 12 pm

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Sonali Majumdar,

author of Thriving As An International Scientist

Union Ballroom

12 pm to 1 pm

Lunch and Poster and Networking Session

Union Ballroom

1 pm to 2 pm

LINK Innovation Showcase

Union Ballroom

2 pm to 2:15 pm

Break

 

2:15 pm to 2:30 pm

Awards and Closing

Union Ballroom

 

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Sonali Majumdar

Sonali Majumdar

Dr. Sonali Majumdar is an international scientist, author, higher education administrator, and educator whose career has centered on innovation, problem solving, and preparing PhDs and postdocs for dynamic career paths. Born and raised in India, she began her career in healthcare as a clinical embryologist, where she was part of a small team of physicians and embryologists that built a new IVF center in Kolkata—an early experience with entrepreneurship in healthcare.

After moving to the United States, she earned her PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Georgia and completed postdoctoral training at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Her research has explored RNA-protein complexes across areas including CRISPR-Cas bacterial immunity, brain development, and cancer-associated mutations. She later transitioned into higher education administration to strengthen graduate and postdoctoral training, building professional development programs for PhDs and postdocs at the University of Virginia and now through GradFUTURES at Princeton University.

Her book, Thriving as an International Scientist, draws on her experience as a career educator and mentor to support international STEM PhDs, postdocs, faculty advisors, and managers with practical strategies for career success.

 

Postdoc Presenters

Meet the postdoctoral scholars sharing their research, ideas, and innovations at Postdoc LINK. 

Stephanie Nehasil

Stephanie Nehasil

School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences

Title: Finding right whales in a changing ocean: linking prey dynamics and survey effort

Samantha Cobos

Samantha Cobos

Neurobiology and Behavior

Title: Cogs in the Machine: How Throwing a Wrench in Gene Silencing Machinery Alters TDP-43-based Neurodegeneration in Drosophila melanogaster

Alexandra Good

Alexandra Good

School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences

Title: Coral reefs catch diseases too: how to model an outbreak underwater

Darla Migan

Darla Migan

Philosophy

Title: Curating Contemporary Art as Public Philosophy

John Chen Headshot Placeholder

John Chen

Neurobiology and Behavior

Title: Premotor control of preparatory activity in the gustatory cortex

Alix de Jersey

Alix de Jersey

School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences

Title: From discovery to cross-species validation: a pathway-level biomarker of plastic exposure in seabirds

Zachary Hobel

Zachary Hobel

Neurobiology and Behavior

Title: A novel basolateral amygdala to dorsolateral striatum projection modulates stimulus-evoked motor behavior

Bahman Khalvatifahlyani

Bahman Khalvatifahlyani

Pathology

Title: Comprehensive LC-MS/MS Profiling Enables Isomer-Specific Quantification of 4E- and 14Z-Deoxyceramides

Yixin Li

Yixin Li

Radiology

Title: Improving 3D Breast Imaging Through Advanced Computational Reconstruction

Romario Matos

Romario Matos

Microbiology and Immunology

Title: Age-dependent CNS cellular responses to Powassan virus infection reveal neurodegenerative signatures and APP/Aβ accumulation

Mohammad Moniruzzaman

Mohammad Moniruzzaman

Psychiatry and Chemistry

Title: A Highly Efficient Desilylative 11C-Methylation Protocol of (Hetero) Aryltrialkoxysilanes Mediated by Fluoride and Palladium

Swetha Murthygowda

Swetha Murthygowda

Anesthesiology

Title: Early life social isolation primes flies for more rapid TDP-43 dependent neurodegeneration later in life

Neetika Jaisinghani

Neetika Jaisinghani

Pharmacology

Title: Loss of riboflavin biosynthesis leads to accumulation of select aromatic amino acids and loss of infectivity in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Mason Youngblood

Mason Youngblood

Institute for Advanced Computational Science

Title: Complexity and structure in nonhuman vocal culture

Kanti Mihooliya

Kanti Mihooliya

Medicine

Title: Fighting Drug-Resistant Klebsiella with Antibodies

Jaclyn Mauro

Jaclyn Mauro

Chemistry

Title: Catch-and-Release Radiolabeling: A Novel Strategy for PET Tracer Development

 

Program Highlights

Awards

Awards, sponsored by the Department of Microbiology and Immunology and Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, will recognize outstanding postdoctoral achievement in research communication, innovation, poster presentation, leadership, and mentorship.

Award Categories

  • Postdoc LINK Lightning Award
  • Postdoc LINK Innovation Award
  • Postdoc LINK Poster Presentation Award
  • Best Faculty Mentor of a Postdoc
  • Postdoc LINK Leadership Award

Campus Partners

For questions about Postdoc LINK, please contact the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs at postdocs@stonybrook.edu.