LINK Lightning Talks
Postdoctoral scholars will share concise research presentations designed for an interdisciplinary audience.
Leadership, Innovation, Network, Knowledge
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.
| 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 |
|
|
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. |
Meet the postdoctoral scholars sharing their research, ideas, and innovations at Postdoc LINK.

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

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

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

Title: Curating Contemporary Art as Public Philosophy

Title: Premotor control of preparatory activity in the gustatory cortex

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

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

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

Title: Improving 3D Breast Imaging Through Advanced Computational Reconstruction

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

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

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

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

Title: Complexity and structure in nonhuman vocal culture

Title: Fighting Drug-Resistant Klebsiella with Antibodies

Title: Catch-and-Release Radiolabeling: A Novel Strategy for PET Tracer Development
Postdoctoral scholars will share concise research presentations designed for an interdisciplinary audience.
Attendees will have the opportunity to connect with postdocs, campus partners, and colleagues across disciplines.
Postdocs will present innovative ideas, technologies, or approaches with potential research, entrepreneurial, policy, or community impact.
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.
For questions about Postdoc LINK, please contact the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs at postdocs@stonybrook.edu.