September 20, 2024

By Katya Hrichak

In a vibrant celebration of academic excellence and community spirit, five outstanding postdoctoral scholars were honored with prestigious Postdoc Achievement Awards during Cornell’s celebration of National Postdoc Appreciation Week, held from Sept. 16-20.

Cornell is home to 789 postdoctoral scholars spread across nearly 90 departments where they play vital roles in the university’s research, teaching, and extension missions, contributing significantly to its global reputation.

The Postdoc Achievement Awards recognize individuals who have made contributions to community and show commitment to promoting inclusion at Cornell and in society. Winners were nominated and endorsed by letters from faculty, staff, and graduate and undergraduate students in one or more categories.

The awards and recipients are:

• Achievement Award for Excellence in Community Engagement: Reum Scott, Ph.D. ’19 (materials science and engineering and chemistry and chemical biology)
• Achievement Award for Excellence in Leadership: Sabrina Axster (Migrations Program, Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies)
• Achievement Award for Excellence in Mentoring: Alexandra Easley (chemistry and chemical biology), Andrew Orkney (biomedical sciences), and Jonathan Sogin, Ph.D. ’23 (food science)

“It has been such a pleasure working at Cornell this past year. I am part of a team with amazing faculty leadership and program management staff who have given me the space to show initiative and suggest and explore new ideas and have supported my academic career,” said Axster. “Receiving the award was a wonderful way of finding out they appreciate me as much as I appreciate them.”

Sogin also found the award to signify that the work he is doing is meaningful.

“When I’m ‘in the weeds’ and working far away, it’s easy to overlook the impact of my work. Receiving the Postdoc Achievement Award for Excellence in Mentoring has provided me with an opportunity to reflect and some assurance that I’m doing something right,” he said. “I am grateful to my colleagues for nominating me for this award, and I hope my mentoring abilities continue to improve and become more effective.”

For Easley, the Postdoc Achievement Award is a recognition of her efforts to pay it forward.

“I have been so fortunate to have mentors that have acted as role models, cheerleaders, and advocates throughout my academic journey. My success, development, and growth as a researcher, academic, and person are because of the mentors I have had along the way,” she said. “As a postdoc, I have tried to do my best to do the same for the students I work with. I am so honored to receive this award for my mentorship, and I am even more awestruck that my mentees were part of the nomination process.” Easley is a Klarman Fellow in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Award recipients were recognized during a Postdoc Appreciation and Awards Reception, held on Sept. 17.

“Postdocs do excellent work across the university and the community,” said Christine Holmes, director of postdoctoral studies. “The Postdoc Appreciation Awards are one way we like to recognize and celebrate the impact of our postdocs.”                                                             

The Postdoc Achievement Awards were established in 2018 and are awarded annually to postdoctoral scholars at Cornell.