Postdocs find purpose and opportunity at UofL

Bryan Harris completed his computer science doctoral dissertation on energy efficiency and operating system design at the University of Louisville in 2024, but, as he puts it, the world moves on. 

“There is a lot going on in the field of computer science and it really shines when it is applied to something," Harris said. "You can do computer science for the sake of computer science, but when you apply it to something else, it just kind of sparkles.”

He wanted to apply his existing skills while also gaining new ones. So instead of pursuing a faculty, industry or government position, Harris took a postdoctoral fellowship to work on AI in healthcare with Professor Adel Elmaghraby in the J.B. Speed School of Engineering. A recent project included collaboration with neurological specialists in the School of Medicine to apply machine learning in the detection of Alzheimer’s Disease using MRI images. Their work suggests that in addition to the brain, the scalp and skull may be important elements in the pathway of the disease.

Many well trained and highly motivated researchers like Harris choose to broaden or deepen their research skills as postdoctoral scholars. UofL has 83 postdocs across five schools. While more than half are in the School of Medicine, others are in Arts & Sciences, Dentistry, Engineering and Public Health and Information Sciences. Postdoctoral positions offer researchers the chance to expand research skills and build collaboration networks while working as a paid researcher under a senior mentor. 

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Kaitlyn Whitefoot-Keliin began her postdoctoral position at UofL after earning her doctoral degree in biochemistry and cell biology at Central Michigan University. She now conducts research in microbiology and immunology with Professor Matthew Lawrenz to further her expertise in biodefense research.

“I ultimately decided to join his lab because the research really interests me. Matt is a good mentor, and UofL has one of only 12 regional biocontainment labs funded by the NIH in the country, so it's a very good training opportunity for somebody that's interested in my line of research,” she said. 

In Lawrenz’s lab, Whitefoot-Keliin is investigating Yersinia pestis, bacteria that cause the plague, and its ability to suppress inflammation in the host’s immune system, allowing it to replicate freely. The work is giving Whitefoot-Keliin experience in new research techniques – working in wet labs, with animal models and in the highly controlled BSL-3 laboratory. All of these will help her achieve her goal: her own university research lab.

She also was awarded a highly competitive F32 postdoctoral fellowship grant from the National Institutes of Health, giving her not only funding but experience in navigating the federal grant process. 

“F32 fellowships are highly competitive awards that recognize outstanding postdocs who have a track record of research excellence,” Lawrenz said. “They are a key first step toward eventually establishing an academic career as a faculty member.”

Career bridges

Postdoctoral fellowships are intended to be transitional experiences, setting the postdoc up for the next step in their career ladder. They are formally defined as temporary, mentored positions held by an individual possessing a terminal degree. Postdoc posts typically last from one to five years and are tied to a specific research project, said Cindi Logsdon, associate vice president for research and creative activities, who oversees UofL’s postdoctoral researchers.

“Our job is to prepare them to be launched into their own successful independent research career,” Logsdon said.

While postdocs benefit from mentorship by senior researchers, they also contribute important skills and perspectives to the mentors’ projects. They may instruct students or supervise lab staff. 

“It's a symbiotic relationship in that both the mentor and the postdoc bring something to the table,” Logsdon said. “The postdoc brings their own skill set to the relationship that accelerates the work of the mentor.”

For example, when a postdoc brings skills from one field to another, it can result in a completely new approach. 

Rachel Torres first learned to use physiological sensors as a doctoral student in translational neuroscience and spinal cord injury research in the School of Medicine. Now a postdoc working in the EAT Lab with Professor Cheri Levinson in the College of Arts and Sciences, Torres is applying her skills in physiological measurement to psychology research aimed at developing personalized treatment for eating disorders. 

“I consider myself a computational psychophysiologist. I work with AI and machine learning to see if we can predict psychological outcomes based on physiological sensors and survey responses,” Torres said.

Torres also is earning a certificate in AI in medicine and building collaborations with bioengineers in Speed School that she hopes will lead to development of the sensors needed for just-in-time adaptive interventions.

“I'm trying to get funding to take what I've learned and to translate it into something that people can use,” she said.

At the core of the postdoc experience is a desire to continue learning and adapting skills that will lead to unique new discoveries and apply them to achieve a better future for all. 

“As scientists, we're inherently doing things that have never been done before,” Torres said. “Everybody in research is learning constantly.”

Research enterprise contributors

Regardless of their field of work, postdocs provide significant contributions to the university research enterprise. Through their cutting-edge AI research, Harris and Torres are contributing to the overall research goals of the university in alignment with UofL’s Cardinal Intelligence vision, and Whitefoot-Keliin is adding a new dimension to Lawrenz’s biodefense research.

“Postdocs are critical to driving innovation in research at UofL,” said Lawrenz, who has mentored four postdocs at UofL. “They bring new perspectives and techniques to advance projects in exciting directions.”

Sept. 21-25 is National Postdoc Appreciation Week.