2024 UMN Postdoc Awards

Congratulation to the 2024 UMN Postdoc Award recipients! 

The University of Minnesota is proud to train, support and promote its postdoctoral researchers, who are active members of the University's Twin Cities and Duluth communities. To recognize the postdoctoral researchers' valuable contribution to the University’s mission, the Postdoctoral Association has provided awards for outstanding contributions in each of the following areas:


The PDA thanks the following groups for their financial contributions to the awards: Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Initiatives, Office of Professional Development in the Medical School, College of Biological Sciences, and College of Science and Engineering.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in our Academic Community

Dr. Safia Jilani

Department of Chemistry; College of Science and Engineering

Honorable Mentions

Dr. Kate Kostenkova (Department of Medical Chemistry; College of Pharmacy)


Impactful Research

Dr. Sachin Dhanda

Department of Agronomy & Plant Genetics; College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resources Sciences

Dr. DJ McDonough

Department of Epidemiology & Community Health; School of Public Health

Dr. Alireza Sanaeifar

Department of Bioproducts & Biosystems Engineering; College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resources Sciences, College of Science and Engineering


Dr. Jie Yang

Department of Bioproducts & Biosystems Engineering; College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resources Sciences, College of Science and Engineering


Honorable Mentions

Dr. Kunlun Qi (Department of Mathematics; College of Science and Engineering)


Teaching and Mentoring

Dr. Serap Vatansever

Department of Food Science  & Nutrition; College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resources Sciences

Dr. Amol Vivek Patwardhan

Department of Physics & Astronomy; College of Science and Engineering

Dr. Petra Vande Zande

Department of Microbiology & Immunology; Medical School

Dr. Valeriia Yustyniuk

Department of Veterinary Population Medicine; College of Veterinary Medicine

Honorable Mentions

Dr. Diana C. Lopez Arias (Department of Horticultural Science; College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resources Sciences)


Service to our Academic Community

Dr. Upendra Chalise

Department of Cardiology; Medical School 

Outreach and Communication with the Non-Academic Community