Dr. Bhavin Pradhan

I am an engineer-turned-policy researcher specializing in energy transition, energy justice, and public policy evaluation. As a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, I apply interdisciplinary computational and causal inference methods to study energy efficiency, electric utility regulation, and social welfare programs. My research in The Chan Lab, led by Dr. Gabriel Chan, focuses on reducing energy poverty, evaluating the impacts of federal and state energy programs using large administrative datasets, and developing data-driven indicators to study energy justice in the U.S.

In addition to research, I teach as an Adjunct Faculty at the Humphrey School, where I have instructed courses in Statistics for Public Affairs and Energy Justice & Equity. My work extends beyond academia as a Senior Research Fellow at Policy Entrepreneurs Inc. (PEI) Nepal, advising on projects that examine the impact of electrification on climate resilience and the role of improved cookstoves in enhancing livelihoods. Previously, I worked with the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) as a Consultant Advisor to the Federal and Provincial governments of Nepal, leading initiatives in electric mobility. I also worked with German International Cooperation (GIZ) under the Energizing Development (EnDev) program, supporting renewable energy and rural energy access projects in Nepal.

I hold a Ph.D. in Public Affairs (Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy) from the University of Minnesota, a Master’s in Energy Economics and Policy from the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Thailand, and a Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering from Tribhuvan University, Nepal. I am also a member of the Minnesota Population Center.

My works has been featured in:

Grist: A lack of data hampers efforts to fix racial disparities in utility cutoffs

Canary Media: Minnesota advocates push for pause on utility shutoffs after study reveals racial disparities 

Dr. Cam Mosley

Dr. Cam Mosley is a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Gretchen Hansen’s lab on the St. Paul UMN campus in the Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology Department. Cam’s research focuses on fisheries ecology in lakes, specifically how climate change and competition influence freshwater fish population dynamics and lake ecosystem functions. Their hobbies include fishing, camping, hiking, and cooking. Cam also enjoys exploring the Twin Cities and trying diverse cuisine. Cam became involved in PDA leadership last Fall to connect with the broader postdoctoral community at UMN and be a positive force of change towards postdoctoral well-being. They are a policy liaison officer within the PDA and hope to work closely with university administration and the PDA board to collaborate on innovative initiatives that increase the support for UMN postdocs. This position is very special to Cam as they greatly enjoyed working with their university staff in graduate school as president of several campus organizations and a student advisory council member to advocate for graduate and professional student well-being.  

Department: Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology 

Dr. Sachin Dhanda

I grew up on a family farm in Haryana, a state in northern India, where my early exposure to agriculture sparked a deep interest in the field. As a first-generation student, I completed my B.Sc. (Honors) in Agriculture from CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, Haryana, India. My fascination with weed science deepened during my undergraduate studies, and I was awarded an Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Junior Research Fellowship to pursue my Master's degree. I completed my M.S. in Agronomy, specializing in weed science, at Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab, India. In May 2024, I earned my Ph.D. in Agronomy with a focus on weed science from Kansas State University. Currently, I am a Postdoctoral Associate in Dr. Debalin Sarangi’s lab in the Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics at UMN.

As Vice President of the UMN Postdoc Association (PDA), I have been able to enhance my professional skills by organizing events, facilitating discussions on research and career development, and collaborating with fellow postdocs to improve the overall postdoctoral experience at UMN. This leadership role has expanded my network, refined my abilities, and provided me with valuable insights into navigating the academic landscape. I have also gained a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by postdocs, and we are actively working to create a more supportive and enriching environment for our community. Additionally, I serve as a co-chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee in the Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics at UMN.

Department: Agronomy and Plant Genetics

Upendra Chalise, PhD

I am a postdoctoral fellow in the cardiology division of the department of medicine at the U working under the supervision of Dr. Jop van Berlo. Through my research at van Berlo lab, I am trying to better understand how immune responses after cardiac injury regulates the cardiac wound healing response. My PhD at the University of Nebraska Medical Center focused on the role of early inflammation on acute cardiac remodeling after heart attack. Currently, I serve as a president of the UMN postdoctoral association (PDA), where we collectively advocate for postdoctoral fellows’ career and professional development along with improving benefits and working conditions.

My research interest in cardiovascular disease stems from my family health history as I have lost three of my four grandparents either due to a cardiac event, heart failure or vascular complications. Here at the U, I am specifically working on cardiac pressure overload, a non-ischemic cardiac injury, which is prevalent in hypertension and aortic stenosis. These injuries cause damages in the cardiac cells and activate immune responses, which in-turn does more harm than good. My project examines how immune cell activation, such as neutrophils and macrophage, plays a role in heart failure progression during cardiac pressure overload. Inflammatory cells are perpetrators of worse cardiac outcomes in heart failure and identifying the knowledge gaps could serve as the next therapeutic avenue that could save millions of people, globally.

Besides my research, I am a staunch advocate for improving academia for trainees. I have been serving in the UMN PDA as a steering committee member since joining UMN

and have been elected as the president of the new executive committee. We, at the PDA, advocate for improving postdoctoral fellows’ salaries and benefits, as well as provide career and professional development opportunities and peer-support to all postdoctoral associates and fellows. PDA has given me leadership opportunities to be able to stand-up for things that I am passionate about. I also serve as an upcoming chair of the Trainee Advisory Committee of American Physiology Society, Cardiovascular committee.

Department: Medicine

Research profile: https://orcid.org/my-orcid?orcid=0000-0002-7798-7697

Research to highlight:

‘Realizing the price of academic freedom,’ American Journal of Physiology, Dec. 2023.

Becky Forgrave, PhD

I am a Postdoctoral Associate with the Minneapolis St. Paul Metropolitan Area Long Term Ecological Research project where I am part of a multidisciplinary team of researchers within and beyond the UMN focusing on the connections between people and nature in the Twin Cities. My current research focuses on understanding relationships between different metrics of landscape urbanization and lake water quality. 

I completed my B.A. in Environmental Science from Colby College in 2014 and my PhD in the Department of Geology and Environmental Science at the University of Pittsburgh in 2022.  My dissertation focused on understanding how the altered hydrology of urban buried streams affects biogeochemical cycling at storm flow and baseflow conditions.  I also worked for a year as an ORISE Postdoctoral Fellow hosted at the EPA Office of Research and Development in Cincinnati, OH where I worked on modeling the impacts of agricultural wetland restoration on downstream nitrate loads. 

In the past year at UMN I have focused on building ways for postdocs to connect to each other, starting the postdoc welcoming committee in the EEB department and serving as the PDA communications officer. I have really appreciated being able to welcome new postdocs to the UMN and highlight events around campus.

When I'm not on campus, I can be found cruising around on my bike on my quest to cycle every street in the City of Minneapolis, or paddleboarding through the chain of lakes.

Department: Ecology, Evolution & Behavior

Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ZDSQh-wAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao

Personal website: https://beckyforgrave.weebly.com/

Harry Tran, PhD

I completed my education in France, where I investigated the well-known "Jennifer Aniston neurons" and the face-selectivity properties of neurons. In January 2020, I joined the Biomedical Engineering Department as a postdoctoral researcher and am currently transitioning to a research scientist role. My research primarily focuses on understanding the behavioral and physiological effects of non-invasive brain stimulation on neural activity, with the aim of developing new methods to help individuals suffering from brain disorders. My work spans computational simulations, human research, and animal studies.

I have served as the treasurer of the PDA for nearly two years, while also contributing as a member of both the Policy & Advocacy and Social Committees. Throughout this time, I have managed budgets, overseen expenditures, and worked diligently to enhance the working conditions for postdoctoral researchers, striving to foster a more supportive and productive environment.

Serving as treasurer of any association is a pivotal responsibility, and I have collaborated closely with fellow PDA leaders to ensure the financial stability of the organization throughout multiple fiscal years. This role has provided invaluable experience in team dynamics, communication, and leadership, significantly enhancing my ability to steer group initiatives effectively. In addition to honing my financial management skills, it has also given me the opportunity to connect with researchers from diverse departments and broaden my professional network.

Department: Biomedical Engineering

Courtney Matson, PhD

My name is Courtney Matson and I am a Cancer Research Institute Weismann Fellow in Dr. David Masopust’s lab at the Center for Immunology. I completed my Bachelor's at James Madison University in 2015 and my PhD in July of 2020 at the University of Maryland Baltimore School of Medicine where I studied the internal circuitry of T cell signaling. My postdoctoral research focuses on tissue resident memory T cells that live in all your body’s tissues and provide a first line of defense against pathogens and cancer. Unfortunately, these T cells also contribute to autoimmune diseases, and I am hoping to understand how these cells play both protective and pathogenic roles to develop new strategies for immunotherapies. I am hoping to move into an academic faculty position to continue to pursue these questions in a variety of autoimmune conditions to dissect how our immune system plays a central role in the initiation, maintenance, and resolution of autoimmunity. 

Outside of the lab, I love to explore Minnesota, read cliche rom coms, crochet and knit, and spend time with my cats, Wallace and Gromit. As a first-generation scholar, I love to teach, mentor, and provide outreach to support interest and accessibility to pursue STEM higher education. I am also very passionate about improving the postdoctoral experience. I worked with the Postdoctoral Association as well as the Medical School Postdoctoral Council the past two years to develop and implement new policies for postdocs. I am looking forward to seeing some of these projects come to fruition here at UMN and continue these endeavors as I lead my own lab in the future!

ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Courtney-Matson-2

Department: Center for Immunology

Melissa Simone, PhD

I am an eating disorders T32 postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences and the Division of Epidemiology & Community Health. I obtained my Ph.D. in quantitative psychology and sociobehavioral epidemiology in 2018 from Utah State University. Shortly after completing my Ph.D., I moved to Minnesota to pursue additional training in multidisciplinary eating disorder research.

My research interests are centered on understanding the socio-ecological risk and resilience factors that contribute to disparities in mental health and well-being in queer and trans young people and investigating possible avenues by which such disparities might be rectified. My research considers mechanisms across multiple domains and levels of influence (e.g., interpersonal, community, structural) through the application of advanced statistical methods that illustrate the complexity of factors contributing to health disparities. As an applied methodologist, I aim to develop more nuanced psychometric tools in populations that have been historically excluded from psychometric research. Psychometric studies are crucial in the health disparities research as many of the commonly used measures were developed for and validated in largely homogenous groups (e.g., White, well-educated), and thus may underestimate or fail to detect pertinent factors as experienced by young people with socially minoritized identities. Thus, my quantitative research works to develop and validate psychometric tools that accurately reflect the experience of diverse populations.

As a first -eneration scholar, I am passionate about teaching and mentoring students who have been historically excluded from academic spaces and I am deeply committed to increasing access to research, mentorship, and sponsorship to trainees. When I’m not working, I enjoy spending time with my dog and partner, taking care of my houseplants, and outdoor activities like mountain biking, hiking, and kayaking.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/m_simonephd

Researchgate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Melissa_Simone2

Department: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

Sam Nemanich, PhD, MSCI

PDA Steering Committee Member

I am a post-doctoral associate in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine and Division of Physical Therapy. My work focuses on children and infants who have experienced brain injuries such as a stroke, and developing novel and effective rehabilitation interventions to improve their movement function.

I was fortunate to be a recipient of the PDA career development award, and have been involved with the PDA steering committee since last fall. I will also be post-doctoral representative working with the Graduate School-wide writing initiative advisory committee.  My goal is to contribute to the development of the post-docs at UMN. I regret not getting involved with the PDA sooner as there are many great opportunities to advocate and connect with other members. 

My spouse Sarah is also a post-doc at UMN, and we have two children: Theodore, 3 and Lucille, 8 months. Most of our time is spent with them, and when it’s warm, we love biking around Minneapolis and enjoying its wonderful park system.

Katie Block, PhD

PDA Secretary

PDA Communications and Outreach

Hello! I am a postdoctoral fellow in the Center for Immunology and study the effects of infectious history on the immune response to allergens. I joined the PDA and took over “Communications and Outreach” in 2016 and was elected Secretary this academic year. You probably met me at the PDA table if you went to New Employee Orientation, and I send you these newsletters twice a month. I also re-made our website this year (have you checked out pda.umn.edu yet?). I got involved with the Postdoc Association because there are a lot of resources available to postdocs, but we don’t always know what’s out there for us. It’s my goal to help postdocs find the resources they need, and help create them when they don’t yet exist (like the NIH K Award workshop I co-organized this winter). When I’m not in the lab and there aren’t three feet of snow on the ground, you can find me kayaking on one of Minneapolis’ lakes.