The Postdoc Teaching Opportunities Program

The Postdoc Teaching Opportunities Program (PTOP) is a volunteer organization of postdocs and others working to advocate for UC Berkeley postdocs across all disciplines to acquire experience and expertise in teaching college-level courses at community colleges, liberal arts colleges, and universities in the Bay Area. The PTOP program also aims to address transparency issues regarding postdoc teaching positions and improve teaching opportunities for postdocs at UC Berkeley.

Upcoming Events

How to Write a teaching Statement

Friday May 27th , 10am-11am, 309 Sproul Hall
stay tuned for more update!

Join Us:

  • We are looking for new members! Feel free to contact us at ptop-vspa@berkeley.edu if you're interested in joining the PTOP borad.
  •  

Faculty job resources

We are summerizing from available sources in terms of faculty job recruiting information. You can find the list here. 

Feel free to reach out if you have more resouces that would like us to add into the list : ) 

Teaching Resources for Postdocs at UCB：

Contact Us

ptop-vspa@berkeley.edu

join our mailist : )  (click "join group" next to the PTOP Mailing List)

submit your anonymous feedback here. 

Past Event(s)

  • Landing a Faculty Position at a Teaching Institution (Thursday 19th March, 10am-11am, 309 Sproul Hall)

  • Pathways to Scientific Teaching, two-day seminar taught by Diane Ebert-May, hosted by VSPA (February 11 and 12, 2026)

  • SLAM presents: Teaching in the California Community College system- a career option. Nov. 10 2025,  5:30 pm. 177 Stanley Hall 

  •  Grant Writing Workshop, virtual zoom ,October 9, 16, and 30, 2025 @1-3 pm

  • Insider’s View of the Faculty Search (hosted by QB3-Berkeley) --Teaching-focused institutions. October 22, 2025 4pm -15:15 pm, virtual zoom
  • Insider’s View of the Faculty Search (hosted by QB3-Berkeley) --Research-focused institutions. October 8, 2025 11:30 am -12:45 pm, virtual zoom
  • Teaching statement: write, share, and teach! (Thursday, September 25th, 4:00-5:00 pm, 309 Sproul Hall) 
  • Navigating Teaching in U.S. Higer Education System (Tuesday, August 26th, 2:00-4:00 pm, 309 Sproul Hall) 
  • Academic Job Search Series in STEM Disciplines (Monday, August 7th, 14th, and 21st 4:00-5:15 pm, via zoom.)
  • Pathways to Scientific Teaching （May 7 and 8, 2025 9 am - 1 pm. Limited spaces, via zoom.)
  • 2025 Teaching & Learning Conference (May 9, 2025.)
  • Teaching and the Academic Job Search ( April 25th 2025 10-11:30am,via zoom) 
  • Postdoc Teaching Opportunities at Berkeley: Introduction to PTOP ( April 17th 2025 12pm - 1pm, @ 309 Sproul Hall). If you missed it, check out the information slides here: 4-17-25_ptop_info_session.pdf

                   Meet Us 

                

JP

Francisco

Current Board Members

Yifeng Shi

President

Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

Yifeng is a postdoctoral researcher at Ti lab, UC Berkeley. Her postdoctoral research focuses on the design and synthesis of DNA nanostructures, along with their hybridizations with inorganic nanocrystals to create functional materials with customized properties. Outside research, she enjoys reading, gardening, and making crafts. More about her can be found at findyifeng.com.

M. Fernanda (feña) Palominos

Vice-President

Integrative Biology

Feña is a National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) K99/R00 Postdoctoral fellow in the Martin lab at UC Berkeley. Her postdoctoral research focuses on understanding the genomic basis of craniofacial and sensory diversity using pupfish adaptive radiations as her study systems. In her spare time, feña enjoys biking, dancing, painting, and hiking. You can learn more about her at fishfena.github.io

Sam Lewin

Secretary

Mechanical Engineering

Sam is a postdoctoral researcher in the Kaminski lab working on the fundamental fluid dynamics of geophysical and environmental flows, with applications to models of small-scale ocean processes. He enjoys cycling in the Berkeley Hills, running, and cooking.

Collin Steen

Treasurer

Chemistry and QB3

Collin is a postdoctoral researcher in the Ke Xu lab in the College of Chemistry. His postdoctoral research employs methods from optical and single-molecule microscopy to uncover the design principles of photosynthetic membranes. Outside of the lab, Collin enjoys hiking, listening to podcasts, and traveling.

Adriana Jeckel

General Board Member

Integrative Biology

Adriana is a postdoctoral researcher at the Tarvin Lab from the Department of Integrative Biology and Museum of Vertebrate Zoology. Her research focuses on uncovering the causes and consequences of chemical diversity in frogs, as well as the mechanisms of resistance and sequestration of dietary compounds in diverse organisms such as amphibians and insects. Outside of the lab, she enjoys baking, hiking, and traveling to new destinations. Check her personal website to learn more. 

Anuradha Mukherjee

General Board Member

Molecular & Cell Biology

Anu is a postdoctoral researcher in the Heald lab from the Department of Molecular & Cell Biology. Her research employs the Xenopus frog model to explore why early embryos often develop aneuploid cells—cells with an abnormal number of chromosomes—and how embryos manage these cells to preserve their full developmental potential during embryogenesis. Outside the lab, she enjoys singing, travelling to new locations, and creative activities.

Jonathan Pedroza (JP)

General Board Member

Data Science Education

JP is a postdoctoral researcher in data science education in collaboration with the Berkeley School of Education, D-Lab, and the College of Computing, Data Science, and Society. His research focuses on addressing inequalities in learning data science topics by evaluating teaching styles and assessing student proficiency of course concepts using psychometric models. Outside of his research, JP loves to watch films, cook, and hike. You learn more about JP and his work [here](https://jonathanapedroza.com/).

L. Francisco Henao-Diaz

General Board Member

Integrative Biology

Francisco is a postdoctoral researcher at the University and Jepson Herbarium. 
His research is primarily focused on phylogenetic comparative methods to explore diversification, spatial phylogenetics of the North American flora, and biodiversity turnover along mountains. Outside academia, he enjoys running, hiking, watching movies, and traveling.

James Glover

General Board Member

Molecular & Cell Biology and QB3 

James is a postdoctoral researcher in the Hurley lab  at the Department of Molecular & Cell Biology and QB3. His research focuses on utilizing CRISPR technologies and advanced structural biology techniques to investigate Parkinson’s Disease. He is also the Founder of ‘cofactr’, a mentorship initiative that enables undergraduates to perform research at UC Berkeley. Outside of the lab, James enjoys football.

Jie Xu

General Board Member

Institute of Transportation Studies 

Jie Xu is a visiting scholar at the Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Berkeley. She is a faculty Professor at Shanghai Urban Construction College. Her research focuses on regional transportation planning and urban renewal. She examines the spatial organization and dynamics of a mega-city region through the lens of human mobility, using large-scale mobile signaling data. Her ongoing research also examines digital urban governance and the intricate challenges of urban renewal.

Outside research, she serves as Secretary-General of the Shanghai Construction Vocational Education Group and Secretary-General of the Shanghai Intelligent Construction Technology Industry and Education Community. In her spare time, she enjoys reading and travelling.

Paras Kumar

General Board Member

Civil and Environmental Engineering  

Paras is a postdoctoral researcher in the Structural Engineering, Mechanics and Materials (SEMM) division of the CEE Department. His research explores the interplay between continuum mechanics, liquid crystal physics, and scientific computing to understand the multiphysics mechanical response of liquid crystal elastomers. Alongside his research in the broad field of theoretical and computational solid mechanics, Paras has been passionately involved in teaching, supervising, and mentoring students at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Aside from work, he loves to go for hikes, walks, or biking in nature, and cooking in his spare time.

Alumni