In February 2009, we asked Dr. Raymond Blind to be the very first postodoctoral scholar interviewed for a new section of the UCSF Graduate Division website, which will feature lively conversations with UCSF graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. We hope that over time you will enjoy reading about many of the students and scholars who make UCSF one of the very best places to study and work.

For our innaugural interview, the Graduate Division spoke with Dr. Blind about his somewhat unconventional path to UCSF, how he plans to inspire others to follow in his footsteps — and about a few things he has in common with Wayne Gretzky and Spiderman.

Each year, UCSF’s Graduate Division invites advanced graduate students from around the country to attend "Postdoc Bootcamp," a 2-day intensive workshop designed to empower historically underrepresented students to find, secure, and get the most out of a postdoctoral position.

Bootcamp starts with an overview of what postdoctoral training entails and how it has become an essential stepping-stone toward an academic career.  Through career advancement workshops, engaging speakers, and faculty and scholar panels, aspiring postdocs will learn:

• how to do the groundwork to find the right mentor — not only in terms of research focus — but also in terms of factors like the PI’s mentoring style; whether the atmosphere in the lab is conducive to collaboration and learning; and how the position will advance the postdoc’s career and life goals
• how to present themselves to potential mentors in a way that will maximize their chances at getting the postdoc position they want
• how to make the most out of their time as postdocs, ensuring that they are treated fairly and that their postdoc training is a springboard into a successful career
• how to find and use the tools and resources that will help them to fund their training and research, including grants and fellowships especially targeted at underrepresented groups in the sciences