Postdoc PITCH Competition

Take Your Research Center Stage

Postdoctoral Scholars are invited to participate in this annual public speaking competition to showcase the potential impact of their research and win cash prizes.

Can you present your research in just 3 minutes?

Postdoc PITCH is UCSD’s annual competitive public speaking event giving Postdoctoral Scholars the chance to showcase the impact of their research. Postdocs PITCH participants have the chance to showcase how their research has the potential to change the world while competing for prizes ranging from $25 to $2,500. Your research is important, and this is your chance to tell us why. Participate in Postdoc PITCH and propel your professional communication skills to new heights!

Compete in Postdoc Pitch

Competition Dates:

Submission Deadline for Recorded Talks: Tuesday, January 6th, 2026.

Final round: Thursday, April 2, 2026.

Get more info

Participant Resources

2026 Postdoc PITCH Prizes

All Participants

Current UCSD postdoctoral scholars who submit a video of their recorded 3 minute talk that follows all guidelines by the January 6, 2026 deadline will receive a $25 Visa gift card.

Finalists

Postdoctoral Scholars selected to compete in the final round on Thursday, April 2, 2026 will be eligible for the following awards:

Participants - $250
3rd Place - $750
2nd Place - $1,500
1st Place - $2,500

2026 Final Round

Join us in-person for the UC San Diego Grad SLAM and Postdoc PITCH Final Round on Thursday, April 2nd at 3 p.m. (PT) at the Qualcomm Institute to hear our finalists present their 3 minute talks!

WATCH RECORDING OF 2025 FINAL ROUND

Congratulations to the 2025 Finalists

Participants are listed in alphabetical order

Postdoc	Department
Filippo Agnelli	Structural Engineering
Natasha Anita	Neuroscience
Jiyo Athertya	Radiology
Karina Cunha e Rocha	Medicine
Anwita Mahajan	Economics
Gosia Murawska	Pharmacology
Aalok Varma	Neuroscience

2025 Campus Champion

Congratulations to Dr. Aalok Varma, a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Department of Neuroscience, on being named our 2025 Postdoc PITCH campus champion with his research talk entitled "Ancient octopus viruses - on the “EVE” of discovery".

Watch the Talk

TPTC Postdoc Pitch Competition

The top two finalists from the UC San Diego Postdoc PITCH Competition will be invited to compete in the mesa-wide TPTC Postdoc Pitch Competition on Friday, October 23, 2026 at 3 p.m. (PT) at the Sanford Burnham Prebys Victor E. LaFave III Memorial Auditorium. The postdoctoral participants in this event are the finalists selected through internal competitions held at each TPTC partner institution, Salk, Sanford Burnham Prebys, Scripps Research, and UCSD.

WATCH RECORDING OF 2025 TPTC FINAL ROUND

Additional Resources

Scholarly and Professional Communication Resources for Postdocs
2025 Postdoc PITCH Finalist Presentations
How to Talk like TED by Carmine Gallo, Article by Guy Kawasaki
How to Give a TED-Worthy Talk by Dorie Clark, Forbes
10 Tips on How to make Slides that Communicate your Idea, by TED Staff
10 Most Common Rookie Mistakes in Public Speaking by Terry Gault, Managing Partner and Vice President of the Henderson Group
Giving an Academic Talk by Jonathan Shewchuk, Associate Professor in Computer Science, University of California at Berkeley
Giving Oral Presentations from English Communication for Scientists by Jean-luc Doumont (ed.), Nature (2010)
Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds
Top Ten Tips for Writing and Delivering Very Brief Speeches by Bill Cole, Founder and CEO of William B. Cole Consultants

Non Discrimination Statement: In accordance with applicable Federal and State law and University policy, the University of California does not discriminate, or grant preferences, on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, and/or other protected categories.More information about Proposition 209 can be found here.More information about the University of California Anti-Discrimination Policy can be found here.