To establish a framework and support the professional development of Postdoctoral Scholars at UC San Diego, the Office of Postdoctoral Scholar Affairs (OPSA) developed and runs the EPIC program. Adapted from the National Postdoctoral Association’s (NPA) Core Competencies for Postdoc Training, the EPIC curriculum complements the discipline-specific conceptual knowledge and research skill development postdocs receive through their research appointment by providing training for postdoc in the following core competencies domains: Career Planning and Preparation; Scholarly and Professional Communication; Leadership and Management; Ethics and EDI; Health and Wellness.
Career Planning and Preparation
Navigate your professional journey with comprehensive resources on career exploration, job search strategies, networking, application materials, interviewing, and more.
Scholarly and Professional Communication
Learn how to effectively express ideas across various contexts, including research or workplace environments, grants and fellowships, and teaching and mentoring, and when practicing conflict management and emotional intelligence.
Leadership and Management
Become equipped to build and lead teams using skills such as effective interviewing and hiring, entrepreneurship, project management, strategic planning, critical problem solving and decision making, and more.
Ethics and EDI
Explore how you can foster and contribute to a respectful and ethically-driven community that actively celebrates Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion with topics such as managing bias and navigating ethics in research.
Health and Wellness
Get connected to support resources such as counseling, support classes, workshops and groups, and strategies in financial education.