Comité des postdocs

Activities

The CASCA Postdoctoral Committee has issued a statement on the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the lives and careers of precariously-employed scientists in Canada. In particular, there is an urgent need for additional, direct financial support to postdoctoral scientists in order to weather the fallout from this extraordinary crisis, and to safeguard the continued impact and productivity of Canadian science.

Statement on the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Postdoctoral Scientists

Mandate and Terms of Reference

The mandate of the CASCA Postdoc Committee (hereafter PDC) is to reflect the views of, and address issues important to, the postdoctoral community in Canada. While postdoctoral members are Ordinary members within CASCA, it is understood that their views and needs may differ from those of tenure track faculty or career researchers within institutes. For instance, postdoc members provide expert-level scientific labour along with their faculty and career researcher colleagues, but postdoc employment is often defined by short-term contracts which can substantially impact their professional and personal life.

The committee has been established on an ad-hoc basis until the 2021 Annual General Meeting, at which point the Board will decide on whether to convert the committee into a Standing Committee.

The PDC will:

  1. Represent the views of CASCA’s postdoctoral members, gathering and presenting information to support an inclusive and thriving postdoc community;
  2. Provide strategic guidance relevant to the postdoc community to the CASCA Board and wider astronomical community;
  3. Conduct ongoing monitoring of the working conditions for postdocs such as salaries, benefits, contract lengths, and experience inside and outside of Canada;
  4. Communicate all relevant information regarding the views and concerns of postdoctoral members to the Board of Directors and where possible recommend strategies to the Board;
  5. Be ready to respond to special requests from the CASCA Board;
  6. Report formally via the normal biannual process, with the Board reviewing these reports in their December and May Board meetings.
  7. Advise the Long Range Plan Community Recommendations Implementation Committee regarding implementation of Long Range Plan 2020 recommendations

Membership of the Committee

The Postdoctoral Committee shall consist of

  1. The Chair – officer (voting)
  2. The Vice-Chair – officer (voting)
  3. Up to five additional voting members

Length of term: All positions on the ad-hoc committee will be held until the 2021 Annual General Meeting.

Role of the Chair:

  1. The Chair will be the primary spokesperson for the Postdoctoral committee.
  2. Act as the primary liaison with the CASCA Board
  3. Call meetings and set agendas, and chair said meetings
  4. Also follow directives for non-officers

Role of the Vice-Chair:

  1. Deputize for the Chair when needed
  2. Record information as determined necessary by the committee
  3. Also follow directives for non-officers

Role of non-officers:

  1. To make the best effort to attend all meetings
  2. Represent broad viewpoints

Internal Committee Discussion

Archived Reports:

 

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