Postdoc Excellence Awards recognize outstanding UW–Madison postdocs and faculty members

Seven UW–Madison postdocs have been recognized with the fifth annual Postdoc Excellence Awards, presented by the UW–Madison Postdoctoral Association, in the areas of teaching, service and mentoring. The association, a volunteer-led advocacy group for UW–Madison postdocs supported by the Office of Postdoctoral Studies, launched the Postdoc Excellence Awards four years ago to reward postdocs for their outstanding efforts in these areas. The association also recognized five UW–Madison faculty members with Distinguished Faculty and Staff Postdoc Mentoring Awards to honor their outstanding mentorship of postdoctoral trainees on campus. The Distinguished Faculty and Staff Postdoc Mentoring Awards were established in 2015 to encourage and acknowledge excellence, innovation, and effectiveness in the mentoring of postdocs.

Postdocs were nominated for the Excellence Awards by their students, mentees, mentors and colleagues with letters of support detailing how they exemplified exceptional teaching, service or mentorship. Faculty and staff were nominated by current or former postdocs with letters of support detailing how they have exemplified exceptional mentorship. An association committee was then tasked with selecting from among dozens of nominations those who have gone above and beyond in contributing their time, knowledge, energy, and enthusiasm. These postdocs, faculty and staff embody the ideals of the association and the University of Wisconsin, and their dedication is inspiring and worthy of recognition.

Please join us in congratulating this year’s awardees, listed below, for their extraordinary commitment to the community at UW–Madison.

Postdoc Excellence Award in Teaching Jericha Mill, PhD – Biochemistry

Postdoc Excellence Award in Service Burcu Alptekin, PhD – Bacteriology and Botany Lauren W. Yowelunh McLester-Davis, PhD – Native American Center for Health Professions

Postdoc Excellence Award in Mentoring Tingting Fan, PhD – Pediatrics

Freya Joëssel, PhD – Psychology

Anumitha Venkatraman, PhD – Surgery

Nathaniel B. Willis, PhD – Nutritional Sciences

Distinguished Faculty and Staff Postdoc Mentoring Awards

Audrey L. Girard, PhD – Food Science

Christopher J. Gisriel, PhD – Biochemistry

Kristin Litzelman, PhD – Human Development and Family Studies

Steven P. Loheide, PhD – Civil and Environmental Engineering

Judith Simcox, PhD – Biochemistry

The awardees were honored at the association’s Celebration of Postdoc Excellence on May 16, 2025. A list of all current and former recipients of the Postdoc Excellence Awards can be viewed here. The full list of previous Distinguished Faculty and Staff Postdoc Mentoring Award winners can be viewed here. While only a few nominations could be selected to receive the awards, the association is grateful for all the UW–Madison postdocs, faculty and staff who make UW–Madison an outstanding place for postdocs to train.

If you are interested in learning more about the association, please visit their website or email them: https://postdoc.wisc.edu/