Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Campus & Community

New Awards Presented at Postdoctoral Appreciation Dinner

Monday, September 30, 2024, By Diane Stirling
Share
Graduate SchoolOffice of ResearchResearch and Creative

The research and creative, teaching and service contributions of Syracuse University’s postdoctoral scholars, including three who received special awards, were recognized at last week’s celebration of the National Postdoctoral Association’s Postdoc Appreciation Week.

The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs and the Graduate School co-hosted the annual appreciation dinner to celebrate the postdoctoral community and to celebrate the scholars with their guests, faculty mentors and University leaders and staff. The evening included recognition of three postdoctoral scholars as the first recipients of the new Vice President for Research’s Postdoctoral Award for Excellence in Research and Creative Work.

“The dinner is meant to express appreciation for and highlight the important contributions postdoctoral scholars make to Syracuse University’s research and creative activities,” says Kimberly Vanderhoef, associate director of postdoctoral affairs. “The event provides an opportunity for our postdoctoral scholars and their family, friends,  mentors and collaborators to applaud these contributions and to socialize.”

Duncan Brown, vice president for research, says postdoctoral scholars are essential to the University’s research and creative mission. “Postdocs are critical to the success of the University. As they grow their own skills, they contribute intellectual vigor to their fields and enrich the experiences of our undergraduate and graduate students through their mentoring. As faculty, we rely on our postdocs in many ways. This event and the new awards provide a way for us to show our appreciation for people who are key members of our research teams.”

The recipients of the Vice President for Research’s Postdoctoral Award for Excellence in Research and Creative Work were chosen based on the outstanding quality and impacts of their research and creative activity. Winners received awards of $750 and presented summaries of their work to dinner attendees. They are:

  • Kyung Eun Kim, a researcher in the Department of Physics in the College of Arts and Sciences
  • David Fastovich, who works in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences
  • Dustin Hill, a scholar in the Department of Public Health in the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics
group of four people, three holding awards, in front of a screen that includes the Syracuse University logo and the words "Thank you!"

Duncan Brown, far left, vice president for research, congratulates the winners of the new postdoctoral recognition award. From left are David Fastovich, Dustin Hill and Kyung Eun Kim.

Kim’s research predicts the structure and mechanics of biological tissue and its composition and outer shell using computational and analytical modeling techniques. She works with Jennifer Schwarz, professor of physics, to examine the mechanical response and changes cells undergo when the tissues are compressed. The research pertains to a trait that is a hallmark of inflammatory disease in the body. She is also studying how tissue compression affects other disease conditions. Her research has applications in developmental biology, cancer research and tissue engineering.

Fastovich works with faculty mentor Tripti Bhattacharya, Thonis Family Professor of Paleoclimate Dynamics and assistant professor of Earth and environmental sciences. He studies Earth’s past climate to understand current climate changes, predict future rainfall changes from climate warming, determine what mechanisms affect climate changes and assess the impacts on biological systems over time and geographies. The work helps provide an understanding of how climate and ecosystems interact, knowledge that is crucial to preparing nature and human society for worldwide changes as the planet continues to warm.

Hill is an environmental epidemiologist and data scientist who studies environmental inequality, pollution and human health. He has worked with the New York State Wastewater Surveillance Network and David Larsen, Falk professor and public health department chair, since 2021. Hill has provided advanced statistical modeling of wastewater data, surveyed local health departments on data use and mapped disease spread based on social equity. He is now using wastewater surveillance data for viral pathogens to create statistical models to predict future disease spread. He also works with co-mentor and Falk professor Brooks Gump, Falk Family Endowed Professor of Public Health, on the child health impacts of exposure to industrial air pollution in Syracuse.

The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, which is part of the Office of Research, was formed last fall. It provides centralized resources and dedicated staff to serve the interests and well-being of postdoctoral scholars across the University. The office supports postdoctoral professional and career development in close collaboration with the Graduate School and other campus partners. The office also collaborates with staff across the University to facilitate administrative processes related to hiring and onboarding postdocs. The launch of the new office is intended to uphold the University’s commitment to a quality campus experience and positive career outcomes for postdoctoral scholars while advancing the University’s research and creative mission.

  • Author

Diane Stirling

  • Recent
  • Five Tips to Protect Your Health and Prepare for Worsening Air Conditions
    Monday, June 2, 2025, By Daryl Lovell
  • Newhouse Professor Robert Thompson Featured on ‘NBC Nightly News’ for Pop Culture Lecture Series
    Monday, June 2, 2025, By Keith Kobland
  • Newhouse Creative Advertising Students Win Big at Sports and Entertainment Clios
    Friday, May 30, 2025, By News Staff
  • Syracuse University Libraries’ Information Literacy Scholars Produce Information Literacy Collab Journal
    Thursday, May 29, 2025, By Cristina Hatem
  • Syracuse Spirit on Display: Limited-Edition Poster Supports Future Generations
    Thursday, May 29, 2025, By News Staff

More In Campus & Community

Syracuse University Libraries’ Information Literacy Scholars Produce Information Literacy Collab Journal

Earlier this month, Syracuse University Libraries’ Information Literacy Scholars published their first open access information literacy journal, Information Literacy Collab (ILC). It is available on SURFACE, the University’s open access institutional repository. ILC is a diamond open-access publication by and…

Trip to Atlanta Gives Falk Students ‘Real-World’ Opportunities and Connections

The city of Atlanta is home to professional sports franchises in major leagues: Atlanta United FC (Major League Soccer), the Braves (Major League Baseball), Dream (WNBA), Falcons (NFL), and Hawks (NBA). Atlanta also features professional teams in lacrosse, rugby, and…

Syracuse Spirit on Display: Limited-Edition Poster Supports Future Generations

The third annual fiscal-year end poster campaign is a wonderful way to celebrate Syracuse pride, expand your art collection and make a meaningful impact on the Orange community. As a token of appreciation for their generosity, the first 500 donors…

Maxwell Advisory Board Welcomes New Leadership

A Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs alumna who has supported student and faculty excellence through volunteer service and philanthropy has taken the helm of the Maxwell Advisory Board. Cathy Daicoff  G’79 began her term as chair at the…

Michael J. Bunker Appointed Associate Vice President and Chief of Campus Safety and Emergency Management Services

Syracuse University today announced the appointment of Michael J. Bunker as the new associate vice president and chief of Campus Safety and Emergency Management Services following a national search. Bunker will begin his new role on July 1, 2025. He…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • X
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2025 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.