The Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost is the administrative home for postdoctoral research associates and is committed to providing you an outstanding postdoctoral experience. Iowa State currently trains approximately 300 postdoctoral research associates in a variety of disciplines, including the biological and agricultural sciences, engineering, physical sciences, social sciences, and veterinary medicine as well as several institutional and regional research institutes, and national facilities like the U.S. Department of Energy Ames National Laboratory.

Postdoctoral training is a collaborative effort involving the Graduate College, the Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost, the Office of the Vice President for Research, and Office of Economic Development and Industry Relations, academic colleges, and the many faculty advisors and mentors who oversee the training activities of our postdoctoral associates.

Events

Town Hall
Friday, October 23, 2026, 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
SICTR 4237

 

Postdoc Association Officers

  • Gregory Curtin

    Co-President
    Co-President Gregory (He/Him) is a Postdoctoral Research Associate within Ames National Lab. He is a computational chemist, modeling biological systems for application in critical materials recovery. Gregory is professionally passionate about problem solving and expanding scientific communication. In his personal time, he enjoys a variety of outdoor activities including hiking and disc golf. Likes: Weekend mornings spent watching football (soccer), walks through nature, turn-based strategy games Dislikes: Noisy restaurants/venues, being late to events, warm drinks

  • Aparna Krishnamurthy

    Co-President
    Aparna (She/Her) is a postdoctoral research associate at the Nanovaccine Institute at the Advanced Teaching Research Building. Aparna develops in vitro models for high-throughput recapitulation of tumor microenvironments. In her free time, she can be found pursuing one of the items from these “Likes”: Plants, Food, Music, Art; Dislikes: Winter static, Black Ice, Powdered sugar on already sugary food

  • Khawla Alharbi

    Postdoctoral Affairs Representative
    Khawla (She/Her) is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Veterinary Microbiology and Preventive Medicine. Her research focuses on bacterial communication, antimicrobial peptides, and antimicrobial resistance, with the goal of improving both animal and human health. She is passionate about scientific discovery, tackling challenging research questions, and finding new ways to turn ideas into meaningful solutions. Outside the lab, Khawla enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, exploring new places, and trying different foods. Likes: Coffee, traveling, spending time with family; Dislikes: Sugar in coffee, stormy days, and cluttered or disorganized spaces.

  • Jitesh Kumar

    Treasurer
    Jitesh (he/him) is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Plant Pathology, Entomology, and Microbiology at Iowa State University. He is a plant virologist, leveraging viruses for rapid and efficient genome editing tools. Jitesh is committed to fostering an inclusive, engaged, and supportive postdoctoral community through responsible financial management, professional development, networking, and social activities. Likes: Coffee, sci-fi movies, songs, tech gadgets (if affordable), long drive with family and friends; Dislikes: watching news, loud music, impatience, warm weather

  • Javier Ramirez

    Social Activities Manager
    Javier (He/Him) is a postdoctoral researcher in the School of Education studying community college leadership and governance and running community leadership development programs. When he is not found in his office in Lagomarcino Hall, he is likely at the Sigma Nu fraternity house playing house dad to a group of undergraduate men. If not there, Javier just might be singing karaoke in downtown Ames. Likes: Heated Rivalry (TV Show), dance floors, film and TV; Dislikes: Strict travel itineraries, seasonal depression, expensive flights

Got an idea for PDA programming or want to share an event to add to our calendar?

We want to give the opportunity to postdocs to share ideas for community events we could all attend or a PDA-specific programming idea.

Postdoctoral Research Associates are valued members of the academic community at Iowa State University. We value the important contributions that postdoctoral associates make to our research, outreach, and teaching missions. 

The purpose and goals of the PDA shall be to provide:

  1. A sense of community by developing social and professional interactions among postdoctoral scholars at Iowa State University.
  2. A forum where issues relevant to members of the association will be addressed and communicated to the appropriate administrators and faculty of Iowa State University.
  3. A productive dialogue among postdoctoral scholars, administrators, and faculty at Iowa State University.
  4. Continue to advocate for a supportive and collaborative environment for postdocs both broadly and within the Iowa State University community.

For questions or more information, contact: