ToXchange 
About the SOT Postdoctoral Assembly (PDA)
Postdoctoral membership in SOT provides early career toxicologists with opportunities for scientific growth, networking, and career advancement. All members of SOT who self-identify as postdoctoral scholars are part of the Postdoctoral Assembly (PDA), which was formed to increase involvement of postdocs in SOT and to address issues related to the postdoctoral experience. The PDA is governed by an elected PDA Executive Board who provide leadership for communications, strategic activities, and events of special interest to postdocs. Postdoctoral members serve leadership roles in the Society by participating as representatives for SOT Regional Chapters, Special Interest Groups, Specialty Sections, and to Committees.
How SOT Defines a Postdoc
The Society of Toxicology aligns its definition of a postdoctoral researcher closely with the definition set by the National Postdoctoral Association.
Characteristics that define a postdoctoral position include:
- The postdoctoral appointment is temporary.
- Effort is focused primarily on research.
- The development of professional skills prepares the postdoc to actively pursue a career.
- The postdoc is supervised by at least one senior scholar.
- The postdoc is allowed and encouraged to publish the results of his or her research or scholarship.
- The appointment is not part of a clinical training program.
PDA Executive Board and Representatives
All SOT Postdoctoral members are part of the Society’s Postdoctoral Assembly (PDA), which is governed by the elected PDA Executive Board. Postdoctoral representatives are appointed to SOT Regional Chapters, Special Interest Groups, Specialty Sections, and some SOT Committees to enhance the involvement of postdoctoral scholars within SOT.
PDA Executive Board
Joseph Lionel Jilek
Chair
Dr. Jilek is a postdoctoral scholar at the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy. His research investigates changes to renal drug transporter expression during non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), with the intent of informing altered pharmacokinetics and drug-induced toxicity in patients with NASH. He completed his PhD in pharmacology & toxicology at UC Davis, where he studied microRNAbased therapy, following undergraduate training at the University of Michigan. Dr. Jilek has been an active member of SOT six years, regularly presents research at the Annual Meeting, and was recently awarded Paper of the Year in Toxicological Sciences. He completed a two-year term as student representative for the biotechnology specialty section where he organized mentoring initiatives and edited the newsletter. His experience in SOT leadership has informed his vision as PDA Chair, where he aims to enhance postdoctoral career development via mentorship programming and connecting postdocs with senior SOT members.
Mohamed Ghorab
Vice Chair
Dr. Mohamed Ghorab works for US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP), the Office of Pesticide (OPP), Chemistry, Inerts, and Toxicology Assessment Branch (CITAB) as a toxicologist scientist since December 2020. Where he is responsible for researching, reviewing, and evaluating toxicological scientific data and/or pesticide-based studies and all collateral information regarding health effects of pesticides and other related chemicals; assessing pesticide exposures in community, occupational, and residential settings; and evaluating environmental monitoring data under the Pesticide Registration Improvement Act (PRIA) and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIRFA), Appling the US EPA risk assessment models and Preparing exposure assessment, toxicity evaluation, and risk assessment documents under US EPA regulations. Before coming to OCSPP/US EPA, Dr. Ghorab was a Research Toxicologist working as a contractor for EPA’s Office of Research and Development (ORD) in Cincinnati, OH. where he was responsible for a number of acute and chronic toxicity projects at ORD’s Aquatic Research Facility. He also headed the Toxicology group as Team leader and played a key role in the continued development and validation of toxicity methods. Mohamed earned his BS degree in Agriculture Science with a major in Chemistry and his MS degree in Pesticide Chemistry and Toxicology from Alexandria University and obtained his PhD in Environmental Toxicology from Alexandria University and Michigan State University. After receiving his PhD, Dr. Ghorab served as a postdoctoral fellow at Michigan State University’s Wildlife Toxicology Lab (WTL), where he focused on research on the fate and effects of potentially toxic compounds, particularly in the area of ecological risk assessment. Additionally, his work at WTL included research in the movement, bioaccumulation, and effects of toxic substances at different levels of biological organization, ranging from terrestrial to aquatic and biochemical to the ecosystem. Mohamed was awarded the Postdoctoral and early career award from the Society of Environmental Chemistry and Toxicology (SETAC) in 2020 and earned the Outstanding Professional Award from special-interest group SOT-ATA, 2021. Dr. Ghorab an active member of the SOT since 2015 and served the Toxicologists of African Origin (TAO) as postdoctoral representative.
Dunigan Russell
Secretary
Dr. Dunigan Russell received her BS from University of Central Florida (2015) and her PhD in Cellular & Molecular Biology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (2020), where she sought to understand the role of antioxidant species in the neonatal lung. Currently, she is a Postdoctoral Scholar in Dr. Kymberly Gowdy’s laboratory at Ohio State University. Her research focuses on the relationship between ozone-induced inflammation and alterations in antioxidant responses. She has taken advantage of opportunities at the regional (Ohio Valley) SOT Meeting, and is excited to attend the national meetings. SOT has allowed her to share her research and network with other scientists. In the past, she has enjoyed serving on other committees, including Society for Free Radical Biology & Medicine Trainee Council (Council Member/Vice Chair) and UAB Graduate Student Government (Travel Grant and Emergency Loan Officer).
Dr. Fairman
Treasurer
Dr. Fairman is an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education postdoctoral fellow at FDA NCTR, where she works on physiologically based pharmacokinetic modeling tools for regulatory decision making in pregnancy. She received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree at the University of North Texas System College of Pharmacy in Fort Worth, TX in 2019 and has been a postdoctoral fellow at NCTR from 2019 to present. She holds a Master of Science in Biological Sciences – Chemistry Track from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas (2012) and a Bachelor’s in Chemistry from Alabama State University (2009). Dr. Fairman has attended and presented at various conferences and annual meetings in the areas of Clinical Pharmacology, Pharmacy, and Chemistry. She is co-author of four publications. Additionally, Dr. Fairman has attended regional and national SOT meetings since joining in 2019 and was previously the RASS Postdoc Representative.
Kristin Noell
Councilor
Dr. Kristin Noell received her PhD in Toxicology in 2018 from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Kristin has been an active member of the Society since 2011 as a first year master's student (Fayetteville State University, Master of Science in Biology). Throughout her time within the Society, Kristin has participated and served in various capacities. Kristin has served as the National Area Chapter Student Rep and Vice Student Rep, she has served as the TAO Graduate Student Representative and as the TAO Postdoc Representative. During her service as TAO Graduate Student Representative, Kristin received an award for Outstanding Graduate Student Leadership at the 2018 Annual Meeting. Kristin is currently a member of TAO, Inhalation Toxicology, and Clinical and Translational Science Specialty Sections.
Postdoc Regional Chapter, Special Interest Group, and Specialty Section Representatives
Each SOT Regional Chapter, Special Interest Group, and Specialty Section may appoint a Postdoctoral Representative to provide leadership for their group and communication with the PDA. The representative encourages membership in SOT and the Component Group as well as development of activities to enhance involvement of postdocs in SOT.
Postdoc Committee Representatives
Some SOT Committees invite the PDA Executive Board to appoint a Postdoctoral Representative to serve as an ad hoc member of the committee to provide the perspective of, and communication with, SOT postdoctoral scholars.
Best Postdoctoral Publication Award
The Best Postdoctoral Publication Award recognizes outstanding work accomplished during formal, mentored postdoctoral traineeships by recognizing recently published exceptional papers in the field of toxicology. Applications are reviewed by the Postdoctoral Assembly Board and outside reviewers with appropriate scientific expertise, following NIH conflict of interest, confidentiality, and nondisclosure rules.
Suzanne N. Martos, PhD
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Durham, NC
Martos, Suzanne N., Michelle R. Campbell, Oswaldo A. Lozoya, Xuting Wang, Brian D. Bennett, Isabel J.B. Thompson, Ma Wan, Gary S. Pittman, and Douglas A. Bell. 2020.
“Single-Cell Analyses Identify Dysfunctional CD16+ CD8 T Cells in Smokers.”
Cell Reports Medicine 1, no. 4 (July).
Johanna Nyffeler, PhD
US EPA, Durham, NC
Nyffeler, Johanna, Clinton Willis, Ryan Lougee, Ann Richard, Katie Paul-Friedman, and Joshua A. Harrill. 2020.
“Bioactivity Screening of Environmental Chemicals Using Imaging-Based High-Throughput Phenotypic Profiling.”
Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology 389 (January).
Edward Alain B. Pajarillo, PhD
Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL
Pajarillo, Edward, Asha Rizor, Deok-Soo Son, Michael Aschner, and Eunsook Lee. 2020.
“The Transcription Factor REST Up-Regulates Tyrosine Hydroxylase and Antiapoptotic Genes and Protects Dopaminergic Neurons against Manganese Toxicity.”
Journal of Biological Chemistry 295 (March): 3040–54
Postdoc Events and Activities
Upcoming Events
There are no upcoming events currently scheduled.
Poster Tours for Trainees
The Postdoctoral Assembly organizes Poster Tours for Trainees at the SOT Annual Meeting for graduate students and postdoctoral scientists to participate in a one-hour guided poster tour with a toxicologist guide. These small group tours provide the opportunity for trainees to take part in critical evaluation of cutting-edge toxicology methods and research findings and network with a senior toxicologist.
PDA Luncheon
To encourage increased participation and networking among postdoctoral scholars, the Postdoctoral Assembly (PDA) Board hosts a luncheon at the SOT Annual Meeting exclusively for postdocs to gather in an informal setting to relax, network, and celebrate their achievements others, including PDA officers, Postdoctoral Representatives, and SOT Councilors.
Career Exploration through Speed Informational Interviews
During this career-development event, small groups of trainees rotate through a series of short, timed discussions with career representatives from academia, government, and industry. Trainees can ask the representatives about their background, career path, the hiring process, and other aspects of identifying and pursuing career interests. This event provides an informal opportunity to gain insight about different employment sectors in toxicology.
National Postdoc Appreciation Week
National Postdoc Appreciation Week (NPAW) was created by the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) to recognize postdocs and their numerous accomplishments in research and scientific discovery around the globe. SOT appreciates and recognizes postdoctoral scholars as an integral part of the SOT community, who make meaningful contributions to the Society, advance the science of toxicology, and build for the future of the discipline. During NPAW, the Society joins the NPA in focusing attention on all the contributions and accomplishments of postdoctoral scholars through the multiple PDA virtual activities.
NPAW Blogs and Resources
- Managing Stress and Pursuing a Healthy Lifestyle
- A Postdoc’s Place in Peer Review
- Cultivating Your Success as a Postdoc
- Nevertheless, They Persisted: Caregiving as Doctoral Students and Postdocs
- Other Postdoc-Focused Blogs
Resources
The Post-y Newsletter
The Post-y is produced by the Postdoctoral Assembly on a biannual basis to feature news and articles of interest to SOT postdoctoral members throughout the year.
