Postdoctoral scholars are a vital part of UCF’s research infrastructure, supporting grant activity, co-authoring publications, and carrying out day-to-day research. Jade Laderwarg, director of postdoctoral affairs, describes them as highly trained professionals rather than students. With typically fewer teaching and service responsibilities than tenured faculty, they can devote significant time to new discoveries. In 2025, UCF employed 250 postdoctoral scholars, 25% higher than Florida’s requirement for preeminence. Recent investment in this group reflects a focus on research growth and postdoctoral success.
Examples include Ian Silver-Gorges, a biology postdoctoral scholar investigating how environmental stress influences disease in green sea turtles throughout the Gulf of Mexico. His research is supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology program, and UCF has provided teaching experience and resources. The NSF funds fundamental research and fellowships covering salary and research costs, while the Preeminent Postdoctoral Program, known as P3, helps recruit nationally competitive scholars through matching funds to faculty. At CREOL, the College of Optics and Photonics, postdoctoral scholar Dhruvam Pandey combines super-resolution microscopy and high-throughput imaging to develop tools for faster, more precise cancer diagnostics, bridging experimental photonics and deep learning algorithms.
Postdoctoral scholar numbers are one of 12 metrics the Florida Board of Governors uses to determine eligibility for Preeminent State Research University designation. In 2025, UCF met all 12 metrics, supported by an expanding research enterprise and more than $285 million in annual research expenditures. Programs such as P3 and Short-Term Postdoc Support, or STePS, provide resources that help faculty recruit talented scholars and strengthen mentorship. John Weishampel, dean of the College of Graduate Studies, says the university is proud of its progress and credits faculty, staff, and programs like P3 and STePS with expanding its postdoctoral community in meaningful and lasting ways. UCF’s growing postdoctoral community is both a symbol of progress and a catalyst for future breakthroughs.
Press release issued by UCF Today:
https://www.ucf.edu/news/postdoc-researchers-help-increase-ucfs-research-momentum/
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