The Postdoc Journey

Summary

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Podcast Summary: The Postdoc Journey

Podcast: Big Ideas Lab
Host: Mission.org
Episode Date: June 30, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode of Big Ideas Lab, titled "The Postdoc Journey," delves into the unique experiences of early-career scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). Through the voices of Tomi Akindale (staff scientist and former postdoc) and Ted Bauman (chemist and postdoc program lead), listeners gain an inside look at how LLNL fosters talent, supports scientific growth, and turns promising researchers into leaders in science and technology. The episode highlights how the postdoc phase is a transformational period, filled with mentorship, collaboration, and the freedom to pursue big ideas.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Unique Prestige and Environment of Lawrence Livermore

• Opening at the Nobel Laureate Meeting (00:00–01:33)
  • Tomi Akindale describes attending a Nobel laureate meeting, likening Nobel winners to “scientific rock stars.”
  • She reflects:

    “The meeting is probably going to be the highlight of my scientific career to date. Meeting the Nobel Laureates is one of the biggest honors in science, if not the biggest honor.” (00:34, Tomi Akindale)

  • Emphasizes how this experience was possible because of her work at LLNL.

2. The Significance of the Postdoc Role

• Defining the Postdoc Journey (03:49–04:31)
  • Ted Bauman breaks down the postdoc as the transitional role after a PhD but before becoming fully established:

  “A postdoctoral position is essentially the progression in the academic circles... you go on to grad school, you get your PhD, and then at that point, you don't have to continue in academic circles. But if you do want to learn a new area, PhDs do go on and do a postdoc.” (03:49, Ted Bauman)

  • Postdocs are not students but are still in a learning phase, gaining knowledge, skills, and networks.

3. Mentorship and Support Structures

• Mentorship Experiences (05:03–05:39)

  • Tomi shares the importance of mentorship from more senior postdocs:

  “Whenever I had a question or a concern, I would go to the postdocs that were working in the same research group... They would help me to make my code more efficient... I used to really view these postdocs as these scientists that could effectively walk on water.” (05:03, Tomi Akindale)

• LLNL’s Infrastructure for Postdocs (05:56–06:26)

  • Ted discusses how the lab provides built-in support, from onboarding to transitioning to the next career stage.

4. Exceptional Career Development Opportunities

• Career Development Account (06:26–07:40)
  • LLNL uniquely allows postdocs to spend up to 25% (~1 day per week) on professional growth and exploration:

  “It's really up to the postdoc to curate their own experience here. They can go to seminars, they can attend people's group meetings, they can read up on different topics... There's really no limitation.” (06:44, Ted Bauman)

  • Tomi recounts using this time for “non-proliferation boot camps,” seminars, and broader learning:

  “I really tried to spend that time to get a better picture of like holistically what it is that we do here at the lab. Outside of the one building that I'm...” (06:58, Tomi Akindale)

5. Collaboration and Creative Cross-Disciplinary Work

• Catalyzing Innovation Through Networking (07:45–08:46)
  • Ted emphasizes how the freedom and cross-pollination at social events lead to new ideas and collaborations:

  “Some of our most creative ideas... come from the cross pollination of a postdoc in one field meeting a postdoc in another field at a social event. They start talking and they realize that there's some synergy.” (07:45, Ted Bauman)

  • The Advanced Manufacturing Lab’s 3D printing leadership evolved directly from strategic postdoc hires.

6. Real-World Example: Building a Handheld Neutron Counter

• Facing Impossible Deadlines (08:57–11:31)
  • Tomi details a high-pressure project: building a handheld neutron multiplicity counter in just one year:

  “Probably nine out of the 12 months... I don't know if this piece is going to arrive in time. I don't know if we're going to be able to perform analysis on this piece. You wanted to make sure that when you turned it on for a demo that the entire thing doesn't explode.” (09:18, Tomi Akindale)

  • The solution emerged not in a meeting, but through spontaneous hallway conversations with colleagues:

  “The benefit of Livermore is we were able to have conversations with people who have done things similar or tangential... They were able to offer a lot of assistance... I have this scintillator that might not be the right size that you can start doing tabletop experimentation on.” (10:57, Tomi Akindale)

7. Redefining Networking and Team Science

• Collaboration Beyond the Stereotype (11:46–12:42)
  • Team science at LLNL is deeply collaborative and personal:

  “Networking... doesn't even feel like networking, it's really calling up an old friend... to understand how the work that you're doing in one area can benefit them in the area that they're working in.” (11:59, Tomi Akindale)

  • These networks last as postdocs and colleagues move on, creating lasting scientific communities.

8. The Challenge of Communicating Science

• Making Science Understood (12:57–14:32)
  • Tomi identifies that one of the biggest non-technical challenges is translating complex ideas for funders and the broader public.
  • The lab’s “Research Slam” competition (co-founded with Lawrence Berkeley) trains scientists to present their work in three minutes to a lay audience.

  “Where I started to feel more confident... was when you would start to have other people in other areas coming to you to solve a problem for them.” (14:06, Tomi Akindale)

9. The Cycle of Mentorship and Growth

• Becoming the Mentor (14:32–15:05)
  • Tomi reflects on moving from being mentored to becoming a mentor:

  “Now I'm in a position where I mentor postdocs... I still feel in awe of the fact that they just carry so much knowledge.” (14:42, Tomi Akindale)

  • The experience gave her confidence and comfort with failure, essential for pushing scientific boundaries.

10. Preparing Future Leaders in Science

• Postdoc as a Launchpad (15:17–15:53)
  • Ted summarizes the core mission:

  “The goal of the postdoc program is to prepare postdocs for the next stage of their career to become an independent scientist.” (15:38, Ted Bauman)

  • LLNL’s postdoc phase is brief but pivotal, setting up scientists for success in academia, industry, or government.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the awe of postdocs:

  “I used to really view these postdocs as these scientists that could effectively walk on water.”
  — Tomi Akindale (05:11)

• On being resourceful:

  “The missing piece may not be in your lab yet, but the person who can help you keep moving might be just down the hall.”
  — Narrator (11:22)

• On collaborative science:

  “Everyone had substantial contributions that really led to the development of this detector in such a short period of time... that's one of the benefits of Livermore is that we do team science.”
  — Tomi Akindale (11:31)

• On growing through challenges:

  “I am so grateful for my postdoc experience because it really gave me the opportunity to learn more about different subject areas, but then also learn more and feel comfortable in failing.”
  — Tomi Akindale (15:05)

• On readiness:

  “If we do our job while they're a postdoc, then they're ready when they become staff scientists to take on those responsibilities.”
  — Ted Bauman (15:41)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Nobel Laureate Meeting Experience: 00:00–01:33
• What is a Postdoc? 03:49–04:31
• Mentorship Structures at LLNL: 05:03–05:39
• Career Development Account: 06:26–07:40
• Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration: 07:45–08:46
• Handheld Neutron Counter Project: 08:57–11:31
• The Real Meaning of Networking: 11:46–12:42
• Communicating Complex Work: 12:57–14:32
• Mentorship Cycle: 14:32–15:05
• Program Goals and the Future: 15:17–15:53

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Takeaway

This episode illustrates how the postdoc experience at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is intentionally designed as a supportive, collaborative, and empowering bridge between academic achievement and scientific leadership. Through mentorship, open-ended development opportunities, and a culture that values both success and failure as learning, LLNL shapes postdocs into the confident, independent scientists who will drive future innovation.

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Transcript

[Tomi Akindale]

Welcome to the 65th meeting of the Nobel laureates and young researchers Here on the shores of beautiful Lake Constance.

[Narrator]

On the shores of Lake Constance in Bavaria, Germany, some of the most accomplished scientists in the world gather in one place every year. Young researchers travel to the historic town located here to catch a glimpse of the faces whose discoveries are printed in textbooks and whose work has changed how we understand the universe. The Nobel Laureates.

[Tomi Akindale]

The meeting is probably going to be the highlight of my scientific career to date. Meeting the Nobel Laureates is one of the biggest honors in science, if not the biggest honor. And to meet these Nobel laureates and to see what motivated them during their

[Narrator]

lifetime, scientific rock stars would be the

[Tomi Akindale]

equivalent of if Margaret Thatcher were walking through a room and you would know that she's walking through this room because you would start to see an accumulation of people around her.

[Narrator]

The Nobel Laureates are a picture of what the young researchers in the room room could become. A future that feels impossibly far away and yet suddenly close. They are no longer students, but not yet established scientists. And some of them are standing in that room for one reason. Excellent students from around the world selected to come here.

[Tomi Akindale]

The idea that I got to be so close to so many Nobel laureates and I just kept thinking that this only happened because I work at Lawrence Livermore National Lab.

[Narrator]

The journey from grad school to established science scientist is one that's earned with hard work and the courage to keep stepping into rooms where you do not yet know all the answers. How does that early career scientist become the kind of scientist others look to for answers? At Lawrence Livermore, the transformation isn't left to chance. It happens by design inside an environment that gives early career scientists the support to grow and the scale of problems that demands they do. And it all starts with a single, deceptively simple title. Postdoc. Welcome to the Big Ideas Lab. Your exploration inside Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Hear untold stories, meet boundary pushing pioneers and get unparalleled access inside the gates. From national security challenges to computing revolution, discover the innovations that are shaping tomorrow. Today, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is hiring. If you're passionate about tackling real world challenges in science, engineering, business or skilled trades, there's a place for you at the lab. Right now, positions are open for a senior guidance navigation and controls engineer and a senior business operations specialist. These are just a few of the more than a hundred exciting roles available at Lawrence Livermore. You'll work on projects that matter, from national security to cutting edge scientific advancements. Join a team that values innovation, collaboration, and professional growth. Explore [e-mail] careers where your next career moves could make history. Postdoc if you've spent any time in a university, the word is familiar. If you haven't, it can sound like jargon.

[Ted Bauman]

A postdoctoral position is essentially the progression in the academic circles.

[Narrator]

That's Ted Bauman, a chemist and staff scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

[Ted Bauman]

Undergraduate, you get your bachelor's degree, you go on to grad school, you get your PhD, and then at that point, you don't have to continue in academic circles. But if you do want to learn a new area, PhDs do go on and do a postdoc.

[Narrator]

A postdoc is the in between stage. You've earned the highest degree there is, and you're no longer a student.

[Ted Bauman]

It is still a learning position, so you're still acquiring knowledge at that point. It's a really good opportunity not only to learn new areas, but to network with other people. Get another circle of professionals that you can interact with.

[Narrator]

It's one of Ted's favorite things about leading the postdoc program.

[Ted Bauman]

When I have a postdoc event on the calendar, I kind of get excited about it. It's what makes it fun. I started at the lab before there was any postdoc program in place. I was fortunate enough to have a really good mentor that helped me navigate integration into the lab. But now we have this whole ecosystem in place to support the postdocs all the way through their apartment appointment.

[Narrator]

Tomi Akindale, a former postdoc turned staff scientist, had a similar mentorship experience when she first started at the lab.

[Tomi Akindale]

When I was a graduate student here, I was really fortunate to get to be mentored by a lot of other postdocs. And so whenever I had a question or a concern, I would go to the postdocs that were working in the same research group that I was, and I would ask them questions. They would help me to make my code more efficient. They would help me to understand a lot of the results that I was getting. And so I used to really view these postdocs as these scientists that could effectively walk on water. They had a really elevated view of them because there was no question I could ask that. They just didn't know.

[Narrator]

There's a reason for that. When a new postdoc arrives at Livermore, they're not given a badge and left alone. They walk into an entire support structure built around them.

[Ted Bauman]

The lab has created this entire infrastructure that's in place to support postdocs during Their time at Livermore, from their onboarding to their integration into the lab culture, all the way through the important step of transitioning out of their postdoc into their next stage of their career. My job as the postdoc program lead is to make sure they're aware of all the resources available to them and to make sure that they know that they're part of a larger community that's here to support them during their time at the lab.

[Narrator]

At the postdoc program center is the career development account. The idea is simple, but the impact is extraordinary. The lab sets aside funding so a postdoc can spend up to a quarter of their time, more than a day, a week, on their own professional growth.

[Ted Bauman]

It's really up to the postdoc to curate their own experience here. They can go to seminars, they can attend people's group meetings, they can read up on different topics to help them better integrate into other projects. So there's really no limitation.

[Tomi Akindale]

I had the opportunity to use my career development time to go to a series of non proliferation boot camps or summer schools or week long activities that really tried to ingrain us in what the global security and non proliferation mission space is. And then I could also spend that time just randomly going to different seminars across the laboratory. I really tried to spend that time to get a better picture of like holistically what it is that we do here at the lab. Outside of the one building that I'm

[Ted Bauman]

in, that's not insignificant. That's more than a day, a week of their time that they can spend doing this. You're not going to find that in academics, you're not going to find that in industry.

[Narrator]

Its permission to explore, ideate and execute.

[Ted Bauman]

This is an extreme example, but you could come in as say, the biologist, and if you have other interests, you really can branch out and start working in material science, physics, or better yet, create collaborations with other postdocs or early career staff. Some of our most creative ideas that we see submitted as proposals really come from the cross pollination of a postdoc in one field meeting a postdoc in another field at a social event. They start talking and they realize that there's some synergy in their ideas. And then you can write up your proposal, you can get it funded. So there's really not a lot of limitations provided again that there's resources available to work on those areas.

[Narrator]

That's how the Advanced Manufacturing Lab, home to much of Lawrence Livermore's 3D printing work, began to take shape.

[Ted Bauman]

Most of that was Built through strategic postdoc hires, Bringing in personnel from academic institutions right out of grad school that had experience with these 3D printing technologies. And then they became staff members and hired in more postdocs that had that expertise.

[Narrator]

A postdoc can arrive to do the work and end up helping build the future shape of the lab itself. For Tomi, it came true in a way she never expected.

[Tomi Akindale]

There was a project where we were approached to build a handheld neutron multiplicity counter in a year.

[Narrator]

A neutron multiplicity counter is a tool used for nuclear security. But the assignment wasn't just to build one. It was to make it handheld in a single year.

[Tomi Akindale]

That was quite challenging in the sense that I know that we could have built a handheld neutron multiplicity counter at some point, but when it was time bound to a year, I pushed back and said, I'm not sure that we can do this. Probably nine out of the 12 months. It was just like, I don't know if this piece is going to arrive in time. I don't know if we're going to be able to perform analysis on this piece. You wanted to make sure that when you turned it on for a demo that the entire thing doesn't explode.

[Narrator]

And Tomy's solution to the time crunch happened in the most unexpected, mundane place. The hallway. Looking for a career that challenges and inspires, Lawrence Livermore national laboratory is hiring for a power grid dynamics engineer and a transmission grid engineer, along with many other roles in science, technology, engineering, and beyond. At the lab, every role contributes to groundbreaking projects in national security, advanced computing, and scientific research, all within a collaborative, mission driven environment. Discover Open [e-mail] careers where big ideas come to life. With a tight deadline and parts still coming in, Tomy's project depended on more than the people officially assigned to the project.

[Tomi Akindale]

The benefit of Livermore is we were able to have conversations with people who have done things similar or tangential to the work that we were interested in doing. And so they were able to offer a lot of assistance in either. Hey, I know you're waiting on this scintillator to arrive, but I have this scintillator that might not be the right size that you can start doing tabletop experimentation on.

[Narrator]

The missing piece may not be in your lab yet, but the person who can help you keep moving might be just down the hall.

[Tomi Akindale]

Oh, hey. The whole thing was the team effort. Everyone had substantial contributions that really led to the development of this detector in such a short period of time. And I think that's one of the benefits of Livermore is that we do team science.

[Narrator]

Collaboration is embedded in the culture at Lawrence Livermore, and with it networking, a word that in other industries can sound transactional, but here means something else entirely.

[Tomi Akindale]

And so really this ability to network, and it doesn't even feel like networking, it's really calling up an old friend or calling up a friend that you enjoy talking to and interacting with and understanding how the work that you're doing in one area can also benefit them in the area that they're working in. When you're a postdoc, they really spend a lot of time teaching you how to really not just network with other people around the lab, but also other postdocs at the lab with you. And so as you move on in your career, they also move on to their careers. And so now you have this opportunity to reach out into academia and to call up an old friend who might have a really great graduate student that they want you to mentor.

[Narrator]

It becomes a living map of people who understand the work and know where to turn when a problem crosses into unfamiliar territory. But even with that map, the leap from postdoc to staff scientist is challenging and not always technical.

[Tomi Akindale]

The biggest challenge that I've really found was trying to convey my ideas in such a way that was palpable to a funding agency.

[Narrator]

You have a brilliant idea, you put it on paper, and the people reading it have no idea what you're trying to say. The gap between complex science and the people who need to understand it is why Lawrence Livermore and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab co founded the event covered in our last episode, the Research Slam, a competition where scientists have three minutes to make their work matter to a room full of people who know nothing about them. For Tomy, that meant explaining how she looks for a faint signal hidden inside an ocean of background noise from a particle most people have never heard of. Three minutes to make the invisible understandable. And in a place like Livermore, that skill does not stay on the stage. It follows you back into the lab, into proposals, collaborations, and eventually into the moment when someone from another field comes to you for help.

[Tomi Akindale]

Where I started to feel more confident or more comfortable at the lab was when you would start to have other people in other areas coming to you to solve a problem for them. The idea that you could be helpful to someone you don't even know, just based off of reputation alone was pretty comforting, but also terrifying.

[Narrator]

The grad student who once thought postdocs walked on water had become the person others came to. And the cycle continues so now I'm

[Tomi Akindale]

in a position where I mentor postdocs, and despite the fact that I'm mentoring them and the roles are effectively reversed, I still feel in awe of the fact that they just carry so much knowledge.

[Narrator]

All of the career development and community is engineered toward one thing building confident scientists who aren't afraid to try something new.

[Tomi Akindale]

I am so grateful for my postdoc experience because it really gave me the opportunity to learn more about different subject areas, but then also learn more and feel comfortable in failing.

[Ted Bauman]

What makes someone a good fit is the willingness to take on new science challenges, especially if they're outside of what your past research experiences have been.

[Narrator]

The time as a postdoc is short. Just a few years, and then a scientist moves on into staff roles, other labs, academia, and problems we haven't even imagined yet.

[Ted Bauman]

The goal of the postdoc program is to prepare postdocs for the next stage of their career to become an independent scientist. So if we do our job while they're a postdoc, then they're ready when they become staff scientists to take on those responsibilities.

[Narrator]

Postdocs learn while they work in the proposal that does not land in the conversation down the hall in the project that feels impossible for nine of its 12 months. It's not just what happens after a PhD, it's the moments a scientist starts becoming the person others look to for answers. Thank you for tuning in to Big Ideas Lab. If you loved what you heard, please let us know by leaving a rating and review. And if you haven't already, don't forget to hit the Follow or Subscribe button in your podcast app to keep up with our latest episodes. Thanks for listening. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is hiring. If you're passionate about tackling real world challenges in science, engineering, business or skilled trades, there's a place for you at the lab. Right now, positions are open for a senior guidance, navigation and Controls engineer and a senior Business Operations Specialist. These are just a few of the more than 100 exciting roles available at Lawrence Livermore. You'll work on projects that matter, from national security to cutting edge scientific advancements. Join a team that values innovation, collaboration, and professional growth. Explore [e-mail] careers where your next career move could make history.