Jennifer Nicholas has been named the director of Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (OPA) within the Office of the Senior Vice President for Research, effective Aug. 1. Nicholas will develop educational, professional training and mentoring programs to further Penn State postdoctoral scholar career development.
Nicholas is a workforce development specialist and a career coach for experienced professionals. For the past four years, she has managed an alumni career coaching program for the Smeal College of Business, serving alumni across industries and regions, ranging from recent graduates to executives. She was recently nominated for an award recognizing her dedication to “impact careers” that focuses on positive social and environmental impact.
“OPA plays important role in personal growth and professional development of postdoctoral scholars by assisting across all aspects of their professional training,” said Shashank Priya, associate vice president of research. “I am confident that Jennifer’s prior experience in workforce development and her leadership in designing and executing professional career development activities will position OPA to achieve tremendous success in its goals.”
Prior to joining the Smeal College of Business, she was a professional development instructor for the College of Education where she completed a doctorate in workforce education and development. Her dissertation focused on the construction and management of employability narratives.
Nicholas also holds a master's degree in adult education and training from Seattle University and a bachelor's degree in human development and social relations from Earlham College.