Supporting Student and Faculty Scholarship, Building Careers: Postdocs at Baylor

September 18, 2024
Postdoc Appreciation Week

There’s a group of higher education professionals at Baylor that are deeply appreciated by professors and students, but somewhat unsung outside of those with whom they closely interact: the postdoc. “Postdoc” is academic shorthand for postdoctoral researchers, and alongside professors and students, they’re an important part of the research being done at Baylor, supporting work at the graduate and undergraduate levels.

The postdoc position has become a common step on the academic ladder, an intermediate rung between the completion of a doctoral degree and teaching. Postdocs typically spend about three years working alongside professors in labs or offices to support that professor’s research efforts and gain experience that can enhance their own careers. Postdocs are able to manage the day-to-day activities of a professor’s lab and research, thus freeing the professor to focus his/her time and attention other places — including the classroom and the students they teach.

To celebrate Postdoc Appreciation Week, two Baylor postdocs share more about their unique experiences on campus. 

Barah Ahn is spending a year with Lulin Jiang, Ph.D., in mechanical engineering; Shanan Baker is in her third year as a postdoc for Monique Ingalls, Ph.D., in the School of Music.

What type of research do you conduct at Baylor?

Ahn: My mentor, Dr. Jiang, is working on a project to serve the community, building a combustor to turn waste into energy. I get to work with her on that. It’s a partnership with the City of Waco and I love it because it’s not just about making money, but about serving others and meeting a real need.

Baker:  I work closely with Monique Ingalls supporting her forthcoming book project British gospel music. We joke that, with the work I do for her, I’m the second most knowledgeable person outside the UK about UK gospel music through what I do for her.

All of my personal work in the research area all relates to contemporary worship in some shape or form. The website we started, worshipleaderresearch.com, is a portion of that. I'm still involved with Worship Leader Research with a team there. The individual research that I'm also working on is in connection with contemporary worship. Specifically, I received a grant from the Calvin Institute for Christian Worship for $20,000 to create workshops for church music students.

Where do you hope to go in your career when your time as a postdoc is complete?

Baker: Ideally, I'd love to be a faculty member at a university somewhere, teaching not only the theoretical ideas and concepts of worship, but also teaching the practical elements about how to make this music and craft worship services that will engage people in a meaningful experience with God.

Ahn: My path is a little bit different. Many postdocs take that path to build a greater research portfolio and career. That is great, because I know it can open some other opportunities to become a professor. But for me, I want to utilize what I’m learning in industry. This is an incredible project that will open doors in places to make a difference for people through my work.

How would you describe what makes being a postdoc at Baylor unique?

Ahn: I am surrounded by wonderful faculty members. What I like about being a postdoc as opposed to a student is the chance to work with many different faculty members. The nature of the project, which requires lots of collaboration with from other people, allows me to have more interaction with other faculty members who are just wonderful. I learn a lot from them. 

Also, as I said earlier, Baylor is a really unique place, and I’m surrounded by people who prioritize humanity and community over just money. It’s those Christian values that really attracted me. Even if I may work in other places or other environments, these experiences are formative to me.

Baker:  This is a great time to be a research postdoc at Baylor, because Baylor is putting a lot of emphasis on is research.  But, I think what's unique here especially is just the work that's being done. I'm just very fortunate to be not only at Baylor, where research and Christian values are aligned, especially in the area of church music, but also, being in the Center for Christian Music Studies, I have been very blessed to have ample resources to do the things that I need to do.