
About the Office of Postdoctoral Advancement
Meet the Team
At the Office of Postdoctoral Advancement, we're dedicated to the professional growth and career success of our postdocs. The OPA team is here for you. Please see below to meet the team!

Itzamarie Chévere-Torres
Itzamarie Chévere-Torres is Director of the Office of Postdoctoral Advancement. She manages daily office operations, establishes collaboration with key stakeholders universitywide, as well as develops and facilitates career development resources and programs for Rutgers postdoctoral researchers. Itzamarie obtained her Ph.D from the University of Puerto Rico, her neuroscience postdoctoral training at NYU, and a second postdoctoral training at Rutgers. Itzamarie is a career coach, certified YouMap® coach and facilitator.

Jillian J. Hanna
Jillian is the Program Coordinator for the Office of Postdoctoral Advancement. She also recently joined the Research, Innovation, and Experiential Education team to provide coordination across research areas. Jillian is passionate about people-centered work. Helping others is the most fulfilling aspect of her role. Jillian is an alumna of SAS, holding a BA in Psychology and Theatre. She is pursuing a MSW (Clinical) degree at Rutgers School of Social Work.
Executive Steering Committee
The Executive Steering Committee is a small body of senior faculty and administrators who drove the establishment of Rutgers' first universitywide office for postdoctoral researchers in February 2017. The committee is chaired by Associate Vice President for Research and Experiential Education, Sunita Kramer, and provides high-level oversight to the office and makes decisions on policy-related recommendations that impact Rutgers postdocs.
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Jacqueline S. Mattis, Ph.D.
Dean of Faculty, Office of the Dean, Psychology
School of Arts & Sciences-NewarkCarol S. Lutz, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Microbiology, Biochemistry, and Molecular Genetics
Assistant Dean for Curriculum, Graduate School of Biomedical SciencesJoseph A. Barone, PharmD, FCCP
Dean, Ernest Mario School of PharmacyJames H. Millonig, Ph.D.
Senior Associate Dean, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Associate Professor of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Robert Wood Johnson Medical SchoolKathleen W. Scotto, Ph.D.
Vice Chancellor for Research, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences
Vice Dean, School of Graduate StudiesKaren R. Stubaus, Ph.D.
Vice President for Academic Affairs and AdministrationLori Covey, Ph.D.
Dean, Life Sciences, School of Arts and SciencesMichelle Stephens, Ph.D.
Founding Executive Director, Institute for the Study of Global Racial Justice
Professor of English and Latino and Caribbean Studies, School of Arts and SciencesWendie S. Cohick, Ph.D.
Dean of Research and Graduate Education, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences
Professor of Animal Science
Postdoctoral Advisory Council
The Postdoctoral Advisory Council (PAC), is a small university-wide group of faculty, staff, and postdocs who have an interest in improving the culture, experience, and professional development for postdocs at the University. Members serve on the council for two years and work together to make formal recommendations for related policies that will be reviewed/approved by our Executive Steering Committee.
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Ellen Townes-Anderson, Ph.D.
Professor of Pharmacology, Physiology, and Neuroscience
Associate Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Science
Director of Research Development and Initiatives
New Jersey Medical SchoolJanet Alder, Ph.D.
Assistant Dean for Graduate Academic and Student Affairs, School of Graduate Studies
Associate Professor, Dept. of Neuroscience & Cell Biology, Robert Wood Johnson Medical SchoolCarlo Santoro, Ph.D.
International Faculty and Scholar Adviser, J-1 Visas
Rutgers GlobalEdward Bonder, Ph.D.
Professor of Cell Biology
School of Arts & Sciences-NewarkJeff Boyd, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Microbiology
School of Environmental and Biological Sciences
Rutgers-New BrunswickDina Navon, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow,
Rutgers New Brunswick/INSPIRE FellowVictoria Abraira, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Cell Biology and NeuroscienceVanessa LoBue
Associate Professor & Graduate Program Director
Department of Psychology, Rutgers-NewarkCarter Mathes
Associate Professor & Associate Chair
Department of English, Rutgers-New BrunswickGrace Brannigan
Associate Professor
Department of Physics, Rutgers-Camden
Big Ten Academic Alliance Postdoctoral Affairs Group
The Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA) Postdoc Offices (PDOs) Group is a collaborative group of directors and senior staff and faculty from BTAA member institutions that meets bi-monthly to generate innovative solutions to common cross-institutional challenges faced by postdoctoral researchers and their faculty mentors. The group collects and shares data, insights, and expertise that help to improve existing services and anticipate trends and future needs of the postdoctoral community we all serve individually and collectively. For more information contact Dr. Itzamarie Chévere-Torres, ict@oq.rutgers.edu.

Get in Touch
848-445-1800
176 Ryders Lane
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Hours: Mon-Fri, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm