After a long search, the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) has appointed Alyson Reed as its first executive director. Reed took the NPA helm on 4 September.

Reed comes to NPA from two previous stints as the executive director of membership organizations: the Maryland Commission for Women and the National Committee on Pay Equity, according to an NPA press release.

With her hiring, Reed becomes NPA's first full-time staffer and the first person outside of Science's Next Wave to work full-time on national postdoc issues. Up to now all NPA work has been carried out by a group of postdoc volunteers and professional advisers. According to the press release, Reed's first priority will be to build up NPA's membership.

A profile of the new executive director will follow in 2 weeks.

Network Nugget

The National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) is a member-driven organization that provides a national voice for postdoctoral scholars. Founded in January 2003 through a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, NPA is housed at the headquarters of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, D.C.

Jim Austin is the editor of Science Careers. @SciCareerEditor on Twitter