Ivonne Vidal Pizarro serves as the inaugural assistant dean for the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs and leads UT’s efforts to support the postdoctoral community. Collaboration is central to her work. In addition to coordinating efforts with postdoctoral scholars, their mentors, department heads, associate deans for research, deans, and staff, she also works with many campus offices. 

Vidal Pizarro conducted a close examination of postdoctoral offices at aspirational and comparable peer institutions, SEC institutions, and other institutions. She carefully and methodically reviewed the existing supports for the postdoctoral community on campus. This investigation led to the establishment of the Office for Postdoctoral Affairs. She has created countless events to support the postdoctoral community including National Postdoc Appreciation Week, a postdoc research symposium, and a postdoc research colloquium. She initiated and spearheads a monthly meeting of postdoc offices among SEC institutions. 

Vidal Pizarro has an associate’s degree from Miami Dade Community College in English, a bachelor’s degree from Florida International University in both English and biology, and a doctoral degree from the University of Pennsylvania in Neuroscience. After a neuroimmunology postdoc at the University of Pennsylvania, she worked with the American Association for Cancer Research and K-12 science education in Taiwan. She is a lifetime member of the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) and is a passionate advocate for underrepresented researchers.