Penn Postdocs in the News: Lindsey Fernandez, Ph.D., named to National Postdoctoral Association Board of Directors
Penn Postdoctoral Researcher and PPA Co-President Lindsey Fernandez joins National Postdoctoral Association Board of Directors
PHILADELPHIA, PA — Lindsey Fernandez, Ph.D., a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania and co-president of the Penn Postdoc Association (PPA), has been selected to serve on the Board of Directors of the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA). Dr. Fernandez will serve as the Board’s Advocacy Committee Liaison, bringing her experience in postdoctoral advocacy, organizational leadership, and community building to the national level.
Dr. Fernandez earned her Ph.D. in Bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania in 2021, where she conducted doctoral research in the laboratory of Ravi Radhakrishnan, Ph.D., developing multiscale models of cancer and combination chemotherapy. During her doctoral training, she was a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow and participated in the HHMI-NIBIB Interfaces Training Program in Translational Medical Imaging and Informational Sciences. She previously earned a B.S. in Computer Engineering and Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University in 2014.
At Penn, Dr. Fernandez investigates the mechanisms underlying cancer progression, anti-tumor immunity, and therapeutic resistance. Her postdoctoral research examines the role of exosomes and their molecular cargo in cancer immunity, progression, and treatment response and develops patient-specific computational approaches to inform combination cancer therapy.
Alongside her research, Dr. Fernandez serves as co-president of the Penn Postdoc Association, a university-wide, postdoc-led organization representing postdoctoral scholars across Penn’s 12 schools and affiliated institutions. Prior to becoming co-president, she served as co-chair of PPA’s Advocacy Committee, where she worked with fellow postdocs and University administrators on issues affecting the postdoctoral community, including health benefits and postdoctoral representation in University governance.
Dr. Fernandez has also served as co-president of the Penn Science Policy and Diplomacy Group (PSPDG), supporting opportunities for early-career scientists to gain hands-on experience in science communication, policy, and diplomacy while contributing to leadership development and organizational sustainability.
As an NPA Board member and Advocacy Committee Liaison, Dr. Fernandez will bring her experience advocating for postdoctoral scholars at Penn to the national postdoctoral community. The National Postdoctoral Association works to enhance the postdoctoral experience by supporting postdoctoral scholars and the institutions and organizations that serve them.
Dr. Fernandez’s appointment reflects the important contributions Penn postdocs make not only through research, but also through leadership, service, and advocacy aimed at strengthening the postdoctoral experience.
We are proud to celebrate Dr. Fernandez and her continued leadership on behalf of postdoctoral scholars at Penn and across the country.