Christian Meissner, professor of psychology, was awarded the 2023 Gallagher Mentor of the Year Award, one of the most prestigious awards in the national postdoctoral scholar community, by the National Postdoctoral Association (NPA).

The NPA Gallagher Mentor Award recognizes the very best of mentors across the nation who advocate for postdoctoral scholars, celebrate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) values, and empower their postdoc scholars to succeed. The NPA is dedicated to both recognizing champions and serving as a model for greater DEI in the postdoctoral community.

Dr. Christian Meissner was named the winner of the mentor award of the year in recognition of his fifteen years of outstanding mentoring of postdoctoral scholars. Meissner completed his Ph.D. in cognitive & behavioral sciences at Florida State University. He is recognized for his approach to mentoring, characterized by his peers as empathetic and empowering.

“I’m incredibly humbled by this recognition,” said Meissner. “Mentorship has been the most enjoyable aspect of my career and I am grateful to have collaborated with such outstanding early career scholars.”

He was honored alongside Lisa Kozlowski, the recipient of the association’s NPA Distinguished Service Award. In addition, in honor of the NPA’s twentieth anniversary, the organization presented a special NPA Chair’s Recognition to the seven postdoctoral scholars whose inspiration and persistence were instrumental in founding the association in 2003: Drs. Orfeu Buxton, Karen Christopherson, Raymond Clark, Carol Manahan, Avi Spier, Claudina Stevenson, and Arti Varanasi.

“Drs. Kozlowski and Meissner demonstrate the highest levels of leadership in promoting both individual postdocs and the entire postdoctoral community and are most deserving of our highest awards,” stated NPA board chair Caleb McKinney, Ph.D.,MPS in recognizing the winners. “All of us can learn from their dedication to promote a culture of belonging and understanding.”

The National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) charitable and educational association headquartered in Rockville, MD. Founded in 2003, the NPA envisions an inclusive community where all postdocs are empowered, valued, recognized, and supported in their current and future endeavors. The NPA serves the entire postdoctoral community, including its 22,000 individual and 230 organizational members.