Who We Are

Postdocs have been part of Clemson's research community for over 20 years. To strengthen their experience, Clemson created the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs in 2016. In 2024, the office expanded and rebranded as PEPS, reflecting Clemson's commitment to supporting postdocs and early-career scholars. Today, we connect scholars and faculty through mentorship, training, and collaboration across all disciplines and support over 150 postdocs and early professional scholars.

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PEPS Annual Events

Scholars sitting at a coffee shop and chatting

PEPS Annual Gatherings

The PEPS Annual Gatherings are open to our PEPS and their families at the beginning of the Fall and Spring semesters. It is an event full of fun and fellowship time for our PEPS community.

Annual PEPS Research Symposium Picnic

The PEPS Research Symposium is our annual spring event, where PEPS present their current research and participate in a poster competition.

Postdoc scholar presenting their research poster to their audience

A few people sitting at a coffee shop chatting

PEPS Appreciation Week

PEPS Appreciation Week is every September where we host professional networking and social events to celebrate our PEPS and their contributions to Clemson.

PEPS Advisory Board

The PEPS Advisory Board (PEPSAB) assists with identifying needs and proposing solutions for postdoctoral and early professional scholars at Clemson University. PEPSAB is comprised of appointed PEPS representatives from colleges and facilities statewide, as well as Faculty and Staff supporting PEPS. Additionally, the PEPSAB helps plan and execute activities throughout the year that support individual PEPS professional development, foster community, and contribute to the long-term success of PEPS at Clemson, such as advising on policies to enhance the PEPS experiences at Clemson.

2026-2027 PEPSAB

	Dr. Randi Sims College of Education Dr. Randi Sims earned her Ph.D. in Engineering and Science Education from Clemson University, where her research examined the impact of community integration on undergraduate research students. She is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow in the College of Education, where her research focuses on the assets of rural transfer students using Quantitative Ethnography.
	Dr. Amy Schuster College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences Dr. Amy M. Schuster earned her Ph.D. and M.S.W. and is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Clemson University. Her research examines how technology use relates to physical health, psychosocial, and environmental factors.
	Dr. Lander Besabe College of Science Dr. Lander Besabe is a postdoctoral fellow in the School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences at Clemson University. His research focuses on the development and analysis of finite element methods for fluid-structure interaction problems and other complex physical systems.
	Dr. Kelly Sauskojus College of Arts and Humanities Dr. Kelly Sauskojus is a Postdoctoral Fellow at Clemson University with a background in rhetoric, technical and professional communication, and first-year writing. Their current work continues to center on community engagement, food justice, grant writing, and interfaith organizing in the Upstate.
	Dr. Devi Soman College of Architecture, Art and Construction Dr. Devi Soman is a postdoctoral fellow and lecturer in the Richard A. McMahan School of Architecture at Clemson University. She earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Architecture in India, along with a postgraduate diploma in hospital and healthcare management, and recently completed her Ph.D. in Design and Built Environment with a focus on architecture and health.
	Dr. Susana Cerqueira College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences Dr. Susana R. Cerqueira earned her Ph.D. in Tissue Engineering, Regenerative Medicine, and Stem Cells from the University of Minho in Portugal. She is currently a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Bioengineering, where her research focuses on neurotrauma, neuroinflammation, and targeted nanotherapeutics for neural repair.
	Dr. Ethan Doherty College of Science Dr. Ethan Doherty is a postdoctoral scholar in the Departments of Mathematics and Forestry at Clemson University. As an entomologist and statistician, his research models the spread of invasive pests and simulates management scenarios to improve forest protection.
	Dr. Hao Chen College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences Dr. Hao Chen is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Energy-Economy-Environment Systems Analysis Group at Clemson University. He earned his Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering and Sciences from Clemson University and his M.S. in Environmental Engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and his research focuses on sustainability, life cycle assessment, techno-economic assessment, and decision support for energy transition.
	Dr. Shuchun Sun College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences Dr. Shuchun Sun earned his Ph.D. in Bioengineering from Clemson University and is now a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Bioengineering. His research integrates biomechanics, machine learning, and robotics to address challenges in healthcare, human movement analysis, and intelligent biomedical systems.
	Dr. Vinita Jansari College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences Dr. Vinita Jansari is a Research Assistant Professor in the School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering at Clemson University. She earned her Ph.D. in Computer Science with a focus on AI/ML, and her research combines AI, data science, engineering, and healthcare to develop reliable, adaptable solutions for complex real-world problems.
	Dr. Sonika Kumar College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences Dr. Sonika Kumar earned her Ph.D. in Genetics and Plant Breeding, with a minor in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, and is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences. Her research focuses on plant regeneration and transformation systems, including genotype-independent regeneration platforms for crops such as cotton, cucumber, peach, and pigweed.
	Dr. Sriparna Bhattacharya College of Science Dr. Sriparna Bhattacharya is a Research Associate Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and a Faculty Scholar at the School of Health Research at Clemson University. Her research interests include energy generation, energy storage, harvesting, and chemical imaging for biomedical applications.
	Dr. Hrishita Negi College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences Dr. Hrishita Negi is the Associate Director of Tigers United© at Clemson University. She earned her Ph.D. from Clemson University, where her research focused on human-tiger coexistence in Central India, and her current work includes conservation, community engagement, technology-enabled conflict mitigation, and global partnerships.
	Dr. Mengqi Zhang College of Business Dr. Mengqi Zhang is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Media Forensics Hub and the Department of Marketing at Clemson University. He received his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Colorado Boulder, and his research focuses on microeconomic theory, particularly information design and mechanism design and their applications to markets and decision-making.