Dr. Joseph S. Sparling is the current Chair of the Canadian Association of Postdoctoral Scholars (CAPS/ACSP), the spokesperson for the Postdoctoral Associations of Alberta (the group responsible for convincing the Alberta government to grant postdocs employment status via legislation), and a staunch advocate for evidence-based policy reform in post-graduate research, training, and labour relations. Joe has four advanced degrees, including an Honours BSc in Biology (McMaster University), an Honours BA in Psychology (Brock University), an MA in Psychology (Queen's University in Kingston), and a PhD in Neursocience from the University of British Columbia. Joe studied cell transplantation as a means to treat spinal cord injury during his PhD and Alzheimer's and related neurodegenerative diseases during his postdoctoral training at the University of Calgary, but he recently left academia to pursue a career in policy related to training and labour relations in advanced education. Joe is a recognized expert on postdoctoral labour and training issues in Canada, the lead author on a variety of CAPS/ACSP reports to government regarding postdoctoral policy, and an outspoken advocate for Canadian science and advanced education. His opinion pieces can be found on the CAPS/ACSP website (www.caps-acsp.ca) and in media outlets such as iPolitics and The Black Hole (University Affairs).