UC Santa Cruz Chancellor's Postdoctoral Fellowships

UC Santa Cruz funds two types of Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellowship (CPF) awards: one that is fully funded, and one that is awarded without salary for those who have secured an alternative source of postdoctoral funding. In addition to fully funding one Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellowship, UC Santa Cruz also sponsors a limited number of Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellowship awards for highly-ranked President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program (PPFP) finalists who obtain funding from other sources.

UC Santa Cruz seeks scholars from all academic fields who show promise for a tenure-track appointment and who will contribute to diversity through their research, teaching, and/or service at the University of California. Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellowships are intended to improve diversity and inclusion at UC Santa Cruz, through activities on campus or through outreach. Awards may be for up to two years in residence at UC Santa Cruz.

For the 2025-26 academic year, UC Santa Cruz is offering two additional fully funded postdoctoral fellowship positions in Latinx Studies under the sponsorship of the Department of Latin American and Latino Studies (LALS).

All Fellows, regardless of whether they are appointed with or without salary, participate in the President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program (PPFP) professional development activities, and are eligible for the hiring incentive and $5,000 in research/travel funds.

Criteria

UC Santa Cruz seeks scholars with an excellent research agenda who show promise for a tenure-track appointment and who will contribute to diversity through their research, teaching, and/or service. The candidate must hold or receive a doctorate by the July 1 appointment start date and must have completed the application and review process for the PPFP. Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellowship candidates must also meet all criteria of the PPFP and score highly in the PPFP review process.

Salary

As described above, there are two types of Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellowship awards at UC Santa Cruz: fully funded, and without salary (WOS). Both award types are for twelve months and are renewable for a second year upon demonstration of academic productivity and participation in PPFP events. Funding source(s) for WOS type candidates must cover at least the minimum salary for UC postdoctoral scholars based on years of experience (please see Academic Salary Scales, Postdoctoral Scholar) and must cover or provide funding for benefits.

Eligibility

Successful candidates must present documents demonstrating that they are legally authorized to work in the United States; visa sponsorship and work authorization is possible for successful applicants. Individuals granted deferred action status under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program are encouraged to apply. Candidates must hold or receive a doctoral degree by the start of their fellowship on July 1.

Application

Candidates for the UC Santa Cruz Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellowship must follow the same application procedures as candidates for the University of California President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program and should submit their applications to the University of California President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program at: http://ppfp.ucop.edu/info/how-to-apply/index.html. Applications must be completed online by November 1. If a PPFP applicant ranks highly but does not receive the PPFP, obtains an alternate source of salary funding subsequent to submission, and is interested in being considered for the UCSC Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellowship without salary, they should notify Suzanne Alonzo, UC Santa Cruz Associate Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, at avpaa@ucsc.edu.

Selection

After PPFP selections have been made, the UC Santa Cruz campus is provided with a list of eligible candidates. Only those listed can be considered for the UCSC Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellowship (CPF). A committee is then convened to select the UCSC CPFs for that year (both fully funded and without salary). Candidates will be selected based on their applications to the PPFP, which will be reviewed for both academic merit of the postdoctoral research proposal and proposed contributions to diversity through research, teaching, or service. UC Santa Cruz Ph.D. recipients will only be considered if their proposed postdoctoral work is substantially different from their doctoral thesis work and their proposed mentor is in a different department from their dissertation advisor and from the department from which they received their Ph.D. Files will be reviewed, and up to two CPFs WOS will be selected each year. 

Contact Information

Further information about the UC system-wide President's Postdoctoral Fellowship Program is available at: http://ppfp.ucop.edu/info/index.html or by emailing ppfpinfo@berkeley.edu.

For additional questions about UC Santa Cruz Chancellor's Postdoctoral Fellowships, please email the Associate Vice Provost for Academic Affairs at avpaa@ucsc.edu.