Program Details

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 through the University of California President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program website. 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 program can be found on the UC system-wide President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program page, or by emailing ppfpinfo@berkeley.edu.

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

Current and Past Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellows

2024-25

• Reza Goljani Amirkhiz, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology; mentored by Erika Zavaleta
• Julisa Lopez, Psychology; mentored by Rebecca Covarrubias
• Emma Steigerwald, Geography; mentored by Peter Limbrick

2023-24

• Bianca De Sanctis, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; mentored by Professor Beth Shapiro in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
• Armín Fardís, History of Consciousness; mentored by Professor Eric Porter in History
• Erica M. Ferrer, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; mentored by Professor Kristi Kroeker in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

2022-23

• Grace Alexandrino-Ocaña, Anthropology; mentored by Professor Jon Daehnke in Anthropology
• Halima Kazem, Film and Digital Media; mentored by Professor Shelley Stamp in Film and Digital Media
• Cinthya Martinez, Latin American and Latino Studies; mentored by Professor Sylvanna Falcón in Latin American and Latino Studies
• Jess L. Sevetson, Genomics Institute; mentored by Professors Sofie Salama and David Haussler in Genetics Institute 

2021-22

• Noemie Globus, Astronomy and Astrophysics; mentored by Professor Enrico Ramirez-Ruiz in Astronomy and Astrophysics
• Jaime Pérez González, Linguistics; mentored by Associate Professor Ryan Bennett in Linguistics
• Jen Elana Quick-Cleveland, Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology; mentored by Distinguished Research Professor Manuel Ares in Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology, and Professors Rachel Meyer and Beth Shapiro in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
• Katherine (Wren) Suess, Astronomy and Astrophysics; mentored by Professor Brant Robertson in Astronomy and Astrophysics
• Michelle C. Velasquez-Potts, History of Consciousness; mentored by Associate Professor Banu Bargu in History of Consciousness

2020-21

• No fellowship awards were granted this year.

2019-20

• Roxanne Beltran, Ecology and Evoluationary Biology; mentored by Professor Daniel Costa in Ecology and Evoluationary Biology
• Michael Gil, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology; mentored by Professor Peter Raimondi in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
• Shelbi Russell, Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology; mentored by Professor William Sullivan in Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology

2018-19

• Emily Martin, Astronomy and Astrophysics; mentored by Andy Skemer, Assistant Professor, Astronomy & Astrophysics

2017-18

• Jennifer Fribourgh, Chemistry and Biochemistry; mentored by Professor Seth Rubin and Carrie Partch in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
• Stephanie Sallum, Astronomy and Astrophysics; mentored by Professor Claire Max in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics

UCSC CPFs in the News

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