Postdoctoral Program: Application Instructions

Applicants to the Cal-Bridge Postdoctoral Fellowship should choose whether they intend to work with a UC faculty member at a UC campus or a CSU faculty member at a CSU campus. The faculty sponsor should be identified early in the application process. Depending on which track (UC or CSU) an applicant wishes to pursue, they should then complete the following steps by to application deadline of November 1:

ALL applicants:

  1. All applicants should apply to the Cal-Bridge Postdoctoral Fellowships using the UC Presidential Postdoctoral Fellowship Program (PPFP) application process and submit all the materials they request by their November 1 deadline. All supplemental documents listed below in numbers 2-4 should be submitted directly to the Cal-Bridge program at execdir@calbridge.org.
    • The first page of the PPFP application is a Dashboard with four elements: Personal Information, Education, References, and Research Proposal
    • For the research proposal, all Cal-Bridge applicants should choose the University of California as their institution
      • UC applicants will then choose the actual UC campus they plan to work at
      • CSU applicants should choose UC Irvine
    • Once all four sections are complete, click the Submit Research Proposal button on the Research proposal tab
    • Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the box under Special Opportunities for either the UC or CSU Cal-Bridge postdoc to identify yourself as a Cal-Bridge applicant
    • You may then submit your application by clicking “I Accept” at the bottom of the page
  2. A set of general advice on applying to the PPFP program can be found here: Guidance for Cal-Bridge scholars applying to PPFP/Cal-Bridge postdoc
    • All Cal-Bridge Postdoc UC applications will be reviewed through the normal PPFP process, after which it will be reviewed a second time by the Cal-Bridge postdoc selection committee.
    • All Cal-Bridge Postdoc CSU applications will be forwarded directly to the Cal-Bridge postdoc selection committee for evaluation.
  3. All applicants should arrange for their faculty mentor to submit a letter by December 1.
    • The mentor must provide a letter of support meant to show how the host and host institution will provide a vibrant and supportive environment for the fellow’s proposed research and Cal-Bridge activities and provide a basis for the fellow’s future independent career.
    • Expectations of the faculty mentor and guidelines for the letter of support to be shared with your mentor can be found here: Cal-Bridge Postdoc – Faculty Mentor Letter.
  4. All applicants should submit a Cal-Bridge supplement document which will describe how you plan to use ~10-15% of your time to support the Cal-Bridge program. Instructions are here: Cal-Bridge Postdoc – Supplemental Statement

CSU postdocs only:

  1. All CSU postdoc applicants must submit a statement of teaching philosophy (about 500-700 words) to the Cal-Bridge program by November 1. Instructions are here: Cal-Bridge Postdoc – Teaching Philosophy Statement (CSU only)
  2. All CSU postdoc applicants will need to get a standardized form letter that the department chair will have to sign and submit to the Cal-Bridge program by December 1. It will commit the department to make sure you teach at least one semester per year as the instructor of record in your department. This form letter can be found here: Cal-Bridge Postdoc – Letter from Department Chair (CSU only)

Any questions about the PPFP application process should be directed to Dr. Mark Lawson, PPFP Director (m.lawson@berkeley.edu) or Kimberly Adkinson, PPFP Assistant Director (kadkinson@berkeley.edu). Questions about the Cal-Bridge postdoc application process should be directed to Dr. Alex Rudolph, Cal-Bridge Executive Director (execdir@calbridge.org).

Additional Information

  • Application should demonstrate how you would be a good UC or CSU faculty member
  • Should make the reader feel, “I want this person in my department”
  • Think of it as being reviewed by a future colleague

Three major components to the application:

  1. Research statement
    • Most important
    • Determines if you make it past the first round
    • In first paragraph, grab reader with importance and impact of your research
    • Should be developed in collaboration with your postdoc mentor
    • Do NOT cut and paste from your postdoc mentor’s grant (reviewers can tell)
    • You can reference their grant work; just make sure it is in your own words
  1. Mentor letter
    • Not due for a few weeks after application deadline, so make sure mentor has your entire application ASAP after submitting to use in writing their letter
    • Should address strength of applicant’s research proposal and show integration of the the applicant’s research proposal with their own work
    • Should demonstrate that they developed the research plan with the applicant
    • For CSU applicants, should indicate that the mentor will support the applicant in their classroom instruction
    • Should include a robust mentoring plan
      • Regular meetings
      • Will send to conferences
      • Introduction to their professional network
      • Connect you with UC or CSU colleagues
      • Should show that they are actively promoting your career
  1. Education background statement (DEI)
    • Write about what motivates you to bring opportunity to others
    • Feel free to address your own background and challenges
    • Be positive; don’t make it sound like a grievance letter or that you are owed anything because of the injustices you faced
    • You want the reviewers to see you as a possible colleague who will bring energy and ideas to promoting opportunity and a push for diversity to their department
    • Show that you will be a role model and mentor
    • You can also talk about the impact of your research in this area
    • You can address how your experiences with Cal-Bridge have influenced you and/or given you opportunities for mentorship, leadership, or just being part of the kind of community you want to create in your discipline/future department
    • You should also address your future plans to promote DEI through mentorship, etc., through the Cal-Bridge program
  1. Supplemental Cal-Bridge statement
    • You will be allowed a short supplemental statement about you intend to spend ~10-15% of your time supporting the Cal-Bridge program

Applicants should arrange for their faculty mentor to submit a letter of commitment, which will be solicited directly from them separately following the submission of the applicant’s materials. If the faculty member is not yet tenured, their statement should be co-signed by a tenured faculty member in the department who is willing to serve as a secondary mentor. Please provide the information below to your mentor to guide them in writing their letter.  Additional guidelines for the UC PPFP mentors can be found here: ppfp.ucop.edu

The mentor’s statement is meant to show how the host and host institution will provide a vibrant and supportive environment for the fellow’s proposed research and Cal-Bridge activities and provide a basis for the fellow’s future independent career.

The statement should describe their proposed mentorship role with reference to the following:

  • The applicant’s planned research, including the appropriateness of the match between the scientific mentor and the fellow and how the fellow’s research achievements and future research goals align with those of the scientific mentor.
  • A description of the mentor’s plan to support the applicant’s involvement in Cal-Bridge and related activities aimed at broadening participation of people who are members of historically excluded and currently underrepresented groups.
  • The mentor’s past experiences and track record in mentoring postdocs, especially the track record in mentoring people who are members of historically excluded and currently underrepresented groups in STEM.
  • The mentor’s involvement in Cal-Bridge and/or other programs aimed at broadening participation of members of historically excluded and currently underrepresented groups.
  • Expected course work or teaching responsibilities, if any.
  • The expected availability of the mentor for consultation during the fellowship, and the role that the mentor will play in the professional development of the fellow.
  • The extent to which the fellow will participate in departmental and campus academic activities (i.e. seminar programs, interest groups), as well as anticipated participation at national/international research meetings.
  • The facilities and resources available to the fellow, including any opportunities for training and research at the sponsoring institution that will be of particular benefit to the fellow.
  • The applicant’s potential for a future faculty appointment at a UC or CSU campus.

Cal-Bridge Supplemental Statement – 500-700 words describing how you will use a substantial portion (~10-15%) of your time as a Cal-Bridge Postdoctoral Scholar to engage with and support the Cal-Bridge program. This statement should expand on the plans briefly outlined in your Education and Background Statement for contributing to the Cal-Bridge program during your time as a Cal-Bridge Postdoctoral Scholar. While there are no specific guidelines on how a postdoctoral scholar should engage with the program, some possible ideas might be:

  • Participating in the mentorship program
  • Participating in the program’s outreach and recruiting efforts
  • Developing and/or delivering program workshops for undergraduate or doctoral scholars
  • Co-mentoring an undergraduate scholar with a CSU or UC faculty member

Teaching Philosophy Statement – 500-700 words describing your teaching values and goals. Your teaching philosophy should be clearly grounded in your teaching experiences, including (but not limited to) teaching assistantships, mentoring undergraduates or other junior researchers, conducting workshops or other training sessions, or giving guest lectures. Emphasize the impact and effect your teaching has on students, and summarize your vision for how you plan to teach in the future.

TO BE SUBMITTED ON DEPARTMENT LETTERHEAD

To: Cal-Bridge Postdoctoral Program Selection Committee
Re: Department commitment to APPLICANT NAME

By signing this letter I, chair of the DEPARTMENT NAME, commit our department to providing an opportunity to APPLICANT NAME to be the instructor of record for at least one course per year in our department for the two years of their appointment as a Cal-Bridge Postdoctoral Scholar. During the semesters that NAME is the instructor of record they will be given a lecturer appointment in the department and will receive the standard compensation for lecturers of their level of experience for this work.

DEPARTMENT CHAIR NAME
CHAIR, DEPARTMENT NAME

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