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. Make sure to check the box allowing the PPFP program to share your application with other programs (including Cal-Bridge). 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.
  2. All applicants should arrange for their faculty mentor to submit a letter by December 1.
    • UC applicants should have their mentor submit their letter to the PPFP program following their instructions.
    • CSU applicants should arrange for their faculty mentor to submit a letter directly to the Cal-Bridge postdoc program at execdir@calbridge.org.
  3. 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) by email to execdir@calbridge.org. 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. 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)

Additional Information

  • Application should demonstrate how you would be a good UC 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
    • Should include a robust mentoring plan
      • Regular meetings
      • Will send to conferences
      • Introduction to their professional network
      • Connect you with UC 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

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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