Application instructions

Application requirements

Prepare your application following the application requirements below. Save your application documents in a PDF format for submission (other formats are not supported in the PPFP application portal).

1. Secure a sponsor Secure the sponsorship of a tenured faculty member other than your PhD dissertation advisor who is willing to serve as your primary mentor.
2. Thesis abstract Provide a one-page abstract of your PhD thesis. Include the following identifier in your Education and Background Statement document header [Last Name, First Name —Thesis Abstract]. Prepare your file as a PDF.
3. Research Proposal Please provide a 700-1000 word typed statement describing your proposed research and its significance within your discipline. Please note: The review committee may not consider proposals that exceed the word limit. References, citations, formulas, and graphics do not apply to the total word count. Applicants may submit a unique research proposal for each institution. Include the following identifier in your Education and Background Statement document header [Last Name, First Name — Research Proposal]. Prepare your file as a PDF.
4. Education and Background Statement Provide a 300–700-word statement describing your educational background and personal experience in higher education, and how your past leadership activities and experiences will inform your contribution to the university as a potential future faculty member. Include the following identifier in your Education and Background Statement document header [Last Name, First Name — Education Background]. Prepare your file as a PDF.
5. Curriculum Vitae Provide your curriculum vitae. Include the following identifier in your curriculum vitae document header [Last Name, First Name — CV]. Prepare your file as a PDF.
6. Writing sample Provide a sample publication or unpublished research paper. Please limit the writing sample to 35 pages. References, citations, formulas, and graphics do not count toward the page limit. The review committee may not consider writing samples that exceed the page limit. Include the following identifier in your writing sample document header [Last Name, First Name — Writing Sample]. Prepare your file as a PDF.
7. References Provide contact information for your thesis advisor reference in the application portal. You can provide an optional second reference.
8. Letter of Support Provide contact information for your confirmed faculty mentor/sponsor who will provide a letter of support. You can provide an optional secondary co-mentor.

Citizenship and employment status

Successful applicants must present documents demonstrating that they are legally authorized to work in the United States without restrictions or limitations. Information regarding citizenship, gender, race, ethnicity, disability, and veteran status is requested for statistical purposes only and will not be provided to the Selection Committee.

Academic status and research

Prepare to provide the following information: date PhD completed or expected, institution granting the PhD, discipline and sub-discipline of PhD, academic appointment, the informative title of your proposed research, the discipline of the proposed research, area or sub-discipline of the proposed research.

Review partner program selection guidelines

Each PPFP partner university provides their institution’s application and selection guidelines. Please review these for each institution you’re applying to before preparing your application documents. 

• Cal-Bridge 
• Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center 
• New York University 
• University of Maryland
• University of Michigan
• University of Minnesota  
• Virginia Tech 

Review and submit your application

Prepare your application following the application requirements above. Save your application documents in a PDF format for submission (other formats are not supported in the PPFP application portal). Follow the buttons in the sidebar to start or continue your application submission.

Check the status of your application

After completing the online portion of the application, you can check the status of the receipt of your supporting documents by using the same username/password to log into the President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program online application site and clicking on the “References and Research Proposals” link. You can verify the corrected email address by returning to the online application system using the same username and password. The link to resend emails to references is located on the reference page under the letter writer information. The link to resend emails to mentors is located on the Research Proposal/Mentor page under the mentor information.