How to apply

UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program

The University of California President's Postdoctoral Fellowship Program is dedicated to ensuring that outstanding degree recipients have an opportunity to work with UC tenured faculty, to prepare for careers of distinction. The program is open to all scholars holding terminal degrees in their discipline. Applicants will be considered who:

• Are engaged in new fields of research; or
• engage in innovative approaches to research in existing fields; or
• have developed scholarly perspectives or work on research topics that differ from those currently available in the University of California campus department where they would be placed to pursue this opportunity; or
• whose life experiences and educational background would help to broaden the perspectives represented in the faculty of the University of California.

Applications for the President’s and Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Programs must be submitted via the online application portal. The application for the next award cycle is available each year from September through October. The application deadline is November 1.

Online Application

UC Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellowships

All applications submitted to the University of California President's Postdoctoral Fellowship Program that are highly ranked will be included in the competition for Chancellor's Postdoctoral Fellowship Programs on the UC campus where the proposed UC faculty mentor is located. Applicants may apply to only one University of California campus. For details on specific Chancellor's Postdoctoral Fellowship awards, please consult the individual campus websites.

UC National Laboratories

UC National Laboratories have a collaborative partnership with the University of California to offer UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), coupled with mentoring, professional development and networking opportunities. The UC National Laboratories seek PhD recipients whose experiences and leadership contribute to the research excellence and public service mission of the UC. 

Applicants for President’s Postdoctoral Fellowships at one of the UC National Laboratories must submit an online application through the University of California President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program application system.

If you have general questions about the UC National Laboratories President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, please email ppf_nationallabs@lanl.gov

• Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
• Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
• Los Alamos National Laboratory

Partner Programs

This partnership supports postdoctoral research fellowships, faculty mentoring, professional development, and academic networking opportunities. The programs are particularly interested in supporting scholars with the potential to bring to their academic and research careers the perspective that comes from their leadership and experience.

The partner programs share common goals and resources but may differ in their scope and requirements from year to year. Please visit the websites below for more information. Applicants may apply to the University of California, University of Maryland, University of Minnesota, and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship programs, with the same application provided they submit separate mentor letters and research proposals.

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