Presidential Postdoctoral Fellows Program  

Applicants from any discipline are eligible to apply but must be conducting work in one of the four presidential priority areas: Advancing STEM diversity, Engaged Climate Action, Health Equity and Race, Racism, and Inequality. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents and must have completed all requirements toward their terminal degree (Ph.D., MFA, D.F.A., M.D. J.D. or other appropriate degree completed, defended, and submitted to the degree-granting institution) no later than June 30 in the year of appointment at Rutgers.

For applicants with a Humanities or Social Sciences degree, preference will be given to those who received their degrees within three years before the start date of their appointment at Rutgers. For example, a postdoctoral fellow appointed in July 2024 must have completed their terminal degree between June 30, 2021, and June 30, 2024.

For applicants with a STEM or Biomedical research degree, individuals with previous postdoctoral experience and a terminal degree in a STEM or Biomed discipline within five years of the start date (on or after June 30, 2019) are eligible to apply.

For applicants with a healthcare training background, such as medical residents or fellows, those with a terminal degree (e.g., MD or equivalent) within five to seven years of the potential start date (on or after June 30, 2017) may apply through the Clinical Scientist Pathway, part of the RBHS Presidential Faculty Diversity Initiative.

• A cover letter that introduces yourself as a scholar, describes your current and previous work, and speaks to the relevance of the fellowship to your research and career path.
• A curriculum vitae, including publications, awards, honors, current and pending funding (if any).
• Rutgers University values contributions to diversity, equity, and inclusion (diversity.rutgers.edu). We encourage applicants to comment (in a separate statement or in the cover letter) about how their research, teaching, and/or service in the past, present, and/or future could contribute to these values.
• A proposed research plan that describes what the applicant aims to achieve during the term of his /her/ their appointment. Applicants should use this Plan to request specific placements at Rutgers and explain why such a placement would be beneficial. Plans may be no longer than 3 pages, single-spaced, with one-inch margins, in 11 pt. font. If you require an extra page for citations or references, aim to keep them within one additional page.
• A writing sample of no more than 25 pages (all inclusive), double-spaced, or a sample of prior research. The writing sample can be any written work that best represents your research and/ or creative efforts at this career stage. Depending on your field of expertise, your sample might be a published paper, article, essay, creative work, or a selection of one; a compilation of different shorter papers; an unpublished research paper that represents current work; a scholarly article; or an excerpted chapter from a dissertation.
• Three confidential letters of reference, one of which should be from the applicant's dissertation or thesis advisor. All letters must be submitted by referees through the application portal via an automatically-generated email request link. Applicants can save the application as a draft and send the letter requests before they submit their application. For details see #6 on the Requesting a Reference Letter webpage. All letters must be received via the portal no later than October 16. We recommend that all applicants directly alert their referees of the deadline to submit their letter. Applicants must ensure that their referees submit their recommendation letters before the deadline. It is the responsibility of the applicants to follow up with their referees and confirm the status of the letter submissions. Applications will not be considered if one or more letters are missing when the portal closes.
• All applicants must apply through the online portal. Only complete applications received through the portal by the closing date of October 16, 2023, will be reviewed.

Campus & Mentor Placement

We ask applicants to identify and indicate their preferred campus placement and mentor on their application. If desired, applicants can also request an alternative campus and mentor as a second choice.

Applicants are encouraged to contact possible mentors to express interest in working with them through the fellowship program. Taking this initiative will help both the applicant and the potential mentor to assess whether they would be a good fit and will help evaluate the best placement and assist departments in assigning mentors.

During the application review process, departments will assign mentors to nominees who are considered suitable. Every participant in the program will be matched with at least one mentor.

We recommend reading our best practices for Choosing the Right Postdoc Position for additional guidance.

Supplementary Questions

As part of this year's application cycle, we have introduced a new set of supplementary questions at the end of the application portal about demographics, disability status, and veteran status. As a Federal contractor, Rutgers University is required to ask all applicants to provide this demographic information.

While all applicants are required to review these questions at the time of application, providing your information is optional and will not affect the status of your application.

Your answers will be kept confidential and will not be shared with reviewers.

*UPDATE to our Information Session* You can locate the required supporting document for the Supplementary Questions by navigating to the DETAILS tab at the top of the portal screen.

Please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page. If you still have questions about the application process, contact Dr. Itzamarie Chévere-Torres, Director, Office of Postdoctoral Advancement, at ppd@oq.rutgers.edu or 848-445-0242.

Fellows are required to attend the following PPF activities:

• A welcome session, which may be scheduled 1-2 months before or up to 2 weeks after start date.
• At least four check-in Focus Group Discussions with the Director of the Office of Postdoctoral Advancement (OPA) every three months. These 1-hour sessions offer an opportunity to provide feedback on Fellow experiences, discuss progress, and offer guidance on completing and submitting annual individual development plans.
• Submit a Rutgers Postdoctoral Individual Development Plan (IDP) at the end of each appointment year. Fellows will work together with their faculty mentor(s) to write the IDP, and the Office of Postdoctoral Advancement offers a specific workshop, “Your Career on Track,” to explain how to complete this document. Completing an IDP helps with setting career and professional goals, making postdoctoral training more intentional and productive, and allowing you to track your progress. It clearly outlines your and your mentor's expectations and establishes mutual understanding and clear communication.
• At least one activity or event regarding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion per year in the fellowship program. These may include workshops on implicit or unconscious bias, mentoring across differences, or other topics offered through The Office of University Equity and Inclusion, the Faculty Diversity Collaborative, or Chancellor Led Units activities like equity talks and racial healing circles, among others.
• At least one mentoring activity or program per year. Examples include the workshop on “Effective Mentoring of Undergraduates in Laboratory Setting,” led by Drs. Janet Alder, Evelyn Erenrich, and Xenia Morin (for STEM/Biomed Fellows), the Rutgers Connection Network Mentoring Program offered through the Faculty Diversity Collaborative, or the “Strengths-Based Mentoring Skills: or “Mentoring-Up” workshops offered through the Office of Postdoctoral Advancement and other units.

In addition to these specific requirements, fellows will be expected to participate in a selection of professional and career development cohort activities offered through the Office of Postdoctoral Advancement and other units or programs on time management skills, writing for grants and/or publication, teaching, faculty job preparation, mentoring skills, leadership skills, communication skills, networking, advocacy, teaching statements, and diversity statements. Fellows will be notified of all scheduled professional development sessions. A certificate of completion in professional development will be granted to fellows that dedicate 10 hours or more per academic year to these programs.

1:1 Advising sessions with the OPA Director are available by appointment for fellows who need more individualized guidance to navigate their postdoctoral training, as are 1:1 coaching sessions for fellows looking for a safe space to self-explore, reflect, clarify goals and next steps, and foster professional growth in an individualized way.

Please note that the activities and events mentioned in this document are meant to complement the field or discipline-specific professional skills training and activities offered by the hosting department and school.

The Presidential Postdoctoral Fellows program is a vital new pathway into the professoriate for emerging researchers and scholars who are preparing to join the Rutgers community as full-time faculty colleagues. The role of the mentor is a critical one in guiding the career development of the fellow and assisting in their integration into the host department. Mentors ensure that labs and other research environments are welcoming and inclusive for the fellows. They act as a trusted resource for information about career success at Rutgers and as intermediaries for introductions to department colleagues who will eventually be asked to support the fellow's faculty appointment, should the fellowship period be productive.

In addition, hosting units commit to providing the infrastructure and resources to support the fellow's proposed research and to consider them for a tenure-track faculty position by the end of their second year in the program.

The application portal is now closed. Thank you for your submissions.