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Graduate Division Distinguished Postdoctoral Scholar Faculty Mentor Award

Nominations for the Distinguished Postdoctoral Scholar Faculty Mentor Award are now being accepted. The deadline to submit a nomination is Friday, May 10, 2024, 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time.

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UC Santa Cruz strives to promote postdoctoral scholars that embody the mission and high standards of this university. In recognition of the vital role that mentors of postdoctoral scholars play in the academic and professional development of outstanding postdoctoral scholars, UCSC is establishing a Distinguished Postdoctoral Scholar Faculty Mentor Award.

Goals of the Award

  • Support high-quality mentors by providing public recognition of their mentoring excellence, both to raise their profile within the university community and to help them attract strong future postdocs.
  • Provide a positive forum for postdoctoral scholars to discuss the impact of mentoring in their work, and to express recognition to remarkable mentors who have positively impacted their careers and development as mentors.
  • Enable the university to identify and recognize faculty who are excellent mentors to their postdoctoral researchers and other trainees. Mentoring has its foundations in research, teaching, and service; therefore, exceptional mentors typically represent the highest expression of the goals of the university community.
  • Empower future postdoctoral scholars in selecting prospective postdoctoral mentors who have a proven track record of successful mentoring relationships with trainees.
  • To promote the importance of mentoring as the interactions between faculty mentors and postdoctoral scholars play a key role in the development of a postdoc.

Eligibility and Qualifications

All ladder and research faculty members of graduate programs who are currently employed by UCSC and who have a minimum of three years of service at UCSC may be nominated. Awardees are not eligible to receive the Distinguished Postdoctoral Scholar Faculty Mentor Award more than once.

Selection

Selection will recognize excellence in faculty mentorship of postdoctoral scholars, using the following criteria:

Professional Preparation

  • Provides career guidance to mentee and encourages career development awareness.
  • Promotes responsible conduct of research and articulates expectations clearly.
  • Advocates for postdoctoral welfare and training.

Fostering Independence

  • Balances sufficient supervision with freedom for mentee to develop independence.
  • Facilitates introduction of mentees to others in their field.

Beyond the Postdoc

  • Represents a positive role model and provides intellectual leadership.
  • Is approachable, supportive and encouraging, with a genuine interest in the welfare (scientific and otherwise) of the mentee.
  • Reflects and takes concrete actions to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in their field, respecting and embracing postdoc differences in background and trajectory.

Nominations

The nomination package should consist of:

  • A nomination letter of no more than 900 words from a current or recent postdoc mentee or group of mentees. The nomination should identify the selection criteria categories in which the nominee excels as a postdoc mentor. Nominations are not limited to the categories above but must include one or more specific examples of how the nominee has provided their mentee(s) with excellent mentoring in each category selected.
  • A letter of support of no more than 500 words from a colleague or program chair familiar with the nominee’s qualifications for the award, consistent with the principles above. Only one nomination package will be considered per faculty nominee. If multiple postdocs wish to nominate the same faculty member, they must prepare and cosign a single nomination package. The postdoc nominator (or group of nominators) should solicit the letter of support.

    Only one nomination package will be considered per faculty nominee. If multiple postdocs wish to nominate the same faculty member, they must prepare and cosign a single nomination package. The postdoc nominator (or lead mentee nominator of a group of mentee nominators) coordinates the collection and submission of the nomination materials: The writing and submission of the nomination letter and solicitation and submission of the faculty letter of support.

Selection Process

Nominations will be reviewed and an awardee selected by a committee composed of postdoctoral scholars, faculty/PIs, and Graduate Division administrative leadership staff.

Ceremony and Award

The selected Outstanding Postdoctoral Scholar Faculty Mentor awardee will receive a framed certificate of recognition. The winner will be announced, recognized, and honored at the annual USPA Symposium on June 3, 2024.