2026 Call for Nominations

The University of New Mexico’s Faculty Forward Post-Doctoral and Visiting Scholars Program (FF) is available to support up to three post-doctoral fellow, research associate, or visiting scholar positions that would enhance diversity and equal opportunity on the Albuquerque central campus. Candidates must be nominated by UNM central campus tenure-granting academic units that wish to hire them for 12-month appointments. Candidates may not apply directly.

The original DEI Postdoctoral Fellowship Program was established in the 1990s to encourage outstanding minority Ph.D. recipients to pursue academic careers at the University of New Mexico. The current program offers postdoctoral research fellowships, professional development and faculty mentoring to outstanding scholars in all fields who are potential candidates for central campus tenure-track faculty appointments that would contribute to strategic hiring goals.

Departments are expected to mentor and support high-potential candidates to prepare them for tenure-track assistant professor appointments at UNM. In addition, departments on central campus will be encouraged to apply for FF bridge funding for hiring tenure-system faculty whose research, teaching, and service will contribute to diversity and equal opportunity at UNM after candidates’ successful completion of the Faculty Forward Postdoc & Visiting Scholars Program.

Stipend

• DEI’s contribution to salary for the 2026-27 Academic Year is $50,000 (for 12-month appointments). Academic units will cover fringe benefits and additional funds to meet UNM minimums and to provide competitive salary offers.
• DEI provides a one-time allocation of $2,000 for research expenses, to be supplemented by departments. A moving allowance is not provided by DEI.
• If needed, funding for legal assistance associated with immigration is the responsibility of the academic unit. DEI will not be responsible for immigration paperwork.

Evaluation of Nominations

Evaluation of nominees will be based on academic accomplishments, the department's mentoring plan designed for the nominee, evidence of nominee’s and nominating department's demonstrated and sustained commitment to cultivate an understanding of the rich and varied cultures of New Mexico and to contribute to the success of the university's mission to serve local and global communities, and the letter of support from the dean of the college associated with the nominating department. If the nominee was initially identified in a national faculty search, and if main campus unit(s) choose(s) to hire the successful nominee as a tenure-track faculty member, the position may be eligible for DEI bridge funding designated for increasing proportions of faculty whose experiences, research, and teaching prepare them to contribute to the peoples of New Mexico and beyond.

Submission Instructions

Please see FFPVSP check list for details.

Submissions must include the following:

Department/college materials

• The academic department’s mentoring plan
• A mentoring statement outlining a mentoring plan for the postdoc to include support for scholarly activities during the appointment period.
• Letter of support from department chair detailing the faculty support for the nominee. The letter of support may address the faculty members’ support for the nominee to assume a tenure-track position.
• Letter of support from the school/college dean indicating that if the nominee, after successful completion of the postdoc appointment, is considered competitive for a position as assistant professor by the department, they will support the department in pursuing hiring the postdoc for such a position.
• Department’s statement delineating their past, current and expected future contributions to the success of the
  university's mission to serve local and global communities through supporting research, teaching, and/or service (1 page is typical, 2-page max). See statement guidelines on DEI’s website.
• Current departmental promotion/tenure guidelines and ways in which planned activities during postdoc will put candidates on the trajectory for achieving tenure at UNM.
• Academic department’s record of leadership in mentoring and advocating for minoritized and women junior faculty.

Nominee’s materials

• Current curriculum vitae (CV).
• Planned scholarly activities during the FF postdoc/visiting scholar appointment.
• The nominee’s letter of interest addressed to the department chair. A letter of application to a recent faculty search may be submitted in lieu of a letter of interest.
• Candidate’s statement delineating their past, current and potential contributions to the success of the university's mission to serve local and global communities through research, teaching, and/or service (1 page is typical, 2-page max). See statement guidelines on DEI’s website.
• Three letters of recommendation.

Submit nominations through InfoReady. Incomplete submissions or materials received past the established deadlines will not be considered.

Nominations must be received by 12:00 noon.

Round 1 - January 29, 2026

Round 2 - April 9, 2026

Guidelines/Eligibility

• Must be nominated by a tenure-granting UNM ABQ central campus academic unit.
• Nominee must have obtained Ph.D. or terminal degree within the past 3 years from an accredited institution and prior to July 1, 2026.
• Nominee must demonstrate promise for a tenure-track appointment at UNM.
• Recipients must be in residence full-time for the duration of the award period.
• FF Postdoctoral Fellows and Visiting Scholars are recommended to teach a maximum of one course annually, at the discretion of the department.
• FF Postdocs/Scholars are appointed for one year with the possibility of a second year. In the final year of postdoctoral fellowship/visiting scholars’ program, the unit (or units) will undertake a rigorous review of the candidate’s qualifications for a tenure-track position.
• FF Postdocs/Scholars, identified through a national search and subsequently recommended by the
  department for a tenure-track faculty position, may be eligible for bridge funding.
• Due to limited funding, individuals who have received DEI support as postdocs or graduate fellows in the
  past do not qualify.

FAQs

How will/should candidates be prioritized?

The most important criterion will be the unit’s willingness and demonstrated effectiveness to mentor, advocate for, and sponsor the candidate, not only to become an assistant professor but to put them on the trajectory to achieve tenure, promotion, and beyond, as demonstrated by custom-tailored mentoring plans for the nominee.

Can a single department (or school) submit more than one candidate?

Yes. Must be central campus departments.

How does the IE postdoc/scholars program address concerns about search committees potentially segregating applicants (e.g., by race and gender) in national searches?

If a candidate competing for a national search is nominated, nominating department must outline their hiring criteria and criteria ultimately for tenure & promotion and provide evidence to show why one candidate was selected for the faculty position and why the prospective postdoc was not.

Is it possible to do this in multiple phases, so that units can get some assurance before asking their candidate(s) to prepare application materials (letter of interest, etc.)?

No. If the prospective postdoc/scholar already submitted materials for a faculty search, that letter of interest would suffice. It is common to invite scholars to apply for postdoc positions before an institution knows they will be selected. And in fact, the prospective postdoc cannot apply directly for this program. It is the department’s responsibility to nominate the prospective postdoc and submit all materials on their behalf. Of course materials will be prepared with the prospective postdoc’s/scholar’s input. The nomination process is as much about how prepared the unit is to invest in that emerging scholar as it is about the postdoc’s/scholar’s potential.