17 March 2023

Fellow-Graduate Student Mentorship Program Opportunity

Erika Holmbeck Carnegie Observatories

Ryan MacDonald University of Michigan

Joel Ong Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawai`i at Manoa

Interactive Map of NHFP Fellows' Locations and Nearby Minority-Serving Institutions
Interactive Map of NHFP Fellows' Locations and Nearby Minority-Serving Institutions

Last year, a number of postdoctoral fellows from the NASA Hubble Fellowship Program (NHFP) initiated a graduate student mentorship program as part of the NHFP Anti-Racism Initiative. The purpose of this program is for current and former postdoctoral fellows to provide professional and academic support and advice to senior graduate students involved in astronomy-related research planning to write their first postdoc applications in 2023. This program has a particular emphasis on those who may not otherwise have access to the resources and connections that many prize fellowship recipients have benefited from. Our goal is to improve the diversity of independent prize fellowship recipients, which have traditionally served as a key stepping stone to leadership positions in astronomy.

We are continuing with the second iteration of the program this year, with an expanded pool of volunteer mentors spanning a broader range of astronomy prize fellowships. We seek late-stage PhD students and recent graduates who are navigating the postdoctoral application process this fall. Selected participants will each be matched with a prize fellow, who will guide them through the application process and offer them career advice. If you are interested in participating in this program as a mentee, we ask that you fill out this form no later than Monday, 17 April. More information can be found on the NHFP Anti-Racism website

Please share with any graduate students, PhD candidates, or recent graduates who might be interested. We particularly encourage applications from students with backgrounds traditionally underrepresented among professional astronomers. Note that this program is not sponsored or managed by the NASA Hubble Fellowship Program, and participation in it does not influence the review process for the NASA Hubble Fellowships.

Related Post