About the Carolina Postdoctoral Program for Faculty Diversity

NOTE: The last application cycle for CPPFD fellows closed November 2022. We are currently working with University leadership to reimagine the program and will share updates as they become available.

The following program information was last updated October 2023. 

As part of our continued commitment to building an exceptional intellectual community and advancing scholars from diverse disciplines and lived experiences in higher education, the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs (OPA) manages the Carolina Postdoctoral Program for Faculty Diversity (CPPFD) for the University. The purpose of CPPFD is to prepare scholars from diverse disciplines for possible tenure track appointments at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and other research universities through exceptional training, mentorship, and professional development opportunities, as well as dedicated time to build their research portfolios. 

The CPPFD is one of the oldest and prestigious postdoctoral programs in the nation focused on advancing scholars from diverse disciplines and lived experiences and receives strong support and recognition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and peer institutions. Program support is offered to our postdocs by top level administrators, departments, centers and institutes across our university.  For the purpose of this program, diversity is defined as the ways in which individuals vary, including, but not limited to, academic expertise, backgrounds, personal characteristics, ideas, beliefs, cultures, and traditions that distinguish one individual or group from another, which may include, but are not limited to, Federal, State, University, and constituent institution protected classes.    

The CPPFD has grown to a continuing class of ten outstanding scholars who serve a two-year appointment. Recruiting is carried out on a national basis attracting exceptional scholars from across disciplines. More than 200 scholars have participated in the program since its first scholar in 1983. 

“I chose the CPPFD program because no other postdoctoral program I am familiar with allows their diversity postdocs the time to focus exclusively on publishing without the demands of teaching… I also selected the CPPFD program because one of its stated objectives is to mentor its postdocs for their future academic careers.” ~~ Dr. Jocelyn Chua, Associate Professor of Anthropology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

“I cannot say strongly enough what a difference the fellowship made to my academic development. The postdoc served as a reprieve for me: a chance to spend the time on acquisition of skills that I still needed. The quality of work I have been able to produce since then is due directly to the opportunity I was given in those two postdoc years.” ~~ Dr. Robin D.G. Kelley, Distinguished Professor of History & Gary B. Nash Endowed Chair in United States History, University of California, Los Angeles.