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PLUTO

Postdoctoral Leadership of Underrepresented minorities for Teacher-scholar Occupations (PLUTO)

The Postdoctoral Leadership of Underrepresented minorities for Teacher-scholar Occupations (PLUTO) program within the STARS program aims to increase the institutional capacity of Cal Poly Pomona, Citrus College, and Mt. SAC to engage Hispanic, Pell Grant eligible, and underrepresented students in STEM disciplines through hiring additional STEM Ph.D. mentors and supporting postdocs in managing a leadership role in both teaching and research.
Located at a primarily undergraduate institution (PUI) and Hispanic-serving institution (HSI), STARS is uniquely positioned to support postdocs who are interested in research, but also have significant interest in teaching and training undergraduates, and working with Hispanic and Pell eligible students.
This program will fund a total of 10 PLUTO positions (2 positions per year, renewable for 2nd year), with a goal to support the postdocs in obtaining faculty positions at PUIs. 
PLUTO postdocs are interested in research, teaching and training undergraduates, and working with Hispanic and low-income students. They work independently and are paired with a mentor to enhance skills that are particularly useful for faculty at primarily undergraduate institutions, but would also benefit them in any future career. Mentoring, research and teaching duties are divided equally. A portion of the postdoc's time will be committed to teaching one course per year with the course selection will be based on the postdoc's interest.  

Program Components

Each postdoc will:

  • Conduct research with a STARS faculty mentor
  • Directly mentor 1-2 students in research per year
  • Teach 1 course per year to gain teaching experience
  • Directly mentor 4 STARS students per year (2 meetings per month)
  • Lead 2 STARS workshops per year
  • Attend workshops through the Center for the Advancement of Faculty Excellence
  • Develop independent research ideas for future career
  • Participate in career development opportunities and mentorship
  • Receive mentorship for applying to faculty jobs at primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs) or community colleges

  

Meet Our Postdocs

Current Postdocs

Dr. Jesus Preciado

Agriculture
Mentors: Dr. David Still & Dr. Chantal Stieber

Dr. Zoe Marr

Chemistry
Mentor: Dr. Chantal Stieber

Dr. Benjamin Goka

Chemistry
Mentor: Dr. Chantal Stieber

Past Postdocs

Dr. Andressa Antonini Bertolazzo

Chemistry
Mentor: Dr. Chantal Stieber
New Position: Tenure track faculty at Weber State University

Dr. Winn Huynh

Chemistry
Mentor: Dr. Chantal Stieber
New Position: Faculty at LA Pierce College

Openings & Application

Current Openings

Title: Postdoctoral Research Associate - STARS Engineering #537318213

Summary: The Postdoctoral Research Associate will work for the Postdoctoral Leadership of Underrepresented minorities for Teacher-Scholar Occupations (PLUTO) program, designed to support postdocs in managing leadership roles in both teaching and research. Postdoctoral associates will work under the mentorship of Principal Investigators Dr. Winny Dong, Dr. Navid Nakhjiri, Dr. Subodh Bhandari, and Dr. Chantal Stieber.

(Note: Please make sure to look up the title above when applying.)

Apply Here

 

How to Apply

The application typically includes a CV and a cover letter describing your interests in research, teaching, and working with undergraduates.

  

Contact Us

If you are interested in learning more about this program, you can email the program coordinator Dr. Chantal Stieber at sestieber@cpp.edu.

Dr. Chantal Stieber

Associate Professor, Chemistry & Biochemistry