History of RUA @ Caltech

The earliest precursor of RUA began in 2013 as the NSF-funded California Alliance. The California Alliance united Caltech, Stanford, UC Berkeley and UCLA to ensure that URM PhD students and postdocs from the 4 institutions aspire to and populate the ranks of the postdoc population and faculty at institutions across the country.

In 2016, the Alliance was once again funded by NSF-AGEP, leading to the creation of California Alliance II. This iteration of the alliance included annual retreats, the creation of a research exchange and funding for California Alliance postdoc positions.

In 2020, the NSF-AGEP funded Research University Alliance (RUA) was created. RUA brings together 9 R1 institutions from across the country. Participating schools include the 4 California Alliance participants as well as Georgia Tech, Harvard, University of Michigan, UT Austin and the University of Washington. RUA programming offerings include professional development, a conference, the research exchange, and the development of a postdoc portal. Visit the RUA website for more information about programming and participating institutions.

At Caltech, in 2020 the Presidential Postdoc Fellowship Program (PPFP) was established. The PPFP aims to increase the number of historically underrepresented minority faculty in STEM fields by providing support for a more diverse and inclusive postdoctoral community at Caltech. Fellows receive stipends, mentoring and services that build community and foster professional development. Visit the PPFP website for information about the current program and about the Caltech California Alliance program alumni.