The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship Commitment for the Natural Sciences

The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship Commitment for the Natural Sciences is a one-time allocation to support postdoctoral research at leading U.S. research universities. UC San Diego is eligible to receive $2.5 million in postdoctoral support, to be used in three years (AY 2025-26, AY 2026-2027, and AY 2027-2028). The Moore Foundation states that this “commitment recognizes the critical role postdoctoral fellows play in advancing scientific discovery and the importance of maintaining the talent pipeline for science.” We invite PIs whose research aligns with the eligible fields to apply for these funds to support a postdoc.

Applications for funding are due to GEPA no later than Friday, October 3, 2025.

• Applicants must be current PIs or in a PI-eligible title at UC San Diego.

• The Moore Foundation has defined research fields eligible for support as the following:

  • Astronomy

  • Astrophysics

  • Atomic physics

  • Biophysics

  • Cell biology

  • Chemical physics

  • Condensed matter physics (including quantum materials, soft matter and polymers)

  • Ecology and biodiversity

  • Earth and planetary sciences

  • Evolutionary biology

  • Fluid dynamics

  • Green chemistry

  • Materials science

  • Microbiology

  • Molecular biology

  • Molecular physics

  • Optical physics

  • Plasma physics

  • Precision measurements

  • Quantum information

  • Systems biology

Please note that the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation does not support disease-oriented or clinical research.

• The postdoc may be a current postdoc at UC San Diego, or the PI may propose for the funding to support a future, new postdoc (funding from this grant must be expended by June 30, 2028). Likewise, the proposed focus of the postdoc’s project may be new or existing research.

• “Interim Postdocs” (i.e., individuals who are taking additional time to complete dissertation-related projects, finish papers, etc. after earning their PhD) are not eligible.

• Individuals supported by the funds must meet all eligibility criteria to be appointed as a postdoctoral scholar at UC San Diego for the duration of the fellowship period.

• An open, competitive search is required. This is defined as a process in which the postdoc was/will be identified through a competitive process in which interested candidates were/will be invited to submit an application. The most qualified postdoc should have been or will be identified from this pool. The mechanism by which competitive applications are submitted is flexible, and may be a result of advertising broadly within the relevant scientific community, sharing the opening through discipline-specific listservs or other mailings, or posting the position through other formats (e.g., journals, newsletters, etc. ). Exceptions to this requirement may be considered for current postdocs only; the request for exception may be indicated on the online submission form.

In addition to completing the online application form through InfoReady, PIs will be asked to provide the following:

• Research/Science Statement describing the project the postdoc funded by this fellowship would contribute to or lead. This should be general statements describing:

  • The significance of the scientific problem, written for a layperson (100 words max.);

  • Motivation and description of the postdoc’s proposed role in the project (500 words max.); and

  • The impact of the project within and outside the specific field (100 words max.).

• Mentoring Statement (500 words max.) describing the PI’s approach to mentoring the postdoctoral scholar. Points to include: How will the PI foster the development of the postdoc to become a successful researcher? What are the short-term and long-term metrics of success for the postdoc, and what effort will be made to achieve these goals?

• PI Statement (300 words max.) describing how this award would support the overall research portfolio of the PI, including whether the research explores new/developing fields and/or strengthens collaborations, has potential to lead to new funding, and whether the PI has experienced any funding challenges that this award would help overcome.

Please note that the applicant will also be asked to input the name of a department fiscal contact, to whom the InfoReady application will route upon the PI’s submission for the contact to confirm that the PI has the lab space and other resources (e.g. equipment, computer, etc.) required for the postdoc to pursue the proposed research.

View a preview of all application questions here: . Applications must be submitted directly via InfoReady for consideration.

Funds will be provided to cover the salary and benefits of a postdoctoral scholar for a maximum of 24 months with an appointment of up to 100%. Shorter appointments and/or lower appointment percentages are welcomed if there are other funding sources. Whether fully or partially funded by the Postdoctoral Fellowship Commitment, the postdoc’s appointment duration and salary/benefits support must comply with the UAW Postdoctoral Scholars (PX) Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Awards will be granted in the form of fixed amounts based on the published UCOP salary scales and are not renewable. The amount will support a new postdoc at Levels 0 and 1 for 24 months in the years they are funded by this award. Current postdocs will be granted funds at Level 1 or 2 for the duration of their support from the Moore Foundation.

Any gap between the funds from the Moore Foundation and true salary and benefits costs for the postdoc must be covered by the PI.

Applications will be evaluated by an internal review committee composed of UC San Diego faculty from a variety of STEM fields based on the following criteria:

• Scientific merit of the proposal/proposed research;

• Anticipated impact of the research;

• Quality of mentorship to be provided to the postdoc;

• Demonstrated need for funding to support a postdoc.

• Q: How much funding will be awarded for each successful applicant?

  • A: There is flexibility in the duration and amount of support. The maximum will be 24 months of salary and benefits for a new postdoctoral scholar. Shorter appointments/lower amounts are welcomed, such as 12 months of support or 50% appointments if there are other funding sources. To simplify the projections and our reporting to the Moore Foundation, fixed amounts based on the published UCOP salary scales will be granted. The amount will support a new postdoc at Levels 0 and 1 for 24 months in the years they are funded by this award. Current postdocs will be granted funds at Level 1 or 2 for the duration of their support from the Moore Foundation. Any gap between the funds from the Moore Foundation and true salary and benefit costs for the postdoc must be covered by the PI.

• Q: Can I apply for funding support for more than one postdoc?

  • A: No, awarded funds will be limited to the full or partial support of one postdoctoral scholar per successful applicant.

• Q: Is an Assistant Project Scientist eligible for the funding?

  • A: No, Assistant Project Scientists are not eligible.

• Q: Do I need to identify a postdoctoral scholar to nominate for support in order to apply for this funding?

  • A: The postdoctoral scholar does not need to be identified at this time. However, if the proposal is to support a current postdoc, the name of the postdoc should be provided in the application. If a postdoc has not been identified by the time of application, the PI must provide the name of the postdoc once they are hired so that GEPA may include this information in reports to the foundation.

• Q: Could I use the funds to support a recent graduate who is continuing on as a postdoc in my lab to wrap up dissertation-related projects?

  • A: No, interim postdocs (individuals taking additional time to complete dissertation-related projects, finish papers, etc. after earning their PhD) are not eligible for this fellowship support.

• Q: My NSF grant was recently terminated. Should I apply for these fellowship funds?

  • A: Demonstrated need for funding is a criterion that will be considered by the review committee. Terminations of grants, withheld funds, or other funding challenges impacting a PI’s ability to hire and retain postdocs in their lab should be described in the application.

• Q: My NIH grant for biomedical research was recently terminated. Should I apply for these funds?

  • A: The Moore Foundation does not support disease-oriented or clinical research.

• Q: I am adjunct faculty at UC San Diego. Am I eligible to apply for this funding?

  • A: Applicants must be in a PI-eligible title, or currently a PI, at UC San Diego in order to qualify for receiving these funds.

• Q: Can the funds support an individual who does not have U.S. citizenship or permanent residency?

  • A: Yes, funds can support any postdoc who is legally authorized to work in the United States.

• Q: Can the funds be used to support lab costs or resources needed by the postdoc (e.g. laptop, lab materials, etc.)?

  • A: No, the funds must directly support the postdoc’s salary and benefits.

• Q: What are the criteria the review committee will use to evaluate my application?

  • A: Applications will be judged by an internal review committee based on scientific merit, impact, quality of mentorship, and demonstrated need for funding.

• Q: Why is there such a short window of time in which to apply for these funds?

  • A: The university was given a short timeframe for this opportunity; selection decisions must be made and reported to the foundation no later than mid-October.

• Q: When will applicants learn whether they have been selected to receive fellowship funds?

  • A: All applicants will be notified whether or not their application has been selected for funding by October 31, 2025.

• Q: I am currently a postdoc at UC San Diego. Can I apply for these funds for myself?

  • A: No, only PIs or those in PI-eligible titles are eligible to apply for these funds.

• Q: I hired my postdoc after they contacted me as a result of a post on my research website that my lab had an opening for a postdoc. Does this qualify as an open search?

  • A: No, listing the postdoc opening on your research website is not, on its own, considered an open process. The postdoc must have been identified through a competitive process in which interested candidates were invited to submit an application, such as through an open call on a professional association's listserv.

• Q: Where can I reach out with additional questions?

  • A: Additional questions can be sent to gradfellowshipnoms@ucsd.edu, which will open a Services & Support ticket that the Fellowship Team will respond to as soon as possible.

Nominations for the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship Commitment are due no later than Friday, October 3, 2025 at 11:59pm. Please submit your nomination via the InfoReady Submission Portal.