Two UCR graduate division staff members were selected in the final round of the Summer 2025 Alliance of Hispanic Serving Research Universities Seed Grants, a competitive program funded by the Henry Luce Foundation and managed by UC Santa Cruz.

The HSRU brings together 27 research-intensive institutions designated as Hispanic-Serving Institutions, united by a commitment to expanding educational pathways and advancing research excellence. Its seed grants are designed to support scholars in engineering and the physical sciences across these institutions. 

“These initiatives reflect the creativity, dedication, and collaborative spirit that define our HSRU community” said the HSRU selection committee. 

Laura McGeehan, director of academic preparation, recruitment & outreach, was one of six awardees selected to receive up to $5,000 in direct support for her project titled “Preparing the Next Generation of Scholars: Academic Job Search Series for Postdoctoral Fellows in Engineering and Physical Sciences”. Her project proposes a five-session professional development series to support postdoctoral scholars in engineering and physical sciences as they prepare for the academic job market, culminating in a “PostdocSlam” presentation event.

“UCR’s Graduate Division is thrilled to be selected by the HSRU for this prestigious award, underscoring UCR’s commitment to advancing Hispanic-serving research excellence and expanding opportunities for the next generation of scholars,” said McGeehan. “This award will empower UCR post-docs in engineering and the physical sciences as they take the crucial next steps toward academic careers”.

McGeehan’s project will begin in fall 2025 with a five-session, in-person workshop series offering faculty and peer-led professional development.

Constanze Ditterich, senior grant facilitator, was one of four awardees to receive an honorable mention for her project titled From Surviving to Thriving: A Three-Part Grantsmanship Workshop Series for Early-Career Academics. Proposing a three-part workshop series to train early-career faculty in the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences (CNAS) at UCR in competitive grant writing.

"I am looking forward to future HSRU grant opportunities that help our faculty to become more competitive and successful grant writers.” Said Dietterich