An alliance comprised of NSF Mathematical Sciences Institutes and seven major research universities with a good record of mentoring minority mathematics graduate students will offer post-doctoral fellowships to new Ph.D.s for a period of up to three years. The program specifically targets minority candidates. A typical 3-year postdoctoral fellow will spend 1 year at a national institute and 2 years at the host institution (university), which will provide mentoring and other support. The Alliance universities are (listed alphabetically): Arizona State University, Howard University, Iowa Alliance (University of Iowa and Iowa State University), North Carolina State University, University of Arizona, and University of Nebraska. The Alliance NSF Mathematical Sciences Institutes are (listed alphabetically): American Institute of Mathematics (AIM), Institute for Mathematics and its Applications (IMA), Institute For Pure and Applied Mathematics (IPAM), Mathematical Biosciences Institute (MBI), Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI), Park City Mathematics Institute (PCMI/IAS), and Statistical and Applied Mathematical Sciences Institute (SAMSI).
Despite slowly increasing numbers of undergraduate and graduate students in math coming from underrepresented groups, there remain very few minority faculty members in the mathematical sciences, especially at Research I Universities. An explicit goal of this proposal is to increase this number. The career track of most faculty at the best universities includes a strong postdoctoral experience in which they build their research portfolio and broaden their understanding of mathematics and its community. This postdoctoral fellowship program will allow strong Ph.D.s, especially those from underrepresented groups, to reach their full potential. Additionally, increasing the number of minority faculty will provide role models for undergraduates and graduate students, thereby encouraging underrepresented groups at all levels to continue in STEM fields in general and mathematics in particular.
