Three scholars who will be joining Virginia Tech’s faculty ranks in the 2024-25 academic year via the Future Faculty Diversity Program have received Presidential Postdoctoral Fellowships. This highly competitive award will provide significant support to the scholars for up to two years while they continue their research at Virginia Tech.

Future Faculty Diversity Program (FFPD) 2023 alums Jamie Bucholz, Claudia Nuñez-Penichet, and Sydney Turner received 2024 Presidential Postdoctoral Fellowships for their respective research. Nuñez-Penichet is the second Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow in the history of the program to come from the College of Natural Resources and Environment. Bucholz is in the College of Science, and Turner is in the College of Engineering.

The fellowship includes up to two years of support with nationally competitive salaries and benefits, $5,000 per year for training and professional development for up to two years, and mentoring and professional development in their fields of study.

“We are proud of our FFDP alums and their ongoing successes as researchers and academic professionals,” said Erica Cooper, assistant provost for faculty diversity and the program's coordinator in the Office for Inclusion and Diversity. “They were chosen to participate in FFDP from a pool of competitive talent and provided an opportunity to experience Virginia Tech in a unique way in preparation for their careers. That three of our 2023 scholars received this prestigious fellowship is both encouraging and inspiring.”

Additionally, the scholars have been awarded fellowships in the program’s Research Frontiers track, which encompasses four research areas. Turner, Bucholz, and Nuñez-Penichet’s research supports the Health Frontier: working to change the paradigm from a focus on disease and symptoms to one of whole health, integrating intersections of animal, environment, and human health and building in communities and systems to empower multifaceted well-being. Turner and Nuñez-Penichet’s research is also affiliated with the Security Frontier: ensuring communities are prepared to face global threats, from climate change to cybersecurity to national defense through advances in preparation, defense, mitigation, and recovery.

A headshot of Claudia Nuñez-Penichet wearing a pink tailored jacket and long dark blonde hair falling around her face.
Claudia Nuñez-Penichet. Photo courtesy of Claudia Nuñez-Penichet.
A headshot of Sydney Turner standing with her elbow leaning on the railing of a large bridge, the background blurred behind her. She is wearing a striped top and has her tight curls pulled back in a half-up, half-down hairstyle.
Sydney Turner. Photo courtesy of Sydney Turner.

As part of her fellowship, Nuñez-Penichet will be working with the Invasive Species Collaborative Group to build on her research about a unique species of moths from Cuba. While she didn’t know what to think at first, she quickly warmed to the Future Faculty Diversity Program.

“I was impressed" by the program, Nuñez-Penichet said. “Virginia Tech is helping you to prepare, helping you to get better.”

Turner’s current researc is focused on point-of-use water technology and impacts on communities historically lacking access to clean water. She felt valued in a new way by the structure of the Future Faculty Diversity Program.

“They invest in you as a human being,” Turner said. “So much of the programming felt like it was built out of care. They thought so deeply about what we all needed.”

Applications for the 2024 Future Faculty Diversity Program are open through Aug. 16. The program will take place Oct. 6- 9. Apply now and learn more on the program's website.

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