BPP Faculty & BA May Updates

• Minimum Stipend levels for FY27 are now available
• Open Enrollment is happening now for Postdocs. The complete benefits guide can be found online here. 
• NRSA Cost-Share information was also shared recently with business offices. If you have not received this information, please let me know. It will also be made available through your Department specific DSA Workday Penn + Box folder.

If you have any open job posting on Interfolio that you are no longer actively recruiting for, please be sure to close it out and notify all applicants. I will be checking in on postings open longer than six months and am happy to help archive unneeded postings. Instructions on how to manage candidates and positions in Interfolio can be found in our Interfolio manual available on our website.

PMACS has recently be performing a series of updates to the backend of the BPP Appointment system to better integrate our system with Workday. As you create new appointments and send letters for signatures, please take an extra moment to be sure all faculty information is being populated in the letter template correctly. If you see any errors, please let us know!

A recent announcement was shared by PMACS regarding a change to the Adobe License for PSOM affiliates. Please note that this will not impact any faculty, staff, OR postdocs in PSOM. Access will continue as normal. The message below was shared with our postdocs through the weekly newsletter:

The BPP office wants to confirm that all PSOM postdocs will continue to have access to the Adobe Creative Suite after May 13th. PSOM postdocs should not be impacted by the announcement shared by PMACS on April 1st. If you would like to confirm your availability for an Adobe License, you can do so here:

Grouper Group Management and Authorization

BPP, BGS, ITMAT, and MSTP are once again partnering to offer Introductory Research Mentor Training this spring. These sessions meet BGS, ITMAT, NIH T32, and MSTP mentor-training requirements. All sessions are identical; faculty should register for only one date. A flyer is attached with more information, and registration is available through Workday. 

The last session of the spring series will be held on May 14, 2026, from 9:00–11:30 AM in BRB 251.

Next Mentor & Administrator session will be on May 14 at 9:30am.

You can register for this or any future sessions here! Please share with new faculty or administrators in your group. We try to move these sessions around to different days and times in hopes of making these more accessible to folks.

NOTE: Starting this summer, we will be moving to offering these only every other month.

Join us for a virtual Welcome Session hosted by the Biomedical Postdoctoral Programs Office. All new postdocs are encouraged to attend this informal meet and greet, held twice a month via Zoom. Subin Lee will be available to share essential onboarding information and answer your questions about benefits, navigating Workday, campus resources, life in Philadelphia, and more.

Please note: this session is part of your onboarding process but does not replace our biannual New Postdoc Orientation held in January and July.

Please click here to register for our upcoming session.

Additional information for new postdocs can be found on our website here.

Apply  here

Program summary: The University of Pennsylvania has received funding for one Hartwell Postdoctoral Fellowship. The fellowship must be in the area of biomedical science that is early-stage and cutting-edge and should be used to fund research that will potentially benefit children of the United States. This fellowship does not support research in public health, epidemiology, social science, psychology, ecology, environmental impacts, anthropology, or botany. The fellowship is for 2-years and provides $50,000 in support per year.

Postdocs at the Wistar Institute, CHOP, and the Monell Chemical Senses Center are not eligible for this competition.

Fellowship Requirements:

• Candidates for a Hartwell Fellowship must hold a Ph.D. or equivalent doctorate and be citizens of the United States.
• The Fellow’s primary mentor may not be a Hartwell Investigator currently funded by the Foundation. 
• Fellowship research training must be in an area of science or engineering related to biomedical science. 
• Fellows must commence their postdoctoral training no later than November 1 in the same year of the Official Announcement of the Award, or risk that the Foundation may rescind the Fellowship to the Sponsoring Institution. 
• Fellowship funds are intended to cover salary, health insurance, and travel related to a scientific meeting; and may not be used for the purchase of supplies or equipment or other Fringe Benefits without permission from the Foundation. 
• No part of the Fellowship may cover institutional overhead or other indirect costs, nor should the recipient or the sponsoring research laboratory be obligated or penalized to pay by substitution such indirect costs by any other means. 
• The active period of the Fellowship is two (2) years from commencement of employment unless there is an allowable extension by virtue of carryover funds. 
• At the Conclusion of the Fellowship the Hartwell Fellow should submit a letter on their departmental stationery directed to the President of the Foundation that identifies the time period of active funding, summarizes the impact that the Fellowship had on the career goals of the Fellow, and describes next steps in career development.

Apply Here

Climate change is one of the defining challenges of our time, and as one of the world’s premier universities with a suite of strengths all our own, Penn is uniquely positioned to not only define the contours of the problem, but also provide the solutions that the world desperately needs. From our world-class health system and global policy centers, to our innovations in materials and design, to our labs capturing carbon in rock and growing climate resilient plants, to identify just a few, Penn is poised to become the place that practitioners, academics, and everyday citizens look to for climate solutions.

The Penn Climate “Climate Solutions Hub” is designed to translate that breadth into impact, positioning Penn as a leading engine for scientific, technological, behavioral, financial, and policy innovations that materially improve climate outcomes. It does so by cultivating new connections, accelerating the flow of knowledge, and working strategically with partners to research, develop, deploy, and scale up practical solutions.

One of the core programs under the Climate Solutions Hub is the Innovation Seed Grant initiative. The Penn Climate Innovation Seed Grant initiative acts as an internal catalyst, supporting new faculty-led efforts, fostering creativity and collaboration to position Penn at the forefront of emerging climate priorities.

This is an open call for proposals for a Climate Solutions Hub Innovation Seed Grant, which will fund up to two $400,000, multidisciplinary, research-focused projects to create climate solutions by leveraging Penn’s existing strengths. These seed grants will engender creativity and collaboration across Penn and support initiatives that are poised to launch into longer-term, sustainable efforts.