Posted on April 1, 2026 by
April 1, 2026 —The Graduate School hosted an Alliance of Hispanic-Serving Research Universities (HSRU) site visit at the UT San Antonio 1604 campus, offering postdoctoral fellows rare access to senior leadership and a firsthand look at how research-intensive Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) prepare and support future faculty.
The visit is an integral part of the HSRU Postdoctoral Fellowship Cohort Program, a competitive, one-year professional development experience designed to strengthen the faculty pipeline at HSIs through mentorship and institutional partnership.
UT San Antonio hosted three postdoctoral scholars in the program, representing the University of Texas at Arlington and the University of California, Irvine, who have worked with Dr. Madhumita Joshi, director of postdoctoral success at The Graduate School and the program faculty liaison at UT San Antonio. UT San Antonio postdoctoral fellows and program participants, Dr. Erick Olivares from neuroscience and Niloofar Sadeghi, specializing in andrology, also had the opportunity to travel for site visits to Arizona State University and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, respectively.
On the first day of the visit, program scholars networked with faculty, doctoral students and UT San Antonio postdoctoral fellows and presented their research to their corresponding departments. Dr. Taylor Eighmy, president of UT San Antonio and chair-elect of the HSRU Alliance, also met with the fellows to discuss their work and career goals and offer professional insights.
The second day of the visit fostered career exploration and collaboration as the program fellows met with UT San Antonio leaders including Dr. Heather Shipley, provost and senior executive vice president for academic affairs; Dr. Jennifer Sharpe Potter, senior executive vice president for research; Dr. Heather Trepal, vice provost for graduate and postdoctoral studies and dean of The Graduate School; Dr. Siobhán Fleming, assistant vice president for strategic research initiatives; and deans, department chairs, faculty members and other HSRU postdoctoral scholars.
“It was inspiring to see the strong connections formed during the visit,” Joshi said. “These experiences expose postdoctoral fellows to their potential impact as future faculty members and deepen their understanding of the academic environment at HSIs.”
The visit underscored the broader impact of the HSRU Postdoctoral Fellowship Cohort Program in building meaningful collaborations, strengthening cross-institutional relationships and preparing emerging scholars for careers in research, teaching and service at HSIs. For program fellows and participating institutions, the meetings served as a launch point for continued partnerships and faculty development and furthered the program’s objective of cultivating an active and connected research community.
—
-Giselle Villalpando
