UTEP Postdoc Association
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| Postdocs at the 2025 UTEP National Postdoc Appreciation Week (NPAW) event. | Postdocs attended the New Mexico State University 2025 postdoc symposium pre-conference workshop. | Postdocs attended the 2025 University of Texas (UT) system postdoc symposium at UT Arlington. |
Upcoming Events
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The next UTEP Postdoc Meeting will be on Tuesday, November 11 at 10 am MT. A calendar invitation was sent to Postdocs' UTEP email accounts. At this meeting, a representative from Human Resources/Benefits will discuss benefits and retirement for postdocs. Please contact Dr. Long if you did not receive one. |
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Are you currently working on a grant application and need some advice? Are you thinking about early career grant options, but not sure where to start? If these are questions you have stirring in your mind, join UTEP and UT Arlington Postdoc Associations for, How to talk to a Program Officer, on Monday, November 17 at 11 am MT. This event features current/former NIH & NSF Program Officers. Register to attend via this link. |
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The National Institutes of Health (NIH) offers F32 fellowship awards which provides eligible postdoctoral scholars with supervised research training in specified health and health-related areas. The fellowship applications are written by the postdoc, but we are here to help. This fall semester, the Graduate School is hosting its inaugural faculty-led Wednesday Workshop series to assist postdocs in preparing their applications which are due December 8. This opportunity also includes support for doctoral students applying for F31 fellowship awards. Review this flyer for more information. Sessions are hybrid and registration via MineTracker is required for each. Contact Dr. Maryanne Long (mlong3@utep.edu), Director of Postdoctoral Affairs and Graduate Fellowships, for further questions. The dates and topics are: September 3: Overview of NIH F31 and F32 Awards; Timeline and Expectations of Workshop Series |
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Postdocs and their mentors/supervisors are invited to a workshop to learn more about the updated Individualized Development Plan for UTEP Postdocs, why it's an important tool, and to get any questions answered. An invitation to attend and register for this event, which will take place on Zoom on Thursday, November 20, at 3 pm MT, was sent to all UTEP postdocs and their mentors/supervisors via MineTracker. Contact Dr. Maryanne Long with any questions. |
PDA Leadership Committee
Meet the members of the leadership committee. Together, they advocate for UTEP postdoctoral development, mentorship, and scientific collaboration.
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Dr. Zahid Rafiq is a pharmacologist specializing in interdisciplinary research areas, including cancer pharmacology, immuno-oncology, radiation oncology, and molecular oncology. He has been associated with world-class institutions including MD Anderson Cancer Center, where he worked as a postdoctoral fellow. He currently serves as a postdoctoral fellow for the School of Pharmacy here at UTEP. He is engaged in advanced pancreatic cancer research under a career transition program funded by the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT-TREC). His current research focuses on investigating mechanisms and risk factors specific to the Hispanic population that lead to tumorigenesis at the molecular and cellular levels, aiming to develop personalized anticancer strategies. In addition to his research endeavors, Dr. Rafiq is an active member of leading scientific organizations, including the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). He is also part of the innagural cohort of the Alliance of Hispanic Serving Research Universities (HSRU) Postdoctoral Fellowship. | |
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Dr. Edwin Perez is a Postdoctoral Scholar at the Diana Natalicio Institute for Hispanic Student Success here at UTEP. Dr. Perez is the son of immigrants from Oaxaca, Mexico and comes from a first-generation and low-income background. These identities have been central in shaping his experiences through higher education, serving as both challenges and motivators to work toward transforming our institutions into environments where students who have been historically excluded from higher education can thrive. Dr. Perez received a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, Merced and an M.Ed in Student Affairs from the University of California, Los Angeles. Most recently, he received a Ph.D. from the Higher Education and Organizational Change program at the University of California, Los Angeles. | |
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Dr. Jason Sanchez is a postdoctoral fellow at the UTEP School of Pharmacy working under the direction of Dr. Yupeng Li. Dr. Sanchez received his BS in Biochemistry & Cell Biology from Rice University in 2018 and his PhD in Computational Science from UTEP in 2025. Jason’s research focuses on computational biochemistry, drug discovery, and machine learning. Some previous publications authored by Dr. Sanchez include work on biased G-Protein Coupled Receptor signaling, synergistic drug combinations for SARS-CoV2, Jelly Roll Fold prediction in viruses using Large Language Models, and anticancer drug discovery in kinesin proteins. Dr. Sanchez has reviewed various publications in the Journal of Computational Biophysics and Chemistry and is an active member of the UTEP Postdoc Association. During his free time, Dr. Sanchez enjoys cooking, playing sports, and walking his dog, Canela. |
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Dr. Juan Carlos Silva is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Biological Sciences at UTEP. His research focuses on cancer immunotherapy and the development of therapeutic antibodies, particularly targeting tumor-associated receptors such as VEGFR2 and MC4R. He employs molecular biology, immunology, and in vivo models to develop monoclonal antibodies that block tumor growth and angiogenesis.Dr. Silva holds a Bachelor’s in Chemistry and a Master’s in Molecular Biology from the Autonomous University of Ciudad Juárez (UACJ) and earned his Ph.D. in Biosciences at UTEP with a focus on immunopathogenesis and vaccine development. His recent work integrates metronomic treatments and translational immunotherapy to explore novel approaches for treating cancer. | |
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Dr. Fabian R. Villagomez is a postdoctoral fellow studying KRAS and oxidative stress in pancreatic cancer. With expertise in therapy resistance, autophagy, and tumor microenvironments, he has led research at top institutions, including the University of Colorado Anschutz. A recipient of the HERA Ovarian Cancer Foundation Seed Grant, his work is published in high-impact journals and presented at major conferences. Find out more about his research through his ResearchGate Profile. |
In the News
Postdoctoral Researcher Dr. Jason Sanchez was selected for the National Postdoctoral Association IMPACT Fellowship Program. One of six selected, he will participate in valuable personal and professional pathways and apply skills learned to the UTEP community. Congratulations! Read the news release below.
Postdoctoral Researcher Dr. Edwin Perez was selected for the 2025 Cohort for the SACNAS Postdoc Leadership Institute (PLI). SACNAS is an organization dedicated to fostering the success of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans—from college students to professionals—in attaining advanced degrees, careers, and positions of leadership in STEM.
Postdoc Spotlight
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Growing up in Mexico, Edgar Gamero developed a lifelong curiosity about how organisms change alongside their surroundings. Now he works as a postdoctoral researcher in Dr. Elizabeth Walsh’s group at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), where he studies rotifers—tiny freshwater creatures vital to aquatic life—with the aim of exploring their diversity and evolutionary relationships using genetic information, notably ultraconserved elements. Edgar spent years investigating tiny aquatic creatures (zooplankton) prior to arriving at UTEP. His undergraduate work at Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo centered around the varied forms of gelatinous zooplankton inhabiting coastal waters of the central Mexican Pacific. Later, while pursuing a master’s degree at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, he turned his attention toward jellyfish populations and their morphological characteristics throughout the Caribbean. After earning his doctorate from the Universidade de São Paulo—a deep dive into jellyfish systematics using both morphological and genetic characters— he moved on to postdoctoral work at the Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo in Mexico. There, he investigated how the cannonball jellyfish copes with thermal stress throughout changes in gene expression. When Edgar is not working in the Lab, he enjoys swimming, roaming new places, or reading hard sci-fi books |
Resources for Postdocs
UTEP is proud to be an institutional member of The National Postdoctoral Association (NPA), which provides an array of resources of interest to postdocs, their mentors/supervisors, and graduate students considering a postdoctoral fellowship. In order to access these valuable resources, graduate students, faculty, staff, and postdocs can apply for affiliate membership by clicking below and using their UTEP email address.
UTEP is also a member of the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity (NCFDD), a nationally recognized, independent organization providing online career development and mentoring resources. The link below will re-direct you to the instructions on how to join.
Guidelines for Postdoctoral Appointments
Updated in 2025, the following document is aimed to assist faculty and staff who are planning on hiring and onboarding postdocs. This is also useful for those first-time (or seasoned) investigators applying for funding/grant opportunities that would allow them to hire a postdoc.
Mentoring
The Graduate School recognizes the value of mentoring and recommends that postdocs actively seek mentoring relationships with faculty members and administrators at UTEP and in their field at other institutions or through professional associations. Different mentors may provide different types of assistance. Mentors should introduce postdocs to established people in the field, teach norms and best practices of the discipline, and work with mentees to create an Individual Development Plan.
The links at the bottom of the page provide information and resources on a number of topics related to mentoring. Importantly, opportunities are provided by the Director of Postdoctoral Affairs and Graduate Fellowships as well as other UTEP departments such as the Institute for Scholarship, Pedagogy, Innovation, and Research Excellence (InSPIRE). A good mentoring relationship is crucial to the success of postdoctoral scholars as they develop original research ideas and move toward greater independence and maturity. Indeed, mentoring the next generation of scholars is a shared professional responsibility of all members of the academy.
Inclusive Excellence
The University of Texas at El Paso is committed to providing equal opportunity to all employees and individuals seeking employment or access to its programs, facilities or services, and will not discriminate against these persons on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, genetic information, veteran’s status, sexual orientation, or gender identity. In addition to this commitment, the University will take affirmative steps to insure that applicants are employed, and employees are treated, during all aspects of employment, in a non-discriminatory manner. The National Postdoctoral Association website provides a statement of inclusion.
Additional Resources
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- UTEP Institute for Scholarship, Pedagogy, Innovation, and Research Excellence (InSPIRE)
- UTEP Research & Innovation
- National Postdoctoral Association
- National Institutes of Health Office of Intramural Training and Education
- SPHERE Community of Practice (resources for postdocs in non-biomedical disciplines)
Recordings of Past Webinars
- February 2025 University Structures (UTEP & UTA)
- April 2025 Best Practices in Applying for Grants (UTEP & NMSU)
- May 2025 Crafting Your Professional Website (UTEP & UTA)
Contacts
Stephen Crites, Ph.D.
scrites@utep.edu
Vice Provost for Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies & Dean of the Graduate School
mlong3@utep.edu
Director of Postdoctoral Affairs & Graduate Fellowships
Graduate School