30 Years of Critical Funding for Junior Faculty

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Over three decades, the Hellman family has given over $18 million to support more than 400 UC San Diego junior faculty in their research and progress toward tenure. Husband and wife Warren and Chris Hellman launched the Hellman Fellows Program in 1995, at UC Berkeley and UC San Diego and it has since expanded to all UC institutions. 

The recently announced 2024-2025 cohort marks the 30th anniversary of the Hellman Fellows Program at UC San Diego. This year’s 21-person cohort was awarded a historic total of approximately $928,000.

The Society of Hellman Fellows is an endowed program that provides early career fellowships to promising faculty before they are awarded tenure, and who have served as assistant professors for at least two years. The established endowment provides protected streams of this crucial funding in perpetuity.

Although it addresses a great need that many junior faculty encounter, this type of funding is also rare. It is one of the few research awards that provides unrestricted one-time funding during a pivotal moment for junior faculty – after they have exhausted startup resources and before receiving the ample external support that comes with tenure.

The Hellman Family saw this need first-hand as their daughter, Frances Hellman, a UC San Diego junior faculty member herself at the time, faced the early career challenges before her research could attract external support.

Holly Okonkwo, Assistant Professor of Ethnic Studies and Critical Gender Studies, will use her Hellman Fellowship to work on a book focusing on “new visions for feminist science and technology studies” through the lens of African American women and the issues of race, gender, community and marginalization. 

“African American women have been part of a remarkable history in Computer Science and other science fields, but those stories remain largely untold. This book project will not only recognize that history, but also explore a more just future for science education,” Okonkwo said.

This critical funding allows awardees to take risks, gather vital data, or complete research that will elevate their academic careers. The funding also supports future talent as Hellman Fellows often use their awards to hire undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral students to work on their projects.