DPIR alumna Guadalupe Chavez awarded the University of California President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship

Congratulations to DPIR alumna Guadalupe Chavez (DPhil Politics, 2020), who has been awarded a prestigious University of California President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship. 

The fellowship is a highly competitive program that supports early-career scholars whose work contributes to diversity and inclusion within the University of California system. This year, roughly 1,300 applicants applied and only 33 were awarded the fellowship. 

We spoke to Guadalupe about what this achievement means to her and the significance of the fellowship: 

Can you tell us a little more about the fellowship? 

The University of California President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program (PPFP) offers professional development and faculty mentorship to early-career researchers across disciplines whose research, teaching, and service will contribute to diversity and equal opportunity across the University of California. 

What is the significance of the fellowship? 

Since its establishment in 1984, the President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program (PPFP) has been steadfast in its commitment to advancing diversity and equal opportunities across the University of California system. This commitment is especially relevant in today’s political climate, where universities and colleges across the country face increasing scrutiny and attacks on efforts aimed at fostering critical thinking and inclusion. The fellowship’s mission is more urgent than ever as scholars continue to resist and reimagine ways on researching, teaching, and supporting students particularly in a context where academic freedom, and diversity incentives are under threat. 

How do you feel to be awarded this? 

I feel incredibly privileged and honoured to have received this award. This was a very competitive cycle. Over 1,300 talented applicants applied, and roughly 33 awards were granted. I am deeply indebted to my supervisor, David Doyle, for his support throughout the application process. 

What are you currently working on? And what will you be working on for the next two years? 

During the fellowship I will be working on turning my thesis into a book project. My book project will trace how the Mexican government has responded to inflows of forced return from the US to Mexico from the late 1920s to 2018. Mexico is one of the countries with the longest and largest flows of forced return in the Western Hemisphere. Empirically, the book project offers an in-depth account on the type of policies the Mexican government adopted to manage abrupt flows of forced return over time. Beyond, the rich data, this project offers insights into the conditions and factors that shape how home countries respond to forced returns. This book project sheds lights on why some Mexicans—despite returning to their country of birth—continue to experience notions of displacement and precarity, and how they have mobilised to demand access to social rights. 

This book project matters because the number of forced returns from the US to home countries is more likely to increase in the following years. On July 4th, President Trump signed into law the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’ which allocates over $170 billion to immigration and enforcement meaning that immigration-related agencies will have the funding to carry out mass raids, expand detention centers, and carry out large-scale deportations. My book project seeks to push researchers and the broader public to think about how home countries respond to the forced return of individuals. In addition to the book project, I will be launching a new project that explores how illicit groups shape the governance of transit migration in Mexico and its implications on US-Mexico relations. Most of the time will be dedicated to conducting fieldwork across both countries.