Derek Haseltine Named Director of the Hertz Fellowship Program

After a national search, the Fannie and John Hertz Foundation has named Derek Haseltine the new director of the Hertz Fellowship Program.

The Hertz Fellowship is awarded annually to the nation’s most promising graduate students in science and technology. As director, Haseltine will manage more than 800 applications annually, the interview process for 100-plus applicants, and serve as liaison to the fellowship awardees, as well as the universities they attend. He is also charged with developing career support programming for Hertz Fellows and diversifying the growing applicant pool, goals that are emerging from the Hertz Foundation’s strategic planning process.

Haseltine joins the Hertz Foundation with 15 years of experience in graduate career advising and a strong history of entrepreneurial success establishing programs for PhD and postdoctoral students, predominantly in the sciences and medical professions. Most recently, he was founding director of the Career Development Office at Baylor College of Medicine, where for the past five years he instituted and managed a comprehensive suite of career support and mentoring programs for more than 2,100 students and postdocs.

Philip Welkhoff, senior fellowship interviewer for the Hertz Foundation and director of the malaria program for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, was active in the national search.

“Derek brings experience with students, individuals, and institutions interfacing with fellowship programs, which will make us even better at what we do,” Welkhoff said. “He has also developed programming and curricula for career development of postgraduates, which has prepared him to enhance the experience of our in-school and recent graduate fellows.”

“We have a strong desire to deepen and broaden the experiences offered to our fellows while they are in school, thereby providing a valuable and customized launch pad into the various career options,” said Robbee Kosak, president of the Hertz Foundation.

Expanding outreach to underrepresented applicants and a wider array of colleges and universities is a top priority, she noted.

“Derek’s background, national network, and track record of success in building programs to support STEM PhD and postdoctoral candidates will be invaluable as we seek to build such programs for Hertz Fellows,” Kosak said. “I am delighted to have him on the Hertz team.”

Haseltine began his university advising career at Johns Hopkins University as assistant director of the Professional Development Office in the School of Medicine from 2006 to 2010. He was then recruited to serve as director of the Research Career Development Center and founding codirector of the Office of Postdoctoral Scholars at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. In 2013, he joined the College of Professional Studies at George Washington University, where he served as director of career services until he was recruited by Baylor in 2015.

Haseltine, who stepped into his new role on January 4, said he was drawn to the Hertz Foundation for its mission.

“The Hertz Foundation is known for funding innovators who make an impact. By supporting individual fellows, it addresses questions that help advance our society. This mission was crucial to my decision to pursue the position,” he said.

“The fact that there is a tremendous established foundation to build on is inspiring,” Haseltine added. “I’m excited to see where we can take this.”

The Fannie and John Hertz Foundation identifies the nation’s most promising innovators in science and technology, and empowers them to pursue solutions to the world’s toughest challenges. Launched in 1963, the Hertz Fellowship is the most exclusive fellowship program in the United States, fueling more than 1,200 leaders, disruptors, and creators who apply their remarkable talent where it's needed most—from improving human health to protecting the health of the planet. Hertz Fellows hold 3,000+ patents, have founded 200+ companies, and have received 200+ major national and international awards, including two Nobel Prizes, eight Breakthrough Prizes, the National Medal of Technology, the Fields Medal, and the Turing Award. Learn more at HertzFoundation.org.