Computing Innovation Fellows Project

Computing Research Association, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

Title: The Computing Innovation Fellows Project Abstract Objective: We propose an NSF Computing Innovation Fellows Project to enable new computing PhDs to obtain one-to-two year positions at academic institutions and industrial research organizations. This project will forestall a permanent loss of research talent likely to occur if new PhDs are forced to seek employment outside of the field due to the sharp cuts brought about by the recent budget crisis. It will also allow new PhDs to develop experience to make them more effective researchers and/or teachers. In two years, increasing enrollments in both undergraduate and graduate computer science programs may create pent-up demand for hiring at university computer science and related departments. As the economy improves and budget adjustments are made, these departments will try to satisfy this demand for additional faculty. The Computing Research Association, through its Computing Community Consortium, will carry out the project and oversee its management. Together CRA and CCC will track its broader impacts and disseminate its outcomes to the community. Intellectual Merit: As a nation, we have invested time, energy, and funding in the training of these PhDs. Now, more than ever, we need to find ways to realize a payoff for that investment. The NSF Computing Innovation Fellows (CIF) project will enable this payoff and make it possible for new PhDs to embark on advanced research and teaching careers. The project?s goal is to create a new cadre of researchers, selected by a community process that aggressively balances the often-competing goals of personal development, diversity, and institutional advancement. Because of these diversity goals, CIF may provide a way not only to rescue talent, but also to materially improve the field of computing research and education. Broader Impact: CIF addresses the Broader Impact goals of the National Science Foundation. The scholars will remain in research positions, enabling them to advance the field while simultaneously gaining an opportunity for further training and learning. The selection process will actively seek applications from women and underrepresented groups; it also will identify scholar candidates from a cross-section of institutions. As a result, we envision that a broad range of host institutions will strengthen their research groups and labs, thereby improving the national infrastructure and research workforce.