Program Overview

The Computing Research Association (CRA) and the Computing Community Consortium (CCC) is pleased to announce a new Computing Innovation Fellows (CIFellows) Program for 2025.  

The goal of this program is to create career growth opportunities that support maintaining the computing research pipeline. Computing research is defined as any area included under the National Science Foundation (NSF) Computing and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) Directorate. This effort takes inspiration from CRA/CCC’s NSF-funded Computing Innovation Fellows Programs with cohorts starting 2009, 2010, 2011, 2021, and 2022 and CRA’s Best Practices Memo on Computer Science Postdocs.

With funding from the National Science Foundation, the CIFellows 2025 program will offer 1 year postdoctoral opportunities in computing, with cohort activities to support career development and community building for this group of CIFellows.

Eligibility

The Computing Innovation Fellows Program is open to all researchers whose work falls under the umbrella of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Computing and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) Directorate, including computing education. This program is open to people who complete their PhD at a US institution OR are a US citizen/permanent resident completing their PhD anywhere. We will not be helping secure any VISAs for applicants. Applicants must complete (or anticipate completing) the PhD degree or a first postdoctoral position before January 2025. Proposed mentors must be tenured or tenure-track faculty employed at a US academic institution and may not be the applicant’s PhD advisor. 

A central goal of the CRA is to foster a diverse computing research field by engaging and retaining individuals from different backgrounds.  This often involves people from groups historically underrepresented in computing including, but not limited to, women, minorities, people with disabilities, veterans, LGBTQ+, low socioeconomic, rural, etc.  CRA strongly encourages applications demonstrating such diversity.  In addition, we strongly encourage submissions from individuals whose work is intended to broaden participation in computing, including students and faculty at Minority Serving Institutions and non-PhD granting programs.

Award Size and Duration

Awards will be for one year as a postdoctoral fellow (“CIFellow”).  These will be subawards from the CRA to the Host Institution to cover annual salary of $75,000, fringe, and indirect (capped at 35%).  CIFellows will have the ability to select January, 2025 or August, 2025 as a start date.

Final Application Guidelines

 Applicants must submit the following:

  • Research Proposal consisting of
    • 1-page statement of research objectives/goals for the 1-year CIFellowship, including Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts as defined in the NSF PAPPG. Broader Impacts might include broadening participation and/or pedagogical considerations. References may be included on a second page. 
    • 1-page statement of the candidate’s plan for achieving those objectives/goals.  Include several milestones, and explain how external needs, e.g., computing resources or laboratory equipment, will be met. 
  • Fellowship Plan – A 1-page statement that describes the research skills and experiences the candidate plans to gain during the CIFellowship and how these will advance their career objectives.  These might include, e.g., authoring a research proposal; improving technical presentation techniques; conference attendance; managing and motivating a (student) research team; or teaching.   This plan should be written in collaboration with the proposed mentor.  It should explain how the CIFellow and mentor will work together to achieve what is planned, particularly if not co-located.
  • Letter of recommendation from current research supervisor.
  • Additional letter of recommendation.
  • Letter of support from proposed Mentor.
  • Academic CV, 2 pages maximum.
  • Application information checklist – items will include the PhD (university, advisor, date of defense); current professional situation (university, advisor); diversity information; and professional location where the CIFellow will live and work during the CIFellowship.

Applicants may apply twice, with two different mentors. Each application should be separate. At most one applicant-mentor pair will be awarded.

Evaluation Criteria

  • Applicants will be evaluated on their track record of research accomplishment, and on the merits of their Research Proposal. 
  • Applicants will be evaluated on the merits of their Fellowship Plan, amplified by the mentor’s letter.  
  • Attention will be paid to diversity. CIFellowships will be awarded to span the research areas of CISE (on your application, you will select from these Research Area, which CISE programs fall under).  Preference will be given to US citizens and permanent residents.
  • No more than two CIFellowships will be awarded to candidates whose PhDs were/will be awarded from a single university 
  • No more than two CIFellowships will be awarded to candidates whose mentors are at a specific university.