Serve as a Rotator at the National Science Foundation to Influence Computer and Information Science Research and Funding

By Jim Kurose, Assistant Director of NSF for CISE and Erwin Gianchandani, Deputy Assistant Director of NSF for CISE

It is an exciting, impactful, and important time to be in computer science, not only as a researcher or educator, but also as an expert serving the community – and we want to invite you to consider opportunities for service at the National Science Foundation (NSF).

NSF’s Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) provides more than 80 percent of the federal funding for academic computer science research in our country.  CISE also supports computing education at all levels (from K-12 through graduate education), as well as advanced research cyberinfrastructure for all areas of science and engineering.

It goes without saying that supporting this work is incredibly important – and possible only through the active engagement of the broader research and education community.  Indeed, NSF learns about the needs of the community through workshops and advisory committees, and relies upon the research community to serve as panelists for the merit review process.

NSF is unique among federal agencies in that many of our program directors, science advisors, and leadership come from the community and are on temporary leave from their universities. Many of these “rotators” spend 1-4 years at NSF through an Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) assignment.  Having an influx of leading scholars serving the research community helps to ensure that our programs reflect current research needs and keeps CISE-supported efforts at the frontiers of discovery and innovation.

Our rotators, also called “IPAs,” make recommendations about which proposals to fund; influence new directions in the fields of science, engineering, and education; support cutting-edge interdisciplinary research; and much more.

To hear first-hand from current and recent IPAs in CISE and to learn how you can apply for this rotator position, visit our new CISE IPA website launching this week:  https://www.nsf.gov/cise/rotators/.  And if your interest is piqued, start the process by contacting the cognizant division/office director or deputy division/office director listed on that webpage.

By serving at NSF, you can help to continue NSF’s stellar track record for advancing transformative research through our investments in people, ideas, and infrastructure.  We promise it’ll be an interesting and rewarding experience!

Jim Kurose
National Science Foundation Assistant Director for Computer and Information Science and Engineering

Erwin Gianchandani
National Science Foundation Deputry Assistant Director for Computer and Information Science and Engineering