The Microsoft Faculty Fellowship recognizes innovative, promising new faculty members conducting computing research in key areas of national need. The fellowship includes a cash award and access to other Microsoft resources, such as software, invitations to conferences, and engagements with Microsoft Research staff. Microsoft awards seven Research Faculty Fellowship grants each year; awardees are selected in April.  RIT may only nominate one individual for this program.

Schedule: Nominations open Wed., Aug. 28, 2013 and close Mon., Sept. 30, 2013. Awards will be announced in July 2014.

Interested parties who meet the program criteria (listed below) should submit a CV and research abstract to David Bond at david.bond@rit.edu no later than 5 pm on August 27, 2013.  

An overview of the application process is at Microsoft Research Faculty Fellowship. 

Microsoft Faculty Fellowship Criteria:

• Nominees for the Microsoft Research Faculty Fellowship program must be nominated by their research institution, and their nominations must be confirmed by a letter from the OVPR.
• An emphasis is placed on nominations from departments working on computing research areas and on areas that involve the innovative application of computing.
• Applications may only be submitted through the online application tool by the application contact designated by the OVPR.
• Nominees must hold a tenure-track faculty position, and may be no more than six years from the completion of their most recent PhD, ScD, or MD.  Nominees must be new faculty members in the first, second, or third year of their first tenure-track faculty appointment.

Research Abstract Instructions:

Microsoft Research seeks nominees who are advancing computing research in novel directions with the potential for high impact on the state of the art, and who demonstrate the likelihood of becoming thought leaders in the field.  The objective of this program is to stimulate and support creative research undertaken by promising researchers who have the potential to make a profound impact in their research disciplines. The focus of this fellowship program is on novel approaches, with computing “at the heart of the research.” Here are the key characteristics of the research the Microsoft Research Faculty Fellowship program is intended to support:

• Innovation
• Creativity
• Novel thought
• Thought leadership
• High potential for impact on the discipline
• Interdisciplinary approaches
• Computing at the heart of the research
• Relevance to the goals of Microsoft Research

Please include a one page abstract addressing the above with your application.