Scientific Software Research Faculty Award

The Simons Foundation’s Mathematics and Physical Sciences (MPS) division invites applications for its Scientific Software Research Faculty Award (SSRF Award) in the MPS program for faculty appointments to start between September 2024–September 2025. The foundation strongly encourages scientists from disadvantaged backgrounds or underrepresented groups to apply.

Rationale

Scientific software is a critical component of research, enabling scientists to analyze and reduce data, perform simulations, automate tasks, and produce and visualize results. As such, the development and maintenance of broadly-applicable scientific software has become an increasingly important intellectual endeavor. While scientific software experts are crucial members of research ventures, their career prospects beyond postdoctoral-level positions are limited.

The Simons Foundation invites applications for funding to support new research professor^[1] positions in existing academic departments (the “host institutions”) to be filled by scientific software-focused researchers. The SSRF Award will support researchers who have a strong track record of leadership in scientific software development. The aim of this program is to stimulate the development and maintenance of core scientific software infrastructure in academic environments through creating a new, long-term, faculty-level career path.

Level and Duration of Funding

A Scientific Software Fellowship provides five years of 50 percent salary support of the awardee’s academic-year salary and fringe benefits, whether normally paid over 9 or 12 months, along with a yearly $50,000 research allowance for the awardee, as well as indirect costs for the host institution (limited to 20 percent of the modified total direct costs, see Simons Foundation Policies). The host university is expected to provide the other 50 percent of salary support for teaching work through existing department channels. This funding is potentially renewable.

Allowable Expenses

The $50,000 allowance provided to the awardee may be used at the awardee’s discretion to support expenses in the following categories:

• General research expenses
• Salary support and related benefits, including tuition support, for staff/research scientists and postdoctoral, graduate and/or undergraduate research assistants.
• Scientific domestic or international travel by the awardee and their students
• Small equipment, supplies and other expenses, such as computers, computer support, publication expenses, stationery, books and membership fees.
  Expenses related to travel or hosting scientific visitors and collaborators.
  Workshop development and organization.

Eligibility

Applicants must have a Ph.D. (or equivalent degree) in mathematics, astronomy or theoretical physics and have played a leading role in developing or maintaining scientific software in one or more of these fields. Awards may be hosted at any public or private Ph.D.-granting institution in the United States. There are no citizenship or country requirements to apply.

Awardees must be hired into clinical professor, professor of practice or equivalent-level positions in a mathematics, astronomy or physics department such that a maximum of 50 percent of their time is dedicated to teaching and/or supporting computational efforts within the department. The position need not be tenure track but must not be term limited. Awardees must be allowed to have principal investigator (PI) status on grants.

As part of the program obligations, awardees will be invited and expected to attend an annual meeting held at and paid by the Simons Foundation.

Number of Awards:

At full capacity of the program, the foundation expects to support an average of 6 new fellows each year.

Application Process

SSRF awards are granted through a two-stage process. The first stage (“LOI”) is a competitive process in which applications are reviewed by a committee of scientific domain and software experts. SSRF awardees are selected based on this first stage application. Upon selection, the host institution must hire the awardee within 12 months into a research professor or equivalent position (described above) and allowed to have PI status on grants. The second stage will commence when the awardee is hired and able to receive grant funding at the host institution. The second stage (“Full Proposal”) is non-competitive: the awardee and host institution must affirm that the position meets the eligibility criteria outlined above. The host institution must submit a complete budget, including applicable salary and fringe benefit funds, and the awardee must submit a budget justification.

How to Apply

First Stage:

Letters of Intent (LOIs) must be completed electronically and submitted via the Simon Award Manager (SAM) by December 8, 2023, at 12 p.m. (noon) EST. Please refer to the How to Apply tab instructions for further details.

Notifications of the status of the LOI will be sent by February 29, 2024.

Second Stage

Host institutions for approved first stage (LOI) applicants will be required to submit a full proposal, which will be due on a rolling basis no later than February 28, 2025, at 12 p.m. (noon) EST. Applications should be submitted as soon as the SSR faculty hiring has been completed. Please see the How to Apply tab instructions for further information.

Awards can begin no earlier than September 1, 2024, and no later than September 1, 2025.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Many of the greatest ideas and discoveries come from a diverse mix of minds, backgrounds and experiences. The Simons Foundation is committed to grantmaking that inspires and supports greater diversity and inclusiveness by cultivating a funding environment that ensures representation of all identities and differences and equitable access to information and resources for all applicants and grantees.

The Simons Foundation provides equal opportunities to all applicants for funding without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, pregnancy, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic disposition, neurodiversity, disability, veteran status or any other protected category under federal, state and local law, except when identifying from a disadvantaged background or underrepresented group is an eligibility requirement of the request for application (RFA).
 

^[1] Different universities will use different titles for these roles, such as “clinical professor,” “professor of practice” or “research professor.”