Sponsor
Schmidt Futures
Sponsor deadline:
Internal deadline:
Award Details
The Schmidt Science Polymath program aims to encourage the best “polymath” scientists to expand their research portfolios by exploring a substantive disciplinary or methodological shift soon after achieving tenure.
The program will offer research support to professors who have recently achieved tenure or an equivalent status (within the past three calendar years) with remarkable track records and highly promising futures. Each professor will be awarded $500,000 per year, paid through their institution, for up to five years. The funds are largely unrestricted and can pay for talent, research resources, teaching buy-out, travel and more. However, it is expected that the funds will not support the core research or lab of the candidate, but instead support their substantial pivot and the high-risk activities of their new research direction. These grants are intended to make possible the exploration of new ideas across disciplines, using emerging technologies to test risky theories that may not otherwise receive funding or support. They are not intended to relieve the researcher of pursuing other grants to continue their mainstream work, nor to be large enough to fully support a modern lab.
In order to be eligible for nomination to the Schmidt Science Polymaths application process, candidates must meet the following qualifications:
- Have achieved tenure or an equivalent status prior to the nomination deadline and within the past three calendar years (between January 1, 2023 and August 10, 2026),
- Have a remarkable record of accomplishment in mathematics, computer science, natural sciences, and/or engineering,
- Have a demonstrated history of pursuing and publishing results in more than one field,
- Have a desire and plan to expand their research portfolios by exploring a substantive disciplinary or methodological shift, but have not yet launched such shifts,
- Demonstrate a need for additional funding to enable new experiments, explorations, or shifts in research directions.
Nominations are by invitation to the VP Research and Innovation. UBC is limited to three (3) nominations for this competition and VPRI is coordinating internal selection processes. Applicants can self-nominate for internal selection by submitting the materials below by email to Kevin McCartney (kevin.mccartney@ubc.ca) by Friday, July 17th:
- A brief rationale (up to 300 words) This should focus on the new idea(s) and the pivot you hope to make. What high-risk / high-reward direction will you go? How is this a ‘polymath,’ multi-disciplinary or cross-disciplinary idea? How is it a new research direction for you?
- Contact info, primary website link*, and the primary field(s) of research
- Current UBC CV with date of tenure
* Please note that the personal website is an important, required document submitted to the sponsor, so the website should be up to date.
A central committee will review these materials and select the institution’s three (3) nominations for submission.
Should the Schmidt Futures program accept the nominations after an initial review, the identified candidates will be contacted directly to submit an application, typically due in October. Candidates will have VPRI support in finalizing their materials, which includes a detailed nomination form and short CV.
Questions? Contact Kevin McCartney, Award Nomination Development Officer kevin.mccartney@ubc.ca
Webinars: Sessions will be held on Wednesday, June 24, at 8:00pm (UTC-04:00); Thursday, June 25 at 11:00am EDT (UTC-04:00) and Tuesday, July 21, at 12:00pm EDT (UTC-04:00). The June sessions are identical, while the July session is held in an 'office hours' format. Please register here.