Faculty Fellows Award

2026–2027 School of Computing Faculty Fellows Program 

Overview 

The University of Wyoming School of Computing (SoC) invites proposals for the 2026–2027 Faculty Fellows Program. The program supports projects that advance computing research, learning, and engagement at the University of Wyoming while aligning with the School of Computing's mission to serve as a computational hub for the university. 

Computing is foundational to nearly every discipline, influencing research, scholarship, creative activity, teaching, and engagement across the sciences, engineering, humanities, arts, education, business, health sciences, and public policy. The Faculty Fellows Program seeks to support innovative projects that expand computing capacity, foster interdisciplinary collaboration, and create new opportunities for students and faculty across campus. 

For the 2026–2027 academic year, the School of Computing will support two Faculty Fellows awards: 

• One award for a faculty member in a STEM discipline. 

• One award for a faculty member in a non-STEM discipline. 

Awards are intended to support projects that advance computing in meaningful and sustainable ways within the applicant's discipline and the broader UW community. 

Priority Criteria 

Priority will be given to proposals that fulfill one or more of the following criteria: 

1. Align with School of Computing thematic areas, university initiatives, and/or state priorities. 
2. Build new opportunities or capacity in computing, computational methods, digital scholarship, data science, artificial intelligence, modeling and simulation, or related areas. 
3. Enhance student learning, research experiences, or workforce preparation involving computing. 
4. Create new partnerships or strengthen existing partnerships involving the School of Computing. 
5. Contribute to the School of Computing value of Computing for All by broadening participation in computing across disciplines. 

Examples of Eligible Activities 

Examples may include, but are not limited to: 

• Course development that increases student learning opportunities in computing or computational methods. 

• Seed funding for new research, scholarly, creative, or engagement projects involving computing. 

• Faculty development in computing-related skills, tools, or methodologies. 

• Development of training opportunities for students, faculty, or community partners. 

• Proposal development for external funding related to computing initiatives. 

• Preparation of computing applications for deployment on advanced computing infrastructure. 

• Development of partnerships with K–12 schools, community colleges, industry, government agencies, or community organizations. 

• Digital humanities projects involving text analysis, digital archives, visualization, or computational approaches to cultural research. 

• Public policy, education, business, social science, or health-related projects that leverage data science, AI, informatics, modeling, or computational analysis. 

We are particularly interested in projects that support undergraduate and graduate students in incorporating and advancing computing within their disciplines. 

Award Amount 

Faculty Fellows may request up to $30,000, including fringe benefits where applicable. 

All funds must be expended by June 30, 2027. 

Eligible Expenses 

Eligible expenses include: 

• Student support (undergraduate, graduate, or postdoctoral scholars). 

• Faculty summer salary. 

• Workshop expenses and participant support. 

• Travel and hosting for visiting scholars. 

• Equipment, software, data acquisition, or cloud computing resources directly supporting project goals. 

• Essential travel directly related to project activities. 

Applicants should provide a clear and detailed budget justification. 

Proposal Requirements 

Applicants must complete the application form and upload: 

Proposal (maximum two pages) 

The proposal should include: 

• Project Overview: Describe how the project will enhance computing research, learning, engagement, scholarship, or creative activity at UW. 

• Plan of Work: Outline project activities, timeline, personnel, and partnerships. 

• Deliverables and Outcomes: Describe anticipated products, impacts, and measures of success. 

• Project Motivation: Explain the significance of the proposed work and its contribution to computing at UW. 

• Approachability: Write for a broad interdisciplinary audience and avoid discipline-specific jargon. 

Budget Justification 

Provide a detailed budget and justification explaining how requested funds will support project activities and outcomes. 

Review Criteria 

Proposals will be evaluated based on: 

• Quality and significance of the proposed project. 

• Quality and feasibility of the work plan. 

• Potential impact on computing research, learning, engagement, scholarship, or creative activity. 

• Alignment with the Faculty Fellows priority criteria. 

• Potential to build sustainable computing capacity or interdisciplinary collaboration. 

Funding decisions will also consider disciplinary diversity and the goal of supporting both STEM and non-STEM engagement with computing. 

Faculty Fellow Expectations 

Faculty Fellows are expected to: 

• Complete the proposed activities during the award period. 

• Acknowledge support from the University of Wyoming School of Computing in publications, presentations, exhibits, performances, grant proposals, and other project outputs resulting from the award. 

• Submit a short report describing project outcomes by June 30, 2027. 

• Present project outcomes at a School of Computing event during Spring 2027 or Fall 2027. 

Important Dates 

• Call for Proposals: June 2026 

• Proposal Deadline: August 14, 2026 

• Award Notification: August 28, 2026 

• Deadline for Expenditure of Funds: June 30, 2027 

• Final Report Due: June 30, 2027 

• Faculty Fellow Presentation: Spring 2027 or Fall 2027 

Questions 

Please direct questions regarding the Faculty Fellows Program to: Raya Hegeman-Davis, Rhegema1@uwyo.edu.

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