The Data Science Center will support two Faculty Fellows each academic year in pursuit of excellence in research, teaching, and engagement in data science at the University of Wyoming. Each fellow will have access to a fund of $5,000 to be used during the year to support travel, equipment, salary, or other needs that advance their pursuit of data science. The two fellowships are open for faculty in any discipline who have demonstrated their interest in and commitment to data science and are motivated to contribute to building a community of researchers through the Data Science Center. One of the fellowships will be prioritized to support aspects of environmental and wildlife science.
Applicants should submit to uwyo-soc@uwyo.edu with the subject line “Data Science Center Faculty Fellows” the following:
A current resume.
Up to one page description of previous activities (in research, teaching, and/or engagement) in data science at the University of Wyoming.
Up to one page description of planned activities in data science at the University of Wyoming, and how the $5,000 discretionary fund will help support this work.
Data Science Center Fellows are expected to:
Be engaged members of the Data Science Center.
Contribute their expert advice in discussions around academic programming in data science.
Provide a seminar on their data science related work in the Data Science Center seminar series.
Provide a short report at the end of the fellowship on outcomes of the fellowship.
The $5,000 discretionary funds associated with the fellowship will be administered by the School of Computing via the Assistant Director for Business Operations.
Funds can be expended to support the outlined data science activities in any manner that is compliant with UW regulations. The SoC Assistant Director for Business Operations should be notified about changes to planned expenditure. Funds must be expended during the designated fiscal year for the award (July 1 – June 30).
The Data Science Faculty Fellows are made possible through the Trent and Mary McDonald Data Science Center Excellence Fund.
Deadline for applications: May 3, 2024
Target date for decisions: May 10, 2024
July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025 - Period of fellowship and fund availability.
June 30, 2025 - Short report on results of fellowship
Trent and Mary McDonald were both raised in Wyoming and graduated from the University of Wyoming in 1988, Trent with a BS in Statistics and Computer Science and Mary with a BA in Psychology. Trent went on to obtain a MS in Statistics from New Mexico State University in 1990 and a PhD in Statistics from Oregon State University in 1996. Mary further obtained a MSW in 1992 from the University of Washington. Trent and Mary have three children, two of whom also graduated from the University of Wyoming.
Trent’s career has and continues to focus on innovative wildlife research, specifically through statistics and data science. He worked with WEST, INC, a Wyoming based research company, from 1996 to 2020 at which time he started McDonald Data Sciences, LLC. The Trent and Mary McDonald Data Science Center Excellence Fund embodies Trent’s and Mary’s commitment to the importance and relevance of applied data science by supporting the work of faculty and students at the U of Wyoming.
