Data Science Postdoctoral Fellowships

Announcing the 2016 Moore/Sloan Data Science and WRF Innovation in Data Science Postdoctoral Fellowships

The University of Washington eScience Institute announces a competition for the 2016 Moore/Sloan Data Science and Washington Research Foundation Innovation in Data Science Postdoctoral Fellowships. We seek outstanding interdisciplinary researchers with expertise in the methods of data science and in a physical, life, or social science.

The program recognizes that rapid advances in our ability to acquire and generate data are transforming all fields of discovery from “data-poor” to “data-rich.” A significant bottleneck to discovery is our ability to perform inference over heterogeneous, noisy, and often massive datasets.

There are two funding pathways for Data Science postdoctoral fellowships:

1. Most of our postdoctoral fellows are funded jointly by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and the Washington Research Foundation.
2.There is also the possibility of co-funding between two WRF-funded institutes http://wrf.washington.edu/. Candidates interested in joint WRF appointments should complete the full application process for both institutes. In addition, the applicant should include a paragraph that clearly indicates the rationale and fit of a joint appointment.

Fellows are provided with annual salary support of $65,000 for two years and an additional stipend of $25,000 over the total period of the appointment that can be used for travel, equipment, software, undergraduate research assistants, or other research costs.

To apply, the candidate should identify two mentors: a primary mentor and a secondary mentor. At least one of these mentors must be a Data Science Fellow http://escience.washington.edu/who-we-are/escience-institute-data-science-fellows.
Candidates should select one mentor from a methodology area (computer science, statistics, applied math, information sciences, or human centered design and engineering) and one mentor from a domain science (life, physical, or social). Either mentor can serve as the primary mentor.

• Application Details. Two cohorts of postdoctoral fellows will be accepted each year. To apply, submit the following materials to manager@escience.washington.edu by January 15, 2016 for the first cycle or by July 15, 2016 for the second cycle.
• A one-page statement of research accomplishments.
• A two-page statement of goals for proposed research activities. The statement should include discussion of how the candidate’s proposed research will contribute to the goal of enhancing linkages between a domain science and data science.
• A curriculum vitae.

Three letters of reference submitted directly by the recommenders to manager@escience.washington.edu.

The applicants must also compile and submit as part of the above application the following:
• A one-page document from the applicant indicating the rationale for the choice of mentors, the expected benefits of working with the mentors, and the relationship of the activity to the applicant’s career goals.
• A one-page document from the primary mentor indicating a commitment to work with the prospective Fellow, describing a mentoring plan, and summarizing the researcher’s prior record of mentoring.
Please identify and contact a secondary mentor. No letter is necessary from the secondary mentor at this time.

Evaluation of Proposals. Proposals will be evaluated by the steering committee of the University of Washington eScience Institute. Applications will be evaluated based on:
• The Fellow’s record of research and other accomplishments as they relate specifically to advancing data-driven discovery;
• The quality and suitability of the mentoring plan for the Fellow’s future work;
• The contribution of the Fellow’s proposed research to advancing the techniques and technologies of data science and the domain that depends on them;
• The Fellow’s commitment to reproducibility and open science as demonstrated by the public release of data and/or software.

For the January 15th deadline, notification will occur by March 1, 2016.
For the July 15th deadline, notification will occur by September 1, 2016.

The University of Washington (UW) is proud to be one of the nation’s premier educational and research institutions. Our people are the most important asset in our pursuit of excellence in education, research, and outreach. Our employees not only enjoy outstanding benefits and professional growth opportunities, but also an environment noted for diversity, community involvement, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits, and natural beauty.

Sarah A. Stone, PhD
University of Washington