Schmidt Science Polymaths

The Schmidt Science Polymath program supports recently-tenured professors with remarkable track records, promising futures, and a desire to explore interdisciplinary research. The program aims to encourage the best “polymath” scientists to expand their research portfolios by exploring a substantive disciplinary shift soon after achieving tenure.

Each professor will be awarded $500,000 per year, paid through their institution, for up to five years to help support a research group through talent, such as three to four students or postdocs, and resources. 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.

Eligibility Requirements

Eligible candidates should be innovative researchers who meet these criteria:

• Have achieved tenure or an equivalent status within the past three calendar years (January 1, 2021 or later),
• 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.

Application Instructions

Please submit:

1.  A nomination letter from the Chair of the department, stating the candidate’s tenure date (or equivalent status).  If there are two applications from the same department, the Chair must rank them.

2.  A one page pre-application including:

a. Summary of your major accomplishment in area(s) of science and engineering, and your demonstrated history of pursuing and publishing results in more than one field

b.  Your need for additional funding to enable exploratory experiments, innovative new lines of inquiry and shifts of new research directions

3.  Short answer to the question, “Why should you be considered for the program”? (200 words or less)

4. CV of the Nominee

to limitedsubs@uw.edu by 5:00 PM Wednesday, July 24, 2024. Nominations are due to the sponsor 8/15/2024. If a nominee is invited to apply by the foundation, the deadline will be communicated to the nominee, and the OSP deadline will be 7 business days prior to that.