Schmidt Futures

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E. Mcleod (Wyant College of Optical Sciences)

J. Thangavelautham (Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering)

There will be two webinars to learn more about the Schmidt Science Polymaths selection process, on Wednesday, June 26, 2024 (11:00 a.m. CT) and Thursday, August 1, 2024 (10:00 a.m. CT). Register here.

The Schmidt Science Polymath Program seeks to empower intensely creative, early-to-mid-career researchers to take adventurous leaps into new research domains, experiment with new methodologies and ideas, and inspire impactful scientific breakthroughs. Achieving tenure, or equivalent status, should be a moment when professors feel a new sense of freedom that allows them to innovate and attempt new research paths. Unfortunately, this time is often coupled with a lack of resources and a pressure to continue producing results within their established research portfolio.

The Schmidt Science Polymath program (“the program”) recognizes extraordinary researchers with remarkable track records, promising futures, and a desire to expand their research portfolios by exploring a substantive disciplinary or methodological shift soon after achieving tenure. The program will offer long-term 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 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.

Schmidt Sciences will review all nominations and send eligible and promising nominees an invitation and instructions on how to apply. We especially encourage nominee submissions from geographies outside of the US and/or who belong to demographic groups that are currently underrepresented in scientific research. Please note that not all nominees will be invited to apply. We encourage you to nominate only the strongest candidates who demonstrate the selection criteria outlined in this guide. The review is highly selective; fewer than 10% of applicants are selected to receive the award each year. Nominations are typically collected from June to mid-August, applications are due in October, and decisions are shared in April.

Tenure or Equivalent Status

We recognize that tenure is not a global status, and that even among institutions that award tenure there is variation in title and experience. We are looking for candidates who have recently reached a level of security, seniority, and permanence in their positions who should have significant academic freedom. The three-year window is intended to reflect a period of a candidate's career, not their position in many universities, so eligible candidates should have received tenure or a permanent faculty position for the first time at any institution within the past three years. At many American research universities, eligible candidates are Associate Professors, though depending on the institution, eligible candidates may range from Senior Lecturers to Professors.

Candidate Criteria

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 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

Selection Criteria

We are looking for the brightest minds in mathematics, computer science, natural sciences, and/or engineering who have gained recognition for significant progress on multiple research problems while also showing a capacity for generating a continuing flow of innovative new ideas and approaches in a variety of areas. They will have demonstrated their high variance thinking through successful research in areas widely divergent from their main field of expertise. Schmidt Science Polymaths are expected to be intensely creative science leaders who demonstrate an immense capacity for innovative new thinking or shifts in research directions that can lead to impactful breakthroughs given flexible resources. Applications will be judged based on: ● The breadth and depth of the candidates' work ● The quality, impact, and innovation displayed in the candidates work ● The candidates’ track-record of high variance thinking and approaches, as well as their capacity for creative new research or shifts in research directions given flexible resources ● The candidate’s proposed research directions and projects as outlined in their application, including likelihood of success and significant impact, and expectation that the candidate’s research directions will change over time

D. Sand (Astronomy)
J. Su  ( Optical Sciences)

The University of Arizona may submit up to two nominations.

the Polymaths Program intends to make long-term bets on professors who have recently achieved tenure or an equivalent status with remarkable track records, promising futures, and a desire to explore interdisciplinary research. Each Polymath is awarded $500,000 per year for up to five years, paid through their institution. These funds are intended to make possible the exploration of new ideas across disciplines, using emerging technologies and insights to test bold hypotheses that may not otherwise receive funding or support. To find out more about the program and our current Polymaths, please visit our website.

We ask that you only nominate exceptional candidates who satisfy the following criteria:

1. Have achieved tenure or an equivalent status within the past three calendar years (2020 or later),
2. Have a remarkable record of accomplishment in area(s) of science and engineering,
3. Have a demonstrated history of pursuing and publishing results in more than one field,
4. Demonstrate a need for additional funding to enable new experiments, explorations, or shifts in research directions.

Contact RDS for more information on nomination

UArizona may nominate three candidates.

Achieving tenure should be a moment when professors feel a new sense of freedom that allows them to innovate and attempt new research paths as the head of their own teams. Unfortunately, this time is often coupled with a lack of resources and a pressure to continue producing results within their established research portfolio. The key goal of the Schmidt Science Polymath program (“the program”) is to encourage the best “polymath” scientists to expand their research portfolio by exploring new lines of research that are substantively different from their ongoing and proven research activities. The program will offer long-term research support to recently-tenured professors (within the past 3 years) with remarkable track records and highly promising futures. Awards will consist of USD $500K per year for up to 5 years to support part of a research group. These grants are intended for the exploration of new ideas across disciplines that use new technologies and insights that are generally too new or risky to garner regular support. They are not intended to relieve the researcher of pursuing other grants to continue their mainstream work, nor be large enough to fully support a modern lab. The program will identify and support innovative scientific researchers at this pivotal moment (and potentially the most productive time of their careers) by providing the resources that allow them to substantively explore new lines of research. Instead of focusing on specific research ideas, the goal for the program is to bet on people, their special talents, and their teams - aligning with Schmidt Futures’ overall people-focused approach.

In its 2nd year, the Polymaths program has expanded from a cohort of 2 to 10 awardees. Together, current Polymaths represent 14 institutions across 5 nations, and work in the Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Computational Sciences, Materials Science, & Engineering. Learn more about our current Schmidt Science Polymaths and their work.

Schmidt Futures is seeking the highest quality candidates from a specific and pivotal period in their career. In order to be eligible for nomination to the Schmidt Science Polymaths application process, candidates must meet the following qualifications:

• Have achieved tenure (or equivalent status) within the past 3 years (2019 or after),
• Have a remarkable record of accomplishment in area(s) of science and engineering,
• Have a demonstrated history of pursuing and publishing results in more than one field,
• Demonstrate a need for additional funding to enable new experiments, explorations, or shifts in research directions.

Please note, the application and selection process, as well as all correspondence and documentation associated with the program, will be in English.