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Schmidt Sciences

2027 Schmidt Science Polymaths

Internal Competition Undergoing Peer Review // Limit: 2 // Tickets Available: 0

Limiting Language 
We welcome you to submit up to two nominations.

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

  • Have achieved tenure or an equivalent status prior to the nomination deadline and within the past three calendar years (between January 1, 2023 and August 10, 2026),
  • 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.

Funding Goals
The Schmidt Science Polymath Program seeks to empower intensely creative, mid-career researchers to take adventurous leaps into new research domains, experiment with new methodologies and ideas, and inspire impactful scientific breakthroughs.

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 research support to professors who have 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, collaboration, equipment, and/or other 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 are especially interested in supporting highly creative, original, and risky research that is clearly distinct from past areas and directions.

Funding Type
Internal Deadline
External Deadline
8/10/2026 (Nomination)
Solicitation Type

2025 Schmidt Sciences Polymaths

Limit: 2 // Tickets Available: 0 

B. Bash (Elecrical and Computer Engineering)
I. Barton (Mining Engineering & Mineral Resources)

Limiting Language:
We welcome you to submit up to two nominations from University of Arizona

Eligibility Criteria:

  • Have achieved tenure or an equivalent status prior to the nomination deadline and within the past three calendar years (between January 1, 2022 and August 10, 2025),
  • 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.


Overview
We are especially interested in supporting highly creative, original, and risky research that is clearly distinct from past areas and directions. We strongly encourage you to consider nominating not simply your most accomplished researchers, but specifically extraordinary researchers whose work and ideas are adventurous, bold, highly creative, and less likely to receive traditional funding or support. Successful applicants propose potential new projects that are wholly original and very different from any of their past work.
 

Funding Type
Internal Deadline
External Deadline
8/10/2025
Solicitation Type