Frontera Computational Science Fellowships
Application Instructions
Nominations open: November 1, 2024
Nominations close: February 9, 2025 (11:59 pm Eastern)
Due to temporary site outages with NSF's ETAP portal, the deadline for the FCSF has been extended until February 9th at 11:59 pm ET. Please do not wait until the last minute to submit your application; the deadline will not be extended further.
Fellows Announced: April 2025
Funding begins: June 1, 2025
To be considered for a Frontera Computational Science Fellowship, an applicant must meet the following requirements.
- Be enrolled as a graduate student at the time of application
- Have completed at least one academic year (two semesters) of their PhD graduate program as of March 2025)
- Have at least one full year (12 months) remaining in their program as of June of the year or award
- Be enrolled in a US institution and studying in the United States or one of its territories
- Be able to spend one week during the summer semester and one week in the spring semester in residence at TACC in the year of award (roughly June/July for summer and April/May for spring but will vary according to your school’s calendar)
- Have a dissertation and research topic approved by your PhD committee at the time of application
What the Applicant Provides
The candidate will apply via an online application system called NSF ETAP. The candidate will create an account through research.gov if one does not already exist, search for the opportunity, and provide the following information:
- Contact and demographic information.
- A single PDF (with the naming convention “LastName_FirstName_RD.pdf”) that includes:
- Project title and abstract (max. 100 words).
- Personal statement (max. 500 words) - Tell us about your personal, professional, and educational experiences and future career goals. Include specific examples of any research and/or professional activities in which you have participated, and whether you held leadership roles. Specify your role in the activity including the extent to which you worked independently and/or as part of a team, and how you contributed to the team's activity. Tell us why you would make an outstanding Frontera Computational Science Fellow.
- Research statement (max. 1,000 words) - research idea and how data analysis, visualization and parallel computing resources are critical to addressing the research topic; how the research will advance knowledge and understanding within the field of study; how this opportunity would further research goals and accelerate or expand the impact of the research. Any graphs or charts included in your research statement will not be included in the word count.
- Two letters of reference: It is your responsibility to secure commitment from two references who know your academic abilities and work ethicethic (NOTE: Through the application process, you will provide the names and contact information of your recommenders. They will then be contacted via email and provided with a link to independently upload their letters of recommendation to the application website). At least one reference must come from a person directing your graduate research (i.e., major professor or dissertation director). The letters must:
- Not exceed two pages per reference
- Be signed and on letterhead
- Be uploaded as a PDF
- The letters must address:
- Originality of the applicant's proposal.
- Role played in assisting the applicant with the proposed research.
- Assessment of the applicant’s potential to conduct original research, communicate effectively, and work cooperatively with peers and supervisors.
- Assessment of the potential of the applicant’s proposed research to make unique contributions to his/her/their chosen discipline.
- Address the candidate’s relationship of the work to the application of parallel systems for high-performance computing, data analysis, and/or visualization.
- Please give some examples of broader impacts of supporting the applicant, including his/her/their leadership potential in the chosen field of graduate work and as a member of the scientific and technical community.
If awarded, references will be contacted.
Questions?
Applicants should first consult with an advisor or academic department as they often have experience with programs such as this one. Fellowship FAQ provides additional information necessary to correctly complete the application. For additional questions, please email fcsf@tacc.utexas.edu.
Staff will be hosting an open forum information session over Zoom on December 5th, 3:00 - 4:00 pm Central. During this session, applicants are encouraged to ask questions about the program and application process.
Time: Dec 5, 2024 03:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting: https://utexas.zoom.us/j/94808563542
Meeting ID: 948 0856 3542
Find your local number: https://utexas.zoom.us/u/abLCNrV1kS