DOE’s Office of Science Expands Program for Faculty Historically Underrepresented in STEM Research

WASHINGTON, DC – Applications are currently being accepted for the Spring 2023 term of the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science’s Visiting Faculty Program (VFP). The application deadline is October 5, 2022, at 5:00 p.m. EDT.

This is the first time VFP has opened for applications outside of the Summer term. As part of the Office of Science’s RENEW initiative, the program is expanding to offer extended opportunities for faculty to engage in research and build collaborations at the national laboratories. This opportunity will strengthen partnerships between DOE national laboratories and minority-serving institutions (MSIs), two-year colleges, and other colleges and universities nationwide.

VFP seeks to increase the research competitiveness of faculty members and their students at institutions historically underrepresented in research to expand the workforce vital to DOE mission areas. As such, VFP has attracted many faculty members from MSIs, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Typically, about 50% of the participants are from MSIs, one-third of which are HBCUs. Selected college and university faculty members collaborate with DOE laboratory scientific research staff on research projects of mutual interest. Each participating faculty member may invite one or two students (one of whom may be a graduate student) to join the research team during a summer term. The program will focus on faculty only in non-summer terms.

The RENEW initiative (https://science.osti.gov/Initiatives/RENEW) leverages the Office of Science’s unique national laboratories, user facilities, and other research infrastructure to provide training opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and faculty at academic institutions currently underrepresented in the U.S. science and technology ecosystem. RENEW will offer hands-on experiences and open new career avenues for talented young scientists, engineers, and technicians.

VFP is managed by the Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists (WDTS) in the Office of Science. More information can be found at https://science.osti.gov/wdts.