Call for Applications
Call release date: August 19, 2024
Applications are due by noon on Thursday, September 26, 2024
About: The Institute for Diversity Science will fund two visiting junior scholars for the academic year 2025–2026. The goal of the Visiting Junior Scholars Program is to bring promising junior faculty or post-docs to the UW–Madison campus. The typical length of stay for visiting scholars will be one academic year (9–12 months).
Eligibility: The visiting scholar will collaborate on a project with an IDS affiliate, and the affiliate will need to submit the application on behalf of the visiting scholar (i.e., the IDS affiliate is the “PI”). Each affiliate can submit at most one application. Junior visiting scholars must have a Ph.D. and must have obtained it between August 2018 and August 2025.
The visiting scholar is expected to establish residency in the Madison area and to spend the majority of their time at UW–Madison. They will be provided an office at the Institute for Diversity Science (700 Regent St.). The visiting scholar is further expected to actively participate in the scientific activities and social events of the IDS.
Types of applications: IDS affiliates can apply in one of three categories:
1) A junior faculty with a particular candidate in mind (and that person has expressed interest in coming to UW–Madison in 2025–26)
2) A post-doc position with a particular candidate in mind (and that person has expressed interest in coming to UW–Madison in 2025–26)
3) A post-doc position to be filled (that is, the PI does not have a particular candidate in mind and plans on publishing a PVL and recruiting the best candidate)
Note that applicants need a letter from the candidate if they apply to one of the first two categories. The candidate needs to state that, if they are chosen as an IDS visiting scholar, (a) they intend to spend the entire academic year 2025–26 at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, (b) they intend to move to Madison and spend the vast majority of their time there, (c) they plan on actively participating in the scientific activities and social events of the IDS. Furthermore, if the visiting scholar is a junior faculty the letter should confirm that they are eligible for a two-semester sabbatical leave in 2025–26.
Funding: If the junior visiting scholar is a post-doc: The Junior Visiting Scholars Program will cover a standard (NIH) post-doc salary including fringe (see this website for a list of NIH postdoctoral researcher salaries as a function of the number of years of experience). In addition, the PI will receive $20k in research funding.
If the junior visiting scholar is a junior faculty: Like UW–Madison, many universities across the country offer their faculty the choice between a one-semester sabbatical (with 100% of the salary) and a two-semester sabbatical (with a reduced salary). The Junior Visiting Scholars Program will cover (a) the difference between the reduced and the full salary, (b) moving costs ($10k), and (c) research funding ($20k).
The difference between the full and the reduced salary is capped at $45k. It can only be used for junior faculty who are on sabbatical leave from their home institution. The 12-month salary for a post-doc is capped at $85k (which corresponds to a maximum stipend of $69,672 plus 22% fringe). IDS affiliates can offer a higher salary but the additional costs would have to be covered by the $20k research funding or other sources.
There are no restrictions on how the research funding ($20k) can be spent, except it cannot be used for teaching buy-out for UW–Madison faculty, cannot be used to fund graduate students and (other) postdocs at UW–Madison, and cannot be used for any salary other than for paying student hourlies.
The awarded funds must be spent between July 1, 2025, and August 31, 2026.
Selection process: The IDS Visiting Scholars Program aims to support innovative collaborations in the field of diversity science. The proposed research can be fundamental or applied, and it can advance knowledge on diversity, equity, and inclusion over the short or long term.
Key criteria for selection are: (a) importance of the proposed collaborative research (and the extent to which the research qualifies as diversity science); (b) the extent to which the visiting scholar will help IDS work toward its mission and goals; and, if the PI has a particular person in mind, then (c) past accomplishments and likely trajectory of the visiting scholar (do they have the potential to become a leader in their field?)
I case of a tie, preference will be given to a junior faculty over a post-doc application. Likewise, applications for a post-doc with a particular candidate in mind will be given higher priority than applications for a post-doc position to be filled.
In the online form applicants will be asked to explain how their proposed research is related to diversity science. See this website for IDS’s definition of diversity science.
Please be aware that diversity science examines the barriers of numerous groups in our society. These groups are defined by dimensions such as gender identity, ethnic/racial identity, religious identity, sexual orientation, nationality, disability, age, socio-economic status, being a first-generation college student or not, being from a rural vs. urban background, political affiliation, weight, appearance, and physical and mental health. In case of a tie, preference will be given to projects on groups that have historically been the target of the most severe discrimination and for which the greatest disparities exist in the United States.
Additional information: Length of Stay: As mentioned above, the typical length of stay for visiting scholars will be one academic year. However, since many junior scholars do not qualify for sabbatical leave pre tenure, but can at best hope for one “research semester” with no teaching obligations, exceptions are possible. Please contact Markus Brauer, IDS Executive Director (director.ids@wisc.edu), to discuss exceptions. Priority will be given to junior scholars who will spend the entire academic year in Madison.
Application Deadline: Thursday, September 26, 2024, at noon. Click the button below to apply. IDS will inform applicants of the funding decision by the middle of October 2024.
If you prefer to work on your answers in a Word document before entering them into the online form, you can download the questions here.