The CSSI Faculty Research Fellowship is designed to support social scientists in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) who are conducting high-impact social science research that aligns with CSSI’s mission, regardless of their discipline, formal training, or methodological orientation. CSSI Faculty Fellowships are funded by a partnership between the University of Iowa’s Center for Social Science Innovation and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Fellows will spend a semester or up to one year in residence at CSSI. During the residency, fellows are released from teaching one course to focus on their chosen research project. CSSI intends to provide fellows with sufficient time, space, and staff support for their work amidst an intellectually stimulating environment that welcomes and fosters interdisciplinary approaches. CSSI is dedicated to supporting fellowship applications that demonstrate substantial scholarly potential, ultimately leading to a grant proposal, a published book, a major article, a series of articles, or other equivalent research outputs. Fellows will also receive a credit for $1000 in research support funds to be spent on CSSI survey and multimethodology research services, such as project management, survey development, transcription support, research design and statistical consultation, and more.

Applicants must receive approval from their DEO before applying for the CSSI Faculty Research Fellowship. A letter of support is required.

How to Apply

Eligibility

Applicants must be tenure-track UI faculty in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences that are actively engaged in social science research. Applicants who are active CSSI researcher affiliates will be given priority.

Applicants are not allowed to combine the CSSI Faculty Fellowship with any other fellowship or course buyout.  

Expectations

Fellows are expected to regularly use their CSSI office space, provide brief monthly updates on progress toward their goal, present results of their work to the CSSI researcher affiliate community and staff, and submit a draft of their work to CSSI leadership upon the conclusion of the residency period. Fellows are also expected to acknowledge the CSSI in any publications or presentations supported by this fellowship, and to notify the CSSI communications team of all publications, presentations, and grants, related to the fellowship.

Deadlines

Applications are due March 3rd, 2025.

Application Process

Submit the following information to CSSI through the  Apply Now  button below.  

COVER PAGE 

  • Title of Project 

  • Applicant full name, title, department, college 

  • 5-6 descriptive keywords 

  • Abstract (100-200 words). Provide a succinct overview of the proposed project. State the research question(s). The abstract should be written for someone who is not an expert in the area. Assume the reviewers do not have technical knowledge in a specific field of study. Please avoid technical jargon, field-specific terminology, or acronyms. 

  • Residency Length. Indicate whether application is for a one semester or one year residency. 

  • Course Release. Indicate which semester course release will be used (Fall 2025 or Spring 2026).  

PROPOSAL NARRATIVE 

The proposal narrative should be no more than three pages (size 11 Times New Roman font; double spaced) and include all subheadings below. The proposal narrative should be uploaded as a pdf in the application portal. 

  • Significance. Provide a brief explanation of the human/social/behavioral problem(s) being addressed, explain why it is important, and describe its relevance to CSSI’s mission.  

  • Scientific Foundation. Summarize the conceptual/theoretical/methodological framework and empirical evidence that provides the foundation for the proposed project. 

  • Research Design and Analysis. Summarize the research design and proposed analyses that align with the research question(s). 

  • Future Potential. Describe the anticipated outcomes in operational terms. For example, discuss how the project is expected to lead to a proposal for external funding, book manuscript, or journal article. 

  • Timeline. Provide the anticipated timeline for accomplishing the project’s goals.

  • Investigator Information. Describe the roles of any collaborators in the proposal. For key personnel, include titles and brief descriptions of their expertise. 

  • Reference List. Not included in the three-page maximum requirement.  

ADDITIONAL ATTACHMENTS 

  • Curriculum Vitae or Biographical Sketch 

  • Letter of Support from DEO (Required). Applications must be accompanied by a brief letter of support (no more than three sentences) from the applicant’s DEO confirming support for the application and potential course release.

Application Evaluation

Applications will be evaluated on (1) intellectual rigor and scholarly creativity of the project, (2) potential to make a significant impact in the applicant’s field and the social sciences more generally, (3) adherence to proposal structure, and (4) relevance to the mission of CSSI. 

CSSI administration will review the applications and provide a decision within three weeks from the date of submission.