Applications are invited for a one-year appointment to the Faculty Fellows Program beginning in July 2024. Total support for each Fellow will be a maximum of $20,000 with the funds to be expended between July 1, 2024 to December 31, 2025. A six month extension will be considered with a substantiated reason and approval from the College Research Committee. Funds are anticipated to be available to support two fellows. Fellows can use the funds in the following ways:

1.  The potential to buy out one or two courses per year to be decided in consultation with Department Heads or Chair, who must provide a letter of support for any buyout arrangement.

2.  Graduate and/or undergraduate research assistance.

3.  Travel support: Maximum of $1,000 for conference travel to present a paper or poster related to the proposed research.  Other funds for research travel should be well justified.

4.  Summer salary PLUS fringe benefits.

5.  Equipment and supplies directly related to proposed research.

6.  Other uses of funds should be discussed with the Associate Dean for Research.

Kim Darnell and Laura Cooky (grants@education.illinois.edu) in the Bureau of Educational Research can help in developing a proposal budget. They will consult with the Office of Budget and Resource Planning, as needed, to confirm appropriate costs and rates.

Faculty of all ranks who are full-time in the University and budgeted at greater than zero percent in the College of Education are eligible and encouraged to apply.  Applicants wishing to receive feedback and advice prior to submitting a formal proposal are encouraged to submit a proposal draft to a Chair of the College Research Committee, who will pass it on to former Fellows or members of the Committee, for feedback with the goal of helping to develop the proposal.

1.  Research Proposal:

Provide a clear and detailed statement of research plans to be undertaken during the fellowship, written to be accessible for readers within the broader field of Education. The description should be limited to 10 double-spaced pages, including references cited. Proposals that address a College or University initiative and/or are interdisciplinary are encouraged. If your proposal is written to support such an initiative, identify the ways in which your proposed research will benefit, complement, or advance that initiative. Joint applications from more than one faculty member that represent strategic interdisciplinary collaboration are encouraged and reviewed as a single proposal (funded up to $20,000).

Include the following sections in the proposal text: 

Attach the following additional documents:

2 page abbreviated Curriculum Vitae.

List of current and/or pending support.

Letter of support from your Department Head/Chair. The letter should indicate approval for any course buyout and other departmental obligations.

(Optional) If your research includes collaboration within or external to the College, include letters of commitment from all collaborators.

2.  Renewal Applications:

Renewal applications will not be considered.

Applications for Faculty Fellows are reviewed by the College Research Committee, based on the below evaluation criteria. Recommendations from the College Research Committee are given to the Dean for final approval. 

Overall quality of the proposed work

Clearly identified and well motivated research problem with appropriate grounding in current research literature and theory.

Quality of research design, use of appropriate data collection methods and procedures for examining the problem.

Quality of research design for data analysis.

Potential contribution to the field of education, and/or to College or University Strategic Initiative.

 Potential impact on the applicant's career, particularly for early career scholars and scholars with limited external funding opportunities.

Feasibility of the proposed project, taking into account the scope of proposed data collection and data analyses, IRB and data collection logistics, and commitments of collaborators, as relevant.

Potential for obtaining later external funding.

Potential to promote collaborative research across departments within the College of Education or across the College and another academic campus unit.