Overview
As part of the ISR DEI faculty initiatives, we have developed a DEI Visiting Scholars Program (VSP) with the goal to increase the diversity of post-doctoral and faculty scholars with ‘close ties’ to ISR.
The specific purpose of this DEI VSP is to provide ISR faculty with funds to host scholars from groups that are underrepresented in the sciences (defined below) and introduce them to the ISR entrepreneurial and scientific environment as they collaborate on a project (e.g., an external funding proposal, a manuscript, a course, etc.). ISR will provide funding to cover travel, lodging, hosting (up to $500), and a $2000 stipend for a one-week visit at ISR. The faculty host will provide office space and necessary supplies as well as the staff support to arrange the visiting scholar’s travel and itinerary.
To apply for these funds, the faculty host needs to complete a brief application that includes the visiting scholar’s CV and a tentative itinerary of their visit. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis by the ISR DEI Office in consultation with the appropriate Center Administrator.
Rationale
Many scholars, particularly those from groups that are underrepresented in the sciences, are primarily familiar with research in the context of conventional instructional departments. With this comes notions of ‘soft money’ as high risk and with limits on the scope and type of research that can be accomplished. With this program, we hope to address these issues, which are barriers both to rigorous science and the diversity of ISR’s scholar network, by hosting scholars for one week. During this week, visiting scholars will work with their ISR faculty host and will meet with faculty, staff, and students throughout ISR to learn about our unique, multidisciplinary, entrepreneurial approach to science that includes all aspects of the research process such as the theory-driven development of scientific questions as well as the data collection, production, and analytic methods to address these questions.
Eligible visiting scholars
- are outside the University of Michigan system;
- have a doctoral/professional degree;
- have not previously worked with an ISR faculty member in a significant capacity (e.g., former trainee, current co-investigator, etc.); and
- identify as a member of a group that is underrepresented in the sciences, which is defined for the purposes of this program as one or more of the following:
- in the first generation to graduate from college;
- a graduate of a minority-serving institution;
- a member of a group that is educationally, economically, or culturally disadvantaged; and/or
- shows a demonstrated and sustained commitment to diversity in the academic or professional workplace setting (by commitment to diversity, we mean efforts in the US to reduce social, educational, or economic inequities based on race, ethnicity, or gender, or to improve race relations in the US)