The National Institute for Computational Science (NICS) at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) is pleased to announce an open call for research proposals for the recently funded National Science Foundation (NSF) Cross-Institutional Research Engagement Network (CIREN) for cyberinfrastructure (CI) facilitators (NSF Award #2230106).
UTK in collaboration with Arizona State University (ASU) has created CIREN to fill critical gaps in the development and retention of CI facilitators via training, mentorship, and research engagement. CIREN’s mission is to “enable transformative research discoveries by connecting researchers with computational expertise.” CIREN provides training and mentorship opportunities to current and future CI facilitators in the areas of high-performance computing (HPC), machine learning (ML), and artificial intelligence (AI). CIREN supports CI facilitators in the execution of local, cross-institutional, and national research engagements.
Proposals are sought for research projects that could benefit from the engagement of a CIREN supported CI facilitator (at about 20% effort) in the areas of high-performance computing (HPC), machine learning (ML), and artificial intelligence (AI). These research engagements between researchers and CI facilitators are focused 6-month collaborative projects where a CI facilitator works with a research group to advance their research capabilities via the inclusion of HPC, ML, or AI methodologies. Examples include:
- HPC: Scaling, parallelizing, or performance optimizations of existing applications to take advantage of new computational resources, deal with increased data volume, or undertake larger target problems.
- ML: Inclusion of ML or AI methodologies within existing analysis pipelines.
- AI: Proof-of-Concept development and feasibility studies with respect to the incorporation of ML or AI technologies within a research program.
Proposals are accepted anytime from UTK Faculty and Staff conducting research in one or more areas supported by the NSF. However, proposals received before Friday, August 2, 2024, will receive full consideration for projects that are expected to start in September 2024. Proposals will be reviewed based on their alignment to CIREN’s mission and focus areas and the availability of CI facilitators. Additional information on CIREN, our facilitators, and our projects are available on the CIREN website.
Proposals should be no longer than two pages (6,000 characters) in length and provide a description of the research project, its timeline and goals, and the needs for CIREN CI facilitator support. Proposals can be submitted by completing the following Google web form. Please contact the CIREN Director, Lonnie Crosby, with any questions concerning projects or proposal submission.
