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Research Engagement

CIREN’s mission is to “enable transformative research discoveries by connecting researchers with computational expertise.” CI facilitators supported by CIREN (at about 20% effort) work on research projects 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 vi the inclusion of HPC, ML, or AI methodologies. 

Some 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.

A list of previous and current CIREN projects is listed on CIREN’s project page.

Project Timeline

Researchers or principle investigators (PI) propose CIREN research engagements via the submission of a project description that includes a description of the research project, its timeline and goals, and the needs for CIREN CI facilitator support. Proposals are accepted anytime from UTK Faculty and Staff conducting research in one or more areas supported by the NSF. Proposals are due 2-3 months prior to the expected project start date. Proposals will be reviewed based on their alignment to CIREN’s mission and focus areas and the availability of CI facilitators.

Projects begin either in January-February or July-August of each calendar year and have a duration of 6-months.

Once a project is selected and a CI facilitator is assigned:

    • The assigned CI facilitator conducts an intake interview with the PI to obtain more information on the project and its needs. This occurs about 1 month prior to the project start date.
    • The facilitator in collaboration with the PI complete a project work plan. This work plan is due prior to the project start date.
    • Collaborative CIREN projects typically have a duration of 6-months and include frequent (at least every 2 weeks) team meetings between the PI, their team, and the facilitator.
    • The facilitator in collaboration with the PI will complete mid-project (3-month) and final project reports.
    • If the facilitator is in CIREN’s mentorship program they will be required to give a final presentation on the project and its results during a monthly CIREN community meeting.

Submitting a research engagement request

Researchers interested in submitting a research engagement request should complete the following Google web form.