The Nation?s universities and industrial research labs are facing continuing budgetary pressures as a result of the economic downturn. The aim of this project is to forestall a permanent loss of research talent that is likely to occur if new computer science PhDs are forced to seek employment outside the field due to hiring reductions brought about by the current economic situation. The NSF Computing Innovation Fellows (CIFellows) project will enable approximately twenty new PhDs in the computing fields to develop the additional credentials and experience to make them more effective researchers and/or teachers. This is the third year of the CIFellows program, which has already supported a total of 107 Fellows in one- to two-year positions at academic institutions and industrial labs across the country. The selection process will actively seek applications from women and people from underrepresented groups; it will also identify candidates for awards from a cross-section of institutions. As a result, a broad range of institutions will strengthen their research groups and labs, thereby, improving the national infrastructure and research workforce in computer science, allied fields and corresponding application domains.
