Jensen Hughes is delighted to announce a collaboration with the SFPE Foundation on the new GCI Applied Research Fellowship program!
Through the efforts of the 34+ participating organizations in the Grand Challenges Initiative (GCI), the SFPE Foundation has identified a gap between the innovative research and training taking place in university settings and the emerging challenges that engineering practitioners face in the field.
This fellowship program is designed to help close that gap by connecting industry partners with advanced graduate students or post-doctoral researchers conducting applied research on emerging GCI topics relevant to practicing fire engineering professionals and their stakeholders. By matching emerging researchers focused on cutting-edge problems with industry leaders who can help translate that research into professional practice, this program aims to create a pipeline for progress on critical issues.
Industry partners will be able to better communicate the challenges they are facing and where (and what kinds of) research would be useful to help address those issues to the researchers who are motivated to apply their skills to practical problems in the field. Both sides will benefit from the exchange of ideas and the experience while developing a shared language and understanding when it comes to approaching applied problems.
This program provides $30,000 USD in fellowship support to an advanced doctoral student or post-doc conducting research on an emerging topic in partnership with a host organization that provides industry mentorship and guidance throughout the eight-month fellowship period.
In this first pilot year of the program, Jensen Hughes will serve as the host organization for the selected fellow, with the SFPE Foundation facilitating the selection process and the administration of the program. Eligible doctoral students and post-docs are invited to apply under one of the open fellowship topics for this year. Topics correspond to priority areas identified by the GCI working groups and will change each year depending on the needs of the participating industry hosts.
Learn more about GCI Founding Partners.
APPLICATIONS are due Monday, June 24, 2024, by 11:59 p.m. ET.
Completed applications must be submitted through the application portal. Applications that do not contain all the required materials will be considered incomplete and may not be reviewed.
All complete applications will be reviewed by a Selection Committee consisting of representatives from the SFPE Foundation Board of Governors, SFPE or SFPE Foundation staff, the GCI Working Groups for Energy & Infrastructure and Climate Change, and the host organization, Jensen Hughes.
The Selection Committee will select a short list of finalists based on the evaluation criteria described above. Finalists will be contacted no later than July 15 to schedule a virtual interview with Selection Committee members for July 15 through July 26.
We expect to notify the successful candidate by August 1. The candidate must be available for a virtual meeting with SFPE Foundation staff and the host organization (Jensen Hughes) in early- to mid-August to make initial introductions and arrangements for the start of the fellowship period on September 1, 2024.
Learn more about the SFPE Foundation's GCI Applied Research Fellowship Program.