NSF CAREER Series
March 13, 2026
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM CST
Location
Virtual via Zoom
Calendar
Download iCal FileEvent Overview
The Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program is a National Science Foundation initiative offering the agency’s most prestigious awards to support early‑career faculty who exemplify the teacher‑scholar model. CAREER awards recognize junior faculty who advance excellence through innovative research, outstanding education, and meaningful integration of the two within the mission of their institutions. Designed to foster long‑term professional growth, the program supports projects that position investigators for leadership in their fields while strengthening the broader impacts of their work.
To support faculty in developing competitive CAREER proposals that reflect the depth, integration, and visionary scope expected of this award, the Office of Research Development is hosting a structured, multi‑session series.
Each session addresses a critical component of the CAREER proposal:
Session 1: Program Officer Perspective
Session 2: Awardee Panel
Session 3: Proposal Development Essentials
Session 4: Budget Preparation & Ancillary Documents
Together, this series equips early‑career investigators with the knowledge and tools needed to develop strong, competitive CAREER proposals that embody the program’s vision of excellence in research, education, and societal impact.
Session 1: Program Officer Perspective (March 13)
Speaker: Karl J. Rockne, PhD, PE, BCEE Professor College of Engineering Civil, Materials, and Environmental Engineering
Join Dr. Karl Rockne for an inside look at the NSF CAREER review process, proposal expectations, and strategies for aligning your research and education plans with NSF priorities.
Session 2: CAREER Awardee Panel (March 19)
Panelists: Arman Roohi, Associate Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Zhangli Peng, PhD, Associate Professor, Center for Bioinformatics and Quantitative Biology, Richard and Loan Hill Department of Biomedical Engineering; James Freitag, PhD, Professor, Department of Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science.
Awardees share perspectives on education plans, broader impacts, and strategies that strengthened their successful CAREER proposals.
Session 3: Proposal Development Essentials (March 31)
Speaker:Â Anna Brailovsky, Associate Director of Research Development, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Learn how to structure a persuasive and competitive proposal from Research Development staff. This session will cover narrative coherence, broader impacts planning, timeline development, and common pitfalls to avoid.
Session 4: Budget Preparation & Ancillary Documents (April 8)
Speaker: Kristen Scheurich, Associate Director, Proposals, Office of Sponsored Programs
Guidance on building compliant budgets, preparing strong budget justifications, and developing required supplementary documents.
For more information, please reach out to rds@uic.edu
Please RSVP below to get the Zoom link.Â
Date posted
Mar 9, 2026
Date updated
Mar 9, 2026