UConn faculty winning NSF CAREER awards at record-breaking pace

Since 2015, UConn has experienced a remarkable increase in the number of major National Science Foundation (NSF) awards bestowed upon early-career faculty members. This year, the University is seeing unprecedented success, with 10 awards already announced and more possibly on the way.

NSF Early Career Development (CAREER) Program awards are highly prestigious, offered to early-career faculty members who demonstrate the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education. Approximately 500 awards are given annually to universities and research institutions throughout the country. The NSF especially encourages women, underrepresented minorities, and persons with disabilities to apply.

“Over the past several years, UConn has joined an elite group of research universities in the number of CAREER Award winners on our faculty,” said Interim UConn President Radenka Maric. “In fact, the number of CAREER Awards won by our faculty in 2018-2020 puts us ahead of top research universities like Harvard, Dartmouth, and Cal Tech. This is a testament to the quality of research work being done at UConn, and also to our institution-wide commitment to pursue excellence. I am very proud of our progress, and look forward to reaching even greater heights in the years to come.”

The awards range from about $425,000 to over $1.3 million for Ido Davidesco, the first faculty member from the Neag School of Education to earn CAREER funding. The School of Engineering leads with seven faculty members awarded, followed by two for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and one for Neag.