October 21, 2024 - College and university faculty at emerging research institutions are invited to apply to collaborate with national laboratory scientific research staff on research projects of mutual interest, the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science announced today.

Extensive support during the application process is available, as well as a summer internship fair in November sponsored by the Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists (WDTS) and the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education.

“We are proud to offer these amazing programs to students and faculty, and encourage everyone who is eligible to apply,” said Harriet Kung, Acting Director of the Office of Science. “They offer a wonderful ‘foot in the door’ for aspiring scientific researchers and an excellent opportunity for faculty, as well, to coordinate with our national laboratories on discovery science that addresses the nation’s scientific challenges.”

University of West Georgia Professor Mautusi Mitra (left) and student Chukwuemeka Okpala (center)—with Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientist Carrie Eckert—presented their research findings on plastic upcycling during the DOE Visiting Faculty Program.

The Visiting Faculty Program (VFP) is offered in two tracks:

• The VFP Research Collaboration
• The VFP Teaching Initiative Track (available for returning VFP participants)  

VFP seeks to enhance both the research competitiveness and STEM teaching capacities for faculty members at institutions historically underrepresented in the nation’s scientific research enterprise. Expanding the nation’s scientific workforce and providing opportunities to all is vital to the DOE mission.  

Given this focus, VFP strongly supports faculty members from emerging research institutions, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Typically, about 50% of the participants are from minority-serving institutions (MSIs), one-third of which are HBCUs. 

Selected college and university faculty members collaborate with DOE laboratory scientific research staff on research projects of mutual interest.    

Applications are now being accepted for the Summer 2025 term. The application deadline is January 8, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. EST.  

VFP is offered over the summer term as a 10-week experience. To further strengthen research collaborations, returning VFP participants can apply to participate in a 10-week experience in spring or fall terms and receive financial support for a teaching buyout. Faculty who participate in VFP over the summer may also invite up to two students (one of these may be a graduate student) to join the project.

Application Support, Alumni Panel

Two application assistance workshops will be held for all faculty eligible to apply to VFP. The first workshop will introduce the program and provide strategies for submitting a compliant application. At the final workshop, the application process will be reviewed and then the collaborative experience the programs provide will be highlighted via a panel discussion.  

• Application assistance workshop: November 22, 2024, at 2:00 EST (register here)  
• VFP Alumni panel workshop: December 5, 2024, at 12:00 p.m. EST (register here)  

In addition, prospective VFP applicants can engage with recruiters and scientists from the DOE national laboratories at the summer internship fair sponsored by WDTS and hosted by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education. The fair will take place on November 14, 2024, from 1:00 – 5:00 pm EST (register here).?WDTS and national lab staff will be on hand to answer questions.

Furthermore, the program office invites applicants and letter-of-recommendation writers to attend office hours to answer administrative questions such as those pertaining to application submission. Office hours are scheduled on December 10 and 17, 2024, from 12:00 – 1:00 pm EST. Registration (register here) is required for attendance.  

Selected college and university faculty members collaborate with DOE laboratory scientific research staff on research projects of mutual interest.    

VFP is managed by the Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists (WDTS) in the Office of Science.?More information, including eligibility criteria, can be found at the WDTS page.? 

Check out some of the outstanding participants of the 2024 Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists Summer Internship programs in this video.