Armstrong Fund for Science

Find details of the Armstrong Fund for Science program in the RFP, including instructions for applying and FAQs.

The Armstrong Fund for Science is intended for faculty members with aggressive research visions. Grants from this program should be used to strategically expand their programs by positioning their research for large, extramural grants or key industrial partnerships. The research should represent a new initiative, either a bold, new line of research or the application of prior research to a field in which it has no precedent. Projects should be no longer than 2 years, with total budget requests not to exceed $40,000.

• Early career faculty and faculty who are women or members of minorities underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines are encouraged to apply
• Proposals from senior faculty will also be considered if they represent a new and somewhat risky direction for the faculty member’s research program
• Team proposals are encouraged
• Only projects in areas of strategic relevance to the campus will be funded

The Armstrong Fund for Science is intended to:

• Permit faculty members to pursue adventurous ideas
• Enhance faculty members’ ability to develop significant sponsored activities in areas of strategic relevance to the campus
• Build tangible, working relationships with industry
• Raise the national profile of the campus as a source of innovation

Eligibility

All full-time science and engineering faculty are eligible to apply. 

Final Report

• At the end of the project, awardees are required to provide a final report.
• Awardees must commit to presenting their research findings to a non-specialist audience through a public lecture or other means of public dissemination.

Congratulations to the recipients of the 2024 Armstrong Fund for Science Award:

• Jimi Oke, Assistant Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering, and Co-PI Eleni Christofa, Associate Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering
• Nathan Senner, Assistant Professor of Environmental Conservation

Past Recipients