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Oak Ridge Associated Universities:
Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Awards Program

Prize Amount: The award amount provided by ORAU is $5,000. The applicant’s institution is required to match the award with at least an additional $5,000. This is a one-year grant (June 1 to May 31).

For: Full-time assistant professors within two years of their initial tenure track appointment (Jan. 1, 2022 to Jan. 7, 2024) at the time of application

Due: Application deadline is December 13, 2023 at 5:00 pm


The Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Awards Program provides seed money for research by junior faculty at ORAU (Oak Ridge Associated Universities) member institutions such as The University of Utah. These competitive research awards provide seed money for junior faculty members that often result in additional funding from other sources. The award amount provided by ORAU is $5,000. The applicant’s institution is required to match the award with at least an additional $5,000. This is a one-year grant (June 1 to May 31).

Awards are intended to enrich the research and professional growth of young faculty and result in new funding opportunities. For more information, visit the ORAU’s University Partnerships website.

Powe Award FAQ

Questions may also be directed to the University of Utah’s ORAU councilor, Darryl Butt, Dean of the Graduate School.

Eligibility

Open to full-time assistant professors at ORAU member institutions within two years of their tenure track appointment at the time of application. Only two nominations are allowed per institution.

Research projects must fall within one of these five disciplines:

  • New* Augmented Reality in the Workplace
  • New* Supply Chain Innovation
  • Engineering and Applied Science
  • Life Science
  • Mathematics/Computer Sciences
  • Physical Sciences
  • Policy, Management, or Education (research project does not have to be focused on STEM fields)

*New Discipline Areas: As a result of ORAU’s partnership with The Augmented Reality for Enterprise Alliance (The AREA) and General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT), two new research disciplines have been added to the list.

Selection Process

Selected nominees will be notified by December 28, 2023 regarding their selection.

Last Updated: 12/5/23