What makes interdisciplinary research proposals successful?

What leads to successful interdisciplinary research proposals? What leads to successful interdisciplinary research, particularly when it integrates social and computational sciences? Join us for a discussion with former Assistant Directors of the National Science Foundation (NSF) directorates on Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) and Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE). We will discuss best practices for writing successful interdisciplinary proposals, what reviewers look for in interdisciplinary proposals, and what “behind the scenes” activities allow faculty to create successful interdisciplinary teams.

Fay Lomax Cook is Professor Emerita of Human Development and Social Policy in Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy. She also serves as Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the National Academy for Social Insurance in Washington, D.C. From 2014-2018, Cook served as Assistant Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), leading the Directorate for Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences (SBE). Cook directed Northwestern’s Institute for Policy Research from 1996-2012. Cook’s research focuses on the interrelationships between public opinion and social policy, the politics of public policy, public deliberation, and the dynamics of public and elite support for social programs, particularly programs for older Americans such as Social Security and Medicare.

Jim Kurose is a Distinguished University Professor in the College of Information and Computer Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.  From 2015-2019, Kurose served as Assistant Director at the National Science Foundation (NSF), leading the Directorate of Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE). Kurose also served as the Assistant Director for Artificial Intelligence in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). Kurose's research interests are in the areas of computer network protocols and architecture, network measurement, sensor networks, and multimedia communication. He is also interested in the development of asynchronous learning materials and pedagogy, particularly the use of Internet-based multimedia material.

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This event is co-hosted by the UMass Computational Social Science Institute (CSSI), a diverse interdisciplinary community using computational models and methods to help us understand the social world. CSSI hosts periodic talks and workshops related to current events and longer-term research in computational social science.  To be notified of these events directly, please subscribe to CSSI-events by sending email to cssi-events-subscribe [at] cs.umass.edu.  If you wish to join CSSI as a faculty affiliate, please email jensen [at] cs.umass.edu (David Jensen) and iganguli [at] econs.umass.edu (Ina Ganguli). 

This event is also co-hosted by the UMass Institute for Social Science Research (ISSR), which provides resources and support for researchers using social science methods, seeking to take part in collaborative and interdisciplinary research, doing publicly engaged research, and seeking external funding for research. For more information about ISSR mailing lists and programs, please visit the ISSR webpage.