Thoughts on the NSF CAREER Development Process Parv Venkitasubramaniam Asst. Prof. ECE

About my CAREER Joined ECE Department in Fall 2009 Submitted an NSF CAREER Proposal in July 2010 Topic: A Mathematical Framework for Anonymity in Networks 3 VG and 1 G Rejected in Dec. 2010!

About my CAREER Submitted an NSF CAREER in July 2011 Topic: Anonymous Networking with Guaranteed Quality of Service: Towards a Theoretical Foundation 2 Ex and 2 VG Accepted in Dec. 2011!

Common Elements (Review) Research Topic is important – timely and critical to goals in the broad area (security) Novelty in approach Proposal reflects good acquaintance with literature Research Tasks are clearly delineated with enough details about proposed approaches Good Education and Outreach Plan

Common Elements (Proposal) Motivation Objectives Broader Impact Innovation Most specific research tasks Research Plan

Key Differences A year’s worth of preliminary results! - Demonstrated Proof of Concept - Showcased clear gain over State of the Art - More Citations ``Fixed’’ Literature Review Demonstrated Outreach - CHOICES Contact with Program Manager

Some Thoughts Balancing Act: Demonstrable Success vs. High Risk High Reward Endeavor Novelty at different levels: Specific Topic to Overarching themes Organically integrated elements: motivation, research objectives, broader impact, education and outreach Focus on CAREER and Career

the development process.. No upper or lower limit on duration! Feedback is most useful - Colleagues– senior, junior, in area, out of area - Broader Scientific Community - Responses– proposals, papers, presentations Contact with Program Managers-- phone, or in-person– can only be beneficial.