Campus invited to shape RISE Initiative through new positions, collaboration communities

The Wisconsin Research, Innovation and Scholarly Excellence (RISE) Initiative, launched in February 2024, aims to supercharge collaboration in areas of key societal concern that cross traditional disciplinary boundaries. These areas include: artificial intelligence, environmental sustainability, and immunology and healthspan.

“AI, sustainability and health are among the most important challenges of the 21st century,” says Provost Charles Isbell. “Through RISE, and with the work of collaboration leads and experts all across campus, we’re positioning UW to make a lasting impact on our society.”

RISE will bring new faculty to campus, augmenting the university’s already formidable strengths in each focus area.

”In order to make a meaningful and lasting impact, it is critical to build on the university’s existing excellence and expertise, bringing in new faculty to join current networks already advancing research, teaching and engagement in these areas,” says Dorota A. Grejner-Brzezinska, vice chancellor for research

Recruiting three scholarly collaboration leads

To further expand these networks, strengthen collaboration and boost progress across the work, Provost Isbell and the Vice Chancellor for Research Dorota Brzezinska seek to appoint three faculty as scholarly collaboration leads, one for each of the initiative’s focus areas.

The new scholarly collaboration leads will be part-time service roles that will convene communities of interest and practice in the initiative’s focus areas, identify ways to support existing collaborations, and determine possibilities and clear pathways for new collaborative work. The leads will report to Vice Chancellor Brzezinska and will work closely with the Office of the Provost and the RISE Core team, led by Senior Vice Provost John Zumbrunnen. For more details, view the call for applications for each focus area:

• RISE-AI collaboration lead position description
• RISE-EARTH collaboration lead position description
• RISE-THRIVE collaboration lead position description

Applications are due by Friday, May 9.

Seeking input from the campus community

RISE is also working to ensure that broader campus communities already engaging in work related to the initiative’s focus areas can grow connections and stay informed. Faculty, staff and students who are involved or interested in efforts related to artificial intelligence, environmental sustainability, immunology or healthspan, are asked to please complete this survey by Wednesday, May 28.