Frequently Asked Questions

Does the fellowship have any citizenship eligibility requirements?

No, candidates may come from any country.

When will the winners be notified? What about non-winners?

Each nominator will be contacted with the results by the date listed on the how to nominate page. It will be their responsibility to inform students, nominees and/or endorsers of the outcome. Note that SIGHPC only contacts nominators; students should request status information from their advisor.

Are male students eligible for the fellowships?  

That depends. A male would need to be a member of an identifiable racial/ethnic group that the country and/or university defines as underrepresented. That's why we have the advisor, not the student, address this criterion. Examples might be members of an economically disadvantaged tribal group (e.g., First Nations in Canada) or a racial/ethnic group that typically does not pursue university education (e.g., Lapp groups in Scandinavia) or rarely enters the computing profession (e.g., African-Americans in the US). Note that the group must be considered underrepresented - by the government or some recognized agency - in computing in the country of study. University administrators track that kind of information and can answer questions about the criteria in your country.

Does "xxxx" count as computational science?  

Computational science and data science are defined on the fellowships webpage.  Our interpretation is very broad, but the research advisor is required to explain why his/her program qualifies, as part of the nomination.

Is there any restriction on what the student has previously studied?

Not at all.  We welcome applications from students who are coming to data/computational science from non-traditional backgrounds (forestry, agricultural or life sciences, liberal arts, etc.).

Is there a restriction on what kind of program I'm in (online, coursework-only, etc.)?

The intent is for Fellowship winners to interact in a long-term, meaningful way with faculty and other grad students, so the degree work must include at least a year of in-person, directed research, and must result in a dissertation or thesis. Online programs are eligible provided that at least a year of research under a research advisor at the institution is completed.  

Does "halfway through the proposed plan of study" refer to courses, research, or both? 

The "plan of study" is intended to include both phases of study: coursework and research. That is, the student must be less than halfway from enrolling in the program to completing the degree, as of August when the award will be made. The intent is to fund students who are near the start of their graduate career, and preference will be given to students in their first or second year of study.

Does the nominator, endorser, or student have to be a member of ACM?  

There are no membership requirements - neither ACM nor SIGHPC - for anyone.

Can the nominator and endorser be the same person?  

No. The nominator must be the student's research advisor, while the endorser must be someone else who knows the student's work well.

Can I nominate more than one person, even if they are in two different degree-granting departments?

No. An advisor may nominate only one candidate.

The nomination form asks how much financial support will the candidate be receiving each year from the institution, grants, etc.? Should I just enter the total annual research assistant salary our students currently receive? 

If your student also receives other support from the unit or University (such as health insurance, cost-of-living allowance, recurring scholarships, etc.), please include the value of those as well as salary. Ideally the student will already be receiving at least some type of support. Note that the conditions of the Fellowship state that the stipend is intended to augment that support, not replace it.

How does the online nomination system work?  

Your research advisor  has to start the process by clicking the nominations link on how to nominate. They will create a login and submit the nomination form. Once that is completed, the system will automatically send you an email (using the email address your nominator specified) so you can submit your portion. Once yours is completed and submitted, the system automatically contacts the endorser you named (using the email address you specified for them). If you find you specified the wrong email address, contact support@linklings.com for assistance.

Will there be feedback if the nomination is unsuccessful?  

This is an award, not a submission-and-review process. ACM's policy is that no individual feedback can be given to award nominators, since it might give them an unfair advantage.If you have a specific question that might benefit others as well, send it to fellowships@sighpc.org and we may add it as a new FAQ.

What if my question isn't listed here? 

If you're a student, discuss your concerns with your research advisor or department head. Faculty often know the answers from dealing with research proposals or fellowships or will be able to find out by looking at the website (nomination websites can be hard for students to interpret correctly). If there's still a question, we invite advisors to contact us directly at fellowships@sighpc.org.