UT’s Premier Faculty Fellowship Launches New AI Initiative

AUSTIN, Texas - The Donald D. Harrington Faculty Fellows Program, The University of Texas at Austin's premier faculty fellowship, is launching a new initiative to recruit exceptional visiting faculty in the area of artificial intelligence. The 2025-26 cohort will receive more than $1 million in funding to pursue innovative research and scholarship on the UT campus during a year in residence.

Fellowships are open to faculty from all disciplines and institutions around the world. All are encouraged to apply.

Since 2001, Harrington Fellows have driven creative and ambitious research endeavors that impact society, and the program has supported early- and mid-career scholars eager to make a lasting contribution in their field. It includes a year in residence at UT Austin to explore new research directions, utilize the University's facilities and resources, and collaborate with UT's vast community of talented students and researchers.

Beginning with the 2025-26 cohort, the program will launch its recruitment in thematic research focus areas to foster collaboration, discovery and innovation in key pillars of the University's strategic plan.

This year's focus area, AI, builds upon the University's leadership in AI and its recent Year of AI initiative, which has brought a campuswide emphasis to advancing AI expertise, thought leadership and research capabilities across multiple disciplines.

"Harrington Fellows not only represent some of the world's most acclaimed and accomplished rising scholars, they also represent ambition, drive, and a dedication to make a direct impact in the real world," said Alison Preston, vice provost for faculty development and the administrative leader of the Harrington Fellows Program. "AI is having an impact on virtually every academic discipline. By recruiting leading faculty whose scholarship addresses central questions in AI, we can bring innovation and bold discovery from all perspectives."

Up to four fellows will be selected. They will receive generous stipends and housing allowances to spend a full year in residence at UT Austin, during which their time will be committed fully to their research and creative pursuits. Each fellow will receive $75,000 in discretionary funds to support those pursuits while at UT, an amount unmatched by other national fellowship programs of its kind.

Harrington Fellows also have an opportunity to interact regularly with one another and with prominent campus research leaders, providing additional opportunities for collaboration and career development.

Scholars will find themselves in a rich community of AI research at UT Austin, including the Machine Learning Lab, the Institute for Foundations in Machine Learning, the Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences, Texas Robotics and the Good Systems Grand Challenge. As part of its growing commitment to cutting edge AI research, the University has recently launched the Center for Generative AI, powered by a new GPU computing cluster, among the largest in academia. Selected 2025-26 fellows will receive access to this new computing cluster.

Faculty members interested in becoming a 2025-26 Harrington Fellow should apply by Jan. 6, 2025. At the time of application, they must be within 10 years for their first tenure-track (or equivalent) appointment. Questions about eligibility, the application process and the program can be directed to [email protected].

About the Donald D. Harrington Faculty Fellows Program

As the premier faculty fellowship of The University of Texas at Austin, this highly selective one-year program empowers ambitious early and mid-career scholars seeking solutions to real societal challenges by imagining tomorrow's possibilities. Harrington Fellowships are granted to the rising stars of academia who are pioneering innovation and pursuing momentous change. Bolstered by unmatched resources and financial support, Harrington Fellows are provided the freedom to solve significant problems, the privilege of renowned mentorship and scholarly collaboration, and the opportunity to push their work forward for the benefit of all society.

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