From the Department of Defense: The Vannevar Bush Faculty Fellowship (VBFF) is the Department of Defense’s most prestigious single-investigator award and supports basic research with the potential for transformative impact. As a 5-year fellowship with up to $3 million in funding, the VBFF supports new, out-of-the box ideas where researcher creativity intersects with the unknown. Vannevar Bush Fellows represent a cadre of experts that provide invaluable direction to the Department of Defense in its scientific efforts and also train the next generation of scientists and engineers.
Formerly known as the National Security Science and Engineering Faculty Fellowship, the program changed its name in 2016 to commemorate Dr. Vannevar Bush (1890-1974) the director of the Office of Scientific Research and Development during WWII and the author of “Science, The Endless Frontier.” As a devoted teacher, administrator and entrepreneur, Dr. Vannevar Bush was an ardent advocate for basic research and made creative and innovative contributions to the nation’s security. In line with his vision, the VBFF reflects the DoD’s commitment to “blue sky”, unfettered research and the exchange of scientific knowledge between the Fellows and the government to benefit the country.
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2009: Naomi Halas, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Bioengineering, Chemistry, Physics and Astronomy, Materials Science
2017: Richard Baraniuk, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Computer Science
2023: Jeffrey Tabor, Bioengineering and BioSciences; Qimiao Si, Physics and Astronomy
2024: Emilia Morosan, Physics and Astronomy