DARPA seeks young blood

You know those ads that ask you if you're bored with your job, want to explore new horizons, AND take on fresh challenges?

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency should consider running one. Instead, the research organization has published a FedBizOpps listing seeking computer science researchers interested in developing projects for the military. DARPA is soliciting proposals -- due by Aug. 25 -- for people to earn a one-year appointment to its Computer Science Study Group. The solicitation also offers optional extensions after the first year for some of the group members.

The goal of the program is to "identify and develop innovative ideas with high payoff in computer science and related disciplines," according to the solicitation.

The program is intentionally limited to junior faculty members at colleges at universities who have held their graduate degrees for no more than seven years and do not have tenure. Applicants must also be U.S. citizens able to earn a secret-level security clearance.

Jonathan Katz, an associate professor of computer science at the University of Maryland, was part of the most recent CSSG. In recommending others apply for the positions this time, he wrote: "Although one might not expect it (I didn’t), the CSSG is fairly 'theory friendly.' I was selected for the CSSG this past year, and Rocco Servedio [an associate computer science professor at Columbia University] was chosen two years ago. Moreover, explicitly listed as 'technologies of interest' are complexity theory(!), approximation algorithms, machine learning, and network modeling. (They also accept proposals that are not in the areas of interest.) Perhaps this should not be too surprising, given that mathematician Ben Mann is behind the program."