Program Overview
The Convergence Research (CORE) Institute, based at the Societal Computing and Innovation Lab (SCIL) at UC San Diego's San Diego Supercomputer Center and supported by the NSF Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP), seeks to build an impact network through collaborative convergence research. The Fellows program provides foundational training and sustained, cross-disciplinary collaboration to prepare participants to address major societal challenges.
2026–2027 Theme
This year's cohort focuses on AI & Indigenous Language Revitalization. The goal is to make sure that early design decisions in this emerging field are informed by the full range of relevant expertise (linguistic, technical, cultural, pedagogical, and community-administrative) before norms harden. This effort grew out of the Sunaŵi workshop and is guided by a Leadership Council that serves as its founding body.
The program welcomes individuals with backgrounds in Indigenous language teaching and community revitalization, linguistics and language documentation, natural language processing and AI, archives and data infrastructure, data sovereignty, education and learning technology, and related fields.
Eligibility
The Institute welcomes applicants from those in academia, the private and public sectors, nonprofits, and NGOs. Candidates include researchers, practitioners, and community leaders at various career stages and serving in various administrative support roles, from graduate students through established professionals. We especially encourage Indigenous language community members and practitioners to apply. No single applicant is expected to span every relevant field.
Application Requirements
Applicants should submit:
- A statement of interest addressing their background, how their experience would contribute to a diverse cohort, and how the program connects to their goals (one page maximum)
- A CV or résumé
- Contact information for 2-3 references
Deadline: August 15, 2026
Applications are submitted through the online form. Direct inquiries to John Porten (jporten@ucsd.edu).
Program Components
The program over the cohort year is broken into four phases:
- Orientation (virtual). A short kickoff that brings Fellows into the cohort, the groundwork laid at Sunaŵi, and the living document the workshop produced.
- Fellows Academy (in person, Fall 2026). A gathering where the cohort formalizes specific problems that can be addressed with technical solutions and forms the collaborations that carry the rest of the year. Exact dates will be finalized closer to the time, with the goal of finding a window that works for as many Fellows as possible.
- Talks (virtual). A series of virtual talks spread over several weeks, drawing first on Sunaŵi participants and then the wider cohort, to build the network and inform the problems and solutions the cohort might take on.
- CORE Summit (virtual). A closing convening where Fellows share their experiences from the year and may propose and lead funded workshops based on their work.
Throughout the year, Fellows are also invited to contribute to the Sunaŵi living document, a community-reviewed, example-driven resource on responsible AI in language revitalization work.
Support Provided
The Institute is able to fund a limited number of Fellows to attend the Fellows Academy in person, with travel support and a one-time stipend provided to those selected. All Fellows join a cross-disciplinary, cross-sector network for collaboration throughout the year.
