The campus-wide Wisconsin Research, Innovation and Scholarly Excellence Initiative (RISE) program funds new faculty hires through central resources as a match to hires funded by schools and colleges. CALS completed several college-funded hires in RISE themes in the 2023-24 academic year and received matching funds for additional hires. This spring, the college wrapped up searches for faculty members using the RISE match in the areas of RISE-AI and RISE-EARTH. 

Search and screen committees, composed of faculty from all disciplines in the college, reviewed over 700 applications from a wide variety of fields across all career stages. Each of the four search committees identified candidates in a wide variety of disciplines, and finalists were hosted by departments sponsoring them. In some cases, more than one department endorsed a finalist. At the time of offer, if the candidate had more than one department’s approval, the candidate selected their home department. These cross-disciplinary searches resulted in the hiring of eight new faculty members. CALS is excited for these new scholars to join the university community in the next year:

CALS Search Theme 2: AI to Enhance Agricultural and Natural Systems (RISE-AI and RISE-EARTH)

CALS Search Theme 3: Furthering the Bioeconomy (RISE-EARTH)

CALS Search Theme 4: Mitigating Climate Impacts on Agroecosystems and Communities (RISE-EARTH)

“The impressive expertise of these new hires complements the college’s existing strengths and supports the significant, complex challenges identified as part of the campus-wide RISE initiative,” said Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs Heather White. “This effort provided a unique opportunity to attract early- and mid-career faculty who will make a difference in Wisconsin and around the world.”

All RISE-related CALS faculty hires are listed on the CALS RISE website under the AI, EARTH and THRIVE themes.