Call for proposals for 2025–26 SRI research leads now open
The Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society has launched its call for research leads. Open to University of Toronto faculty with a continuing tenure stream appointment, applications are due June 8, 2025.
Are you a University of Toronto faculty member who leads innovative research on technology’s impact on society? Do you explore how AI, data-driven tools, and emerging technologies influence individuals, communities, and governance systems? Are you committed to advancing interdisciplinary dialogue and shaping the future of technology for the public good? If this sounds like you, the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society (SRI) invites you to join our community by becoming a research lead.
Research leads are central members of the SRI community—creative, interdisciplinary scholars who help shape SRI’s research direction and lead projects with real-world impact. In this role, you'll join our existing group of distinguished research leads and have the opportunity to design and execute a project that reflects your own interests and expertise, while advancing SRI’s mission of promoting the socially responsible development and use of advanced technologies.
We’re looking for researchers who are excited to make academic knowledge more accessible and relevant beyond the university—whether through collaborations with policymakers, civil society, industry, or the public. Research leads are also active contributors to SRI’s programming and community, helping to foster an inclusive, forward-thinking environment for research and engagement.
SRI research leads explore bold ideas, build cross-sector connections, and take a leading role in shaping conversations about technology and society. Apply now to join SRI as a research lead for the 2025–26 academic year. The application is open to University of Toronto faculty with continuing appointments at any of the three campuses, from any discipline, whose work aligns with SRI’s mission to ensure that technological advancements benefit all of society. Join us in driving impactful research and cultivating meaningful collaborations at the intersection of technology and society.
We believe that diverse perspectives are essential to advancing our academic mission and strengthening the impact of our work.
About the funding
SRI’s research leads program will provide up to $30,000 in project support plus an administrative stipend and in-kind support for up to two appointed faculty members at the University of Toronto. Successful candidates will receive a one-year appointment (renewable up to two years).
Areas of interest
SRI is focused on cultivating and promoting research that enables human flourishing through the beneficial use of advanced technologies. Projects can address topics such as:
Safe and ethical deployment of AI systems
Enhanced governance, security, and privacy of data
Technology and human bodies
Examples of previous work by research leads:
Eligibility and project requirements
Applications may be submitted by University of Toronto faculty with a continuing tenure stream appointment. Status-only appointees are not eligible. Faculty may be at any career stage.
Project outputs should be aimed at non-academic audiences, such as interactive exhibits, policy briefs, community workshops, digital media, technical tools or artifacts, open-source software projects, or other creative formats. Traditional academic outputs are not eligible.
Projects should be interdisciplinary in their research approach or method of dissemination.
Project descriptions must include a budget overview and justification, totaling no more than $30,000 for SRI-supported expenses per year.
Download the project PDF for a full description of project eligibility and evaluation criteria, suggested areas of interest and suggestions for projects cultivating external engagement.
How to apply
To be considered, you must fill out the online application form, which includes the following attachments:
A project description (PDF, 3 pages maximum).
A current curriculum vitae (PDF).
Up to three examples of your writing and research (PDF).
A letter of support from your faculty or department dean or chair.
Evaluation Criteria
Applicants will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
Demonstrated history of leading successful research initiatives, especially those with an interdisciplinary focus and/or high impact and non-traditional outputs.
Potential to engage and benefit both SRI’s community and external stakeholders, such as policymakers, industry leaders, and the public, and articulating outcomes of such engagement.
Creativity and originality of the proposed outputs.
Integration of knowledge and methods from different disciplines to address an issue at the nexus of technology and society.
Practicality and achievability of the project within the proposed timeline and budget.
Potential for engagement, collaboration, and active participation with SRI initiatives.
Application forms must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. ET on June 8, 2025. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted.
Questions?
Please contact sri.research@utoronto.ca if you have any questions or require additional information.
About the Schwartz Reisman Institute
The Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society supports and integrates world-class research across sectors and disciplines to deepen our understanding of advanced technologies, law, institutions, regulatory structures, and social values. We foster interdisciplinary ideas, insights, and understandings of how technology affects society and individuals, with a goal of rethinking technology’s role in society, the contemporary needs of human communities, and the systems that govern them.
Our mission is to deepen our knowledge of advanced technologies, societies, and what it means to be human by actively integrating research across traditional boundaries and fostering human-centered solutions that really make a difference—for everyone.
