Fernanda Eliott Named Scialog Fellow

Fernanda Eliott, Grinnell College assistant professor of computer science, has been named a Scialog Fellow by the Research Corporation for Science Advancement. The Scialog (short for “science dialogue”) program brings together interdisciplinary groups of about 50 early-career faculty members around topics of key scientific importance. Over a three-year period, it provides them with guidance from senior facilitators, opportunities to form multidisciplinary collaborations, and seed funding for their research. 

Eliott was selected for the “Molecular Basis of Cognition” group, which will bring together scientists from a wide range of fields to better understand the processes that underlie short- and long-term memory, thought, perception, and cognition. It is co-sponsored by the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, the Kavli Foundation, and the Walder Foundation, which will provide grants to Fellows who put together compelling project proposals over the course of the Scialog. 

Eliott shared, "I am eager to join the program, connect with participants, and explore questions that will help investigate the role of intuitive cognition in decision-making and translate that into computational approaches.” 

Learn More About Scialog 

Scialog supports research, intensive dialogue, and community-building to address scientific challenges of global significance. Within each multi-year initiative, Scialog Fellows collaborate in high-risk discovery research on untested ideas and communicate their progress in annual closed conferences. Intensive discussions identify bottlenecks and encourage innovative approaches. Ultimately, Scialog aims to advance human knowledge by empowering a national community of early-career scientists with many promising years of research ahead of them. Through the give-and-take of community building, it is the foundation’s hope that Scialog Fellows will become better-equipped to tackle ever more challenging multidisciplinary problems. Success for Scialog Fellows is measured by highly impactful results, ongoing support from private foundations and federal agencies, and, ultimately, scientific breakthroughs. Senior scientists recognized as world-leading researchers in the area of focus guide the Scialog process. Here is a link to a paper about Scialog in ACS Energy Letters.