About
The SPARK Faculty program was started by a group of academics who are passionate about ensuring that women are successful in finding and succeeding in STEM faculty positions. The team was involved in iFEAT (Illinois Female Engineers in Academia Training), a similar program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Now, we are expanding access to the program to include participants from across the United States. It also gives a unique platform for engineering education research involving women in STEM fields preparing for academia.
Purpose
The purpose of the SPARK Faculty is to help women graduate students in various STEM fields prepare faculty application materials with the end goal of applying for an academic position. They also learn more about the application process itself and other best practices.
Program Structure
A combination of workshops and mentored peer review sessions allow for the participants to write and rewrite their personal application materials, better preparing them for the faculty application process, and beyond.