The law school debuted a new fellowship this month focusing on the law behind government contracts.

The fellow, who will be a visiting associate professor of law, will help expand the government procurement law program’s online offerings. Officials are hoping to fill the position this spring to help develop new online courses and engage in research and writing, law school officials said.

Karen Thornton, the director of the government procurement law program, said the law school administration is funding the fellowship and will recommend the final candidate to the University. The fellow will receive an annual stipend of $55,000 plus benefits, according to a law school release.

She said filling the position is a “strategic priority” for the law school as the government procurement law program – the only program of its kind nationwide – expands its classes “through distance learning to meet the continuing education needs of lawyers and non-attorneys who work in the acquisition field.”

“The law school is collaborating with the University to transform our in-residence courses into online courses, and the fellow will play an important role in keeping up with the demands of developing new pedagogy while maintaining the existing in-residence curriculum,” Thornton said in an email.

She added that the fellow may be assigned to lead weekly discussions in one of the online courses. The fellow will also work with Ralph Nash, the co-founder of the Government Procurement Law program, to update a textbook, Thornton said.

She said the law school is currently reviewing applications and expects to receive submissions from candidates across the globe.

“The diversity of their experiences will be an excellent addition to our program, and having more hands on deck will help us expand our online offerings without detracting from our traditional courses and extensive array of on-campus programming,” Thornton said.