The following funding opportunities were shared by Tie Luo, the deputy assistant director of the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences at the National Science Foundation.
We are excited to announce two new funding opportunities from the NSF’s Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences:
These two programs are designed to support early-career scientists at the postdoctoral and faculty levels, respectively.
The MPS-Ascend (NSF 21-573) program provides support for postdoctoral fellows who will broaden the participation of minorities that are significantly underrepresented in mathematical and physical sciences (MPS) fields in the U.S., and enable the fellows to develop as future leaders in MPS. Awards will support research in any scientific area within the purview of the five MPS Divisions: Astronomical Sciences (AST), Chemistry (CHE), Materials Research (DMR), Mathematical Sciences (DMS), and Physics (PHY). Proposals must be submitted by the potential postdoc (not by the postdoc mentor), and applicants must be U.S. citizens (or nationals) or legally admitted permanent residents of the U.S. (Green Card holders) at the time the proposal is submitted. The proposal should present research, professional development, and plans that describe how the suggested activities will broaden the participation of underrepresented minorities who will become leaders in MPS fields. Fellowships are awards to individuals, not institutions, and are administered by the fellows. Underrepresented minorities are especially encouraged to apply.
The LEAPS-MPS (NSF 21-570) program supports tenure-track (or equivalent) but non-tenured faculty members at institutions of higher education in MPS who have not previously served as principal investigators, co-principal investigators, or senior personnel on an NSF-funded research award. We particularly encourage submissions from applicants at R2 institutions, as defined in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, as well as minority-serving institutions (MSIs), including historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs), tribal colleges and universities (TCUs), and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institutions (AANAPISIs). As part of the proposal, applicants should include a discussion of how the proposed research activities will facilitate development of a subsequent research proposal, and present a plan that demonstrates the way in which the proposed activities will increase the participation of scientists who are underrepresented minorities, ultimately helping to create role models for the scientific workforce of the future.
All applicants are strongly encouraged to reach out to the cognizant program director in their research area (listed in the solicitation) before preparing and submitting a proposal.
Webinars
MPS has webinars scheduled for both programs. Please join us on Monday, April 12, 2021 at 2:00 PM EDT for information on the MPS-Ascend program, and Tuesday, April 13, 2021 at 1:00 PM EDT for information on the LEAPS-MPS program. Registration is required for both webinars via the following links: MPS-Ascend Webinar Registration and LEAPS-MPS Registration.