Below is a summary assembled by the Research & Innovation Office (RIO). Please see the full solicitation for complete information about the funding opportunity.

Program Summary听

The Geospace Section of the NSF Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences (AGS) offers funding for the creation of new tenure-track faculty positions within the disciplines that comprise the AGS Geospace programs to ensure their vitality at U.S. universities and colleges. The aim of the Faculty Development in geoSpace Science (FDSS) is to integrate topics in geospace science including solar and space physics and space weather research into natural sciences or engineering or related departments at U.S. institutions of higher education (IHE). FDSS also stimulates the development of undergraduate or graduate programs or curricula capable of training the next generation of leaders in geospace science. Geospace science is interdisciplinary in nature and FDSS awardees will be expected to establish partnerships within multiple parts of the IHE. NSF funding will support the salary, benefits and training of the newly recruited tenure-track FDSS faculty member for a duration of up to five years with a total award amount not to exceed $1,500,000.

Growing diversity in the geospace science workforce and institutions is a community priority, yet relatively few geospace science research and training opportunities are available at minority-serving institutions (MSIs) and emerging research institutions (ERIs). One of NSF's priorities is to improve representation in the scientific enterprise. FDSS aims to bolster long-term investments in geospace science at a broad range of U.S. IHEs, including MSIs and ERIs. This solicitation offers a track for all qualified U.S. IHEs and additionally, a separate track for proposal submissions from MSIs and ERIs.

The proposal must clearly identify which NSF AGS Geospace program(s) the hire is relevant to and what research priorities of the program(s) will be addressed. NSF AGS Geospace programs/priorities include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Aeronomy: research on the mesosphere, thermosphere and ionosphere of the Earth, and the phenomena of ionization, recombination, chemical reaction, photo emission, and the transport of energy and momentum within and between these regions;
  • Geospace Facilities: research areas that rely upon existing facilities or develop new instrumentation for geospace observations;
  • Magnetospheric Physics: research on the magnetosphere, coupling of the magnetosphere with the solar wind, ionosphere, and atmosphere; development of ground-based observations and lab-based plasma physics;
  • Solar-Terrestrial: development of U.S. ground-based solar observation, lab-based solar plasma physics, and instrumentation capabilities, including polarimetry techniques, and new modeling and theoretical research that connects to current or future NSF solar observatories;
  • Space Weather Research: system-of-systems research on the physical processes in the integrated Sun-Earth system that underlie space weather and space climate, and characterizing space weather impacts on critical infrastructure and technological systems.

Deadlines

麻豆免费版下载Internal Deadline: 11:59pm MST June 26, 2023

Sponsor Deadline: 5:00pm MST September 18, 2023

Internal Application Requirements (all in PDF format)

  • Project Description (3 pages maximum): Important points to emphasize include: 1)Clear articulation of how the FDSS faculty position will be integrated into the IHE's program of education, research, service, and outreach; 2) Relevant NSF Geospace program research area(s) that will be addressed by the new faculty member; 3) Plan for geospace science curriculum development; 4) Potential for the faculty position to attract diverse students and train future scientists in geospace science; 5) Plan for developing partnerships both within the university and with the broader geospace science community; 6) Plan to support the success of the FDSS hire (including but not limited to reasonable teaching and service expectations, professional development in pedagogy, mentoring, assistance with proposal preparation, etc.); 7) Metrics to ascertain the success of the FDSS hiring and related activities of the hire; and 8) Activities to foster participation by underrepresented and under-served groups in FDSS projects.
  • PI Curriculum Vitae
  • Budget Overview (1 page maximum): A basic budget outlining project costs is sufficient; detailed OCG budgets are not required.

To access the online application, visit:

Eligibility

Principal Investigators should be someone at the IHE with the authority to implement the proposed FDSS program and select and hire the new faculty member. These may be, but are not limited to, a dean, provost, director of a university associated research institute, department chairperson, or a senior tenured faculty member. An individual may be the principal investigator (PI) or co-PI for only one proposal for the FDSS solicitation per target date.

Limited Submission Guidelines

An institution may submit only one proposal in response to this solicitation per target date. Collaborative proposals are not allowed.

Award Information

Number of Awards: 2-4

Maximum of $300,000 per year for five years for a total maximum award amount of $1,500,000.

Review Criteria

Emphasis will be placed upon evaluating the following aspects of the proposal:

  • Clear articulation of how the FDSS faculty position will catalyze development of a geospace program that will be integrated into the IHE's education, research, service, and outreach activities;
  • Relevant NSF Geospace program research area(s) that will be addressed by the new faculty member;
  • Plan for geospace science curriculum development;
  • Potential for the faculty position to attract diverse students and train future scientists in geospace science;
  • Plan for developing partnerships both within the university and with the broader geospace science community;
  • Plan to support the success of the FDSS hire (including but not limited to reasonable teaching and service expectations, professional development in pedagogy, assistance with proposal writing, mentoring, etc.);
  • Metrics to ascertain the success of the FDSS hiring and related activities of the hire;
  • Activities to foster participation by underrepresented and under-served groups in FDSS projects.