Obama Administration Announces $85 Million in Recovery Act Funding for Early Career Scientists' Research

 
Office of Science
Financial Assistance
Funding Opportunity Announcement
DE-PS02-09ER09-26
THIS IS A RECOVERY ACT ANNOUNCEMENT
RECOVERY ACT (ARRA)
EARLY CAREER RESEARCH PROGRAM

The Office of Science of the Department of Energy hereby invites grant applications for support under the Early Career Research Program in the following program areas: Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR); Biological and Environmental Research (BER); Basic Energy Sciences (BES), Fusion Energy Sciences (FES); High Energy Physics (HEP), and Nuclear Physics (NP). The purpose of this program is to support the development of individual research programs of outstanding scientists early in their careers and to stimulate research careers in the areas supported by the DOE Office of Science.
ELIGIBILITY
The Principal Investigator must be an untenured Assistant Professor on the tenure track at a U.S. academic institution as of the deadline for the application. No more than ten (10) years can have passed between the year the Principal Investigator's Ph.D. was awarded and the year of the deadline for the application (for the present competition, those who received doctorates no earlier than 1999 are eligible).
LETTER OF INTENT
A Letter of Intent, comprising a brief summary of the proposed research (one paragraph), is encouraged and should be submitted by August 3, 2009, 4:30 p.m., Eastern time, to: early.career@science.doe.gov. The letter should clearly state the program area to which the application is being submitted (e.g., BER, BES, HEP, NP, ASCR, FES). Please include the program acronym along with "Early Career Research Program Letter of Intent" in the subject line. For example, the subject line of a letter to the Office of Biological and Environmental Research (BER) would be "BER Early Career Research Program Letter of Intent." Principal Investigators are not required to contact the Office of Science program managers before sending the letter of intent or submitting an application.
APPLICATION DUE DATE: September 1, 2009
Formal applications submitted in response to this FOA must be received by September 1, 2009, 8:00 p.m. Eastern time, to permit timely consideration of awards. APPLICATIONS RECEIVED AFTER THE DEADLINE WILL NOT BE REVIEWED OR CONSIDERED FOR AWARD.
ATTENTION - CHANGE IN SUBMISSION REQUIREMENT EFFECTIVE March 12, 2009:

The Office of Science is now requiring all financial assistance applications be submitted through the Department of Energy e-Center (IIPS) http://doe-iips.pr.doe.gov/. Applicants will still need to visit the Grants.gov website http://www.grants.gov/ to download the required Application Package (forms), by clicking on "Apply for Grants" and searching for the Funding Opportunity Announcement.
For Instructions on the Use of IIPS visit this web page, IIPS Instructions. http://www.sc.doe.gov/grants/iips-Instructions.html
Registration Requirements: There are several one-time actions you must complete in order to submit an application (e.g., obtain a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number, register with the Central Contract Registry (CCR), register with the credential provider, and register with Grants.gov). See http://www.grants.gov/GetStarted. Use the Grants.gov Organization Registration Checklist at http://www.grants.gov/assets/OrganizationRegCheck.doc to guide you through the process. Designating an E-Business Point of Contact (EBiz POC) and obtaining a special password called an MPIN are important steps in the CCR registration process. Applicants, who are not registered with CCR and Grants.gov, should allow at least 21 days to complete these requirements. It is suggested that the process be started as soon as possible.
GENERAL INQUIRIES ABOUT THIS FOA SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO:
Administrative Contact: Questions about program rules should be sent to early.career@science.doe.gov.
Technical Contact: Questions regarding the specific program areas/technical requirements can be directed to the technical contacts listed for each program within the Notice.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
It is anticipated that up to $25M of Recovery Act funds will be available for grant awards in FY 2010, subject to the availability of funds. The following program descriptions are offered to provide more in-depth information on scientific and technical areas of interest to the Office of Science: Early Career Research Program opportunities exist in the following Office of Science research programs. Additional details about each program, websites, and technical points of contacts are provided in the materials that follow.
I. Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR)
(a) Applied Mathematics
(b) Computer Science
(c) Computational Science
(d) Network-Environment Research
II. Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
(a) Biological Systems Science
(b) Climate and Environmental Sciences
III. Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
(a) Materials Sciences and Engineering
(b) Chemical Sciences, Geosciences, and Biosciences
(c) Scientific User Facilities-Related Research
IV. Fusion Energy Sciences (FES)
(a) Science
(b) Enabling Research & Development
V. High Energy Physics (HEP)
(a) Experimental High Energy Physics Research
(b) Theoretical High Energy Physics Research
(c) Advanced Technology Research and Development
VI. Nuclear Physics (NP)
(a) Medium Energy Nuclear Physics
(b) Heavy Ion Nuclear Physics
(c) Low Energy Nuclear Physics
(d) Nuclear Theory (including the Nuclear Data subprogram)
(e) Accelerator Research and Development for Current and Future Nuclear Physics Facilities
(f) Isotope Development and Production for Research and Applications
I. Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR) Program Website: http://www.sc.doe.gov/ascr
The mission of the Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR) Program is to deliver forefront computational and networking capabilities to extend the frontiers of science. A particular challenge of this program is fulfilling the science potential of emerging multi-core computing systems and other novel "extreme-scale" computing architectures, which will require significant modifications to today's tools and techniques.
The priority areas for ASCR include:
To develop mathematical descriptions, models, methods and algorithms to accurately describe and understand the behavior of complex systems involving processes that span vastly different time and/or length scales
To develop the underlying understanding and software to make effective use of computers at extreme scales To transform extreme scale data from experiments and simulations into scientific insight.
To advance key areas of computational science and discovery that advance the missions of the Office of Science through mutually beneficial partnerships.
To deliver the forefront computational and networking capabilities to extend the frontiers of science.
To develop networking and collaboration tools and facilities that enable scientists worldwide to work together.
The computing resources and high-speed networks required to meet Office of Science needs exceed the state-of- the-art by a significant margin. Furthermore, the algorithms, software tools, the software libraries and the distributed software environments needed to accelerate scientific discovery through modeling and simulation are beyond the realm of commercial interest. To establish and maintain DOE's modeling and simulation leadership in scientific areas that are important to its mission, ASCR operates Leadership Computing facilities, a high-performance production computing center, and a high-speed network and implements a broad base research portfolio in applied mathematics, computer science, computational science and network research to solve complex problems on computational resources that are on a trajectory to reach well beyond a petascale within a few years. Research areas of interest include:
(a) Applied Mathematics
Technical Contact: Sandy Landsberg, 301-903-8507, sandy.landsberg@science.doe.gov
This program supports research on the mathematical models, methods and numerical algorithms to accurately describe, understand and predict the behavior of complex physical, chemical, biological, and engineered systems.
For example, the topics of supported research efforts may include: (1) numerical methods for the parallel solution of systems of partial differential equations, large- scale linear or nonlinear systems, or very large parameter-estimation problems; (2) analytical or numerical techniques for modeling complex physical, biological or engineered phenomena, such as fluid turbulence, microbial populations or networked systems; (3) analytical or numerical methods for bridging a broad range of temporal and spatial scales; (4) optimization, control, coupling techniques and risk analysis of complex systems, such as computer networks and electrical power grids; and (5) mathematical research issues related to extreme scale science and analysis of petascale data.
(b) Computer Science
Technical Contact: Lucy Nowell, 301-903-3191, lucy.nowell@science.doe.gov
This program supports research to advance extreme scale computing and data. Research topics include scalable and fault tolerant operating systems, programming models, performance modeling and assessment tools, development tools, interoperability and infrastructure methodology, and large scale data management and visualization. The development of new computer and computational science techniques will allow scientists to use the most advanced computers without being overwhelmed by the complexity of rewriting their codes with each new generation of high performance architectures.
(c) Computational Science
Technical Contact: Lali Chatterjee, 301-903-7379, lali.chatterjee@science.doe.gov
This program supports research in pioneering science applications for the next generations of high performance computers.
Research topics include the development of transformative new science application software, techniques and methods and the development of advanced collaboratory, data management and visualization tools. The development of new computational science techniques will allow scientists to tap the potential of extreme scale computers to advance science.
(d) Network Environment Research
Technical Contact: Thomas Ndousse-Fetter, 301-903-9960, tndousse@ascr.doe.gov
This program supports research to develop and deploy a high-performance network and collaborative technologies to support distributed high-end science applications and large-scale scientific collaborations.
The current focus areas include but are not limited to cyber security systems, dynamic bandwidth allocation services, network measurement and analysis, ultra high-speed transport protocols, fault tolerance, self correction techniques, and advanced application layer services. The development of the next generation of networks will allow scientists to effectively and efficiently access and use distributed resources, such as advanced services for group collaboration, secure services for remote access of distributed resources, and innovative technologies for sharing, controlling, and managing distributed computing resources.
Proposed research may include one or more of the areas listed above.
II. Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
Program Website: http://www.sc.doe.gov/ober
The mission of the Biological and Environmental Research (BER) program is to understand complex biological, climatic, and environmental systems across spatial and temporal scales ranging from sub-micron to the global, from individual molecules to ecosystems, and from nanoseconds to millennia. This is accomplished by exploring the frontiers of genome-enabled biology; discovering the physical, chemical and biological drivers of climate change; and seeking the geochemical, hydrological, and biological determinants of environmental sustainability and stewardship.
(a) Biological Systems Science
Technical Contact: Marvin Stodolsky, 301-903-4475, marvin.stodolsky@science.doe.gov
Research is focused on using DOE's unique resources and facilities to develop fundamental knowledge of biological systems that can be used to address DOE needs in clean energy, carbon sequestration, and environmental cleanup and that will underpin biotechnology-based solutions to energy challenges. The objectives are: (1) to develop the experimental and, together with the ASCR program, the computational resources, tools, and technologies needed to understand and predict complex behavior of complete biological systems, principally microbes and microbial communities; (2) to take advantage of the remarkable high throughput and cost-effective DNA sequencing capacity at the Joint Genome Institute to meet the DNA sequencing needs of the scientific community through competitive, peer-reviewed nominations for DNA sequencing; (3) to understand and characterize the risks to human health from exposures to low levels of ionizing radiation; (4) to operate experimental biological stations at synchrotron and neutron sources; (5) to anticipate and address ethical, legal, and social implications arising from Office of Science- supported biological research, especially synthetic biology, sustainability, and nanotechnology and (6) to develop radiochemistry and advanced technologies for imaging and high through-put characterization and analysis for BER missions in bioenergy, subsurface, and climate change.
(b) Climate and Environmental Sciences
Technical Contact: Roger Dahlman, 301-903-4951, roger.dahlman@science.doe.gov
The program seeks to understand the basic physical, chemical, and biological processes of the Earth's System and how these processes may be affected by energy production and use. Research is designed to provide data to enable an objective, scientifically based assessment of the potential for, and the consequences of, human-induced climate change at global and regional scales. The program also provides data and models to enable assessments of mitigation options to prevent such change. The program is comprehensive with emphasis on: (1) understanding and simulating the radiation balance from the surface of the Earth to the top of the atmosphere, including the effect of clouds, water vapor, trace gases, and aerosols. (The Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Climate Research Facility provides key observational data to the climate research community on the radiative properties of the atmosphere, especially clouds and aerosols. This national user facility includes highly instrumented ground stations, a mobile facility, and an aerial vehicles program.; (2) enhancing and evaluating the quantitative models necessary to predict natural climatic variability and possible human- caused climate change at global and regional scales; (3) understanding and simulating the net exchange of carbon dioxide between the atmosphere, and terrestrial systems, as well as the effects of climate change on the global carbon cycle; (4) understanding ecological effects of climate change; (5) improving approaches to integrated assessments of effects of, and options to mitigate, climatic change; (6) basic research directed at understanding options for sequestering excess atmospheric carbon dioxide in terrestrial ecosystems, including potential environmental implications of such sequestration; (7) subsurface biogeochemical research to understand and predict subsurface contaminant fate and transport; and (8) take advantage of the national user facility, the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) that houses an unparalleled collection of state-of-the-art capabilities, including a supercomputer and over 60 major instruments, providing integrated experimental and computational resources for discovery and technological innovation in the environmental molecular sciences. EMSL also contributes to systems biology by providing leading edge capabilities in proteomics.
III. Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
Program Website: http://www.sc.doe.gov/bes
The mission of the Basic Energy Sciences (BES) program is to support fundamental research to understand, predict, and ultimately control matter and energy at the electronic, atomic, and molecular levels in order to provide the foundations for new energy technologies and to support other aspects of DOE missions in energy, environment, and national security. The portfolio supports work in the natural sciences by emphasizing fundamental research in materials sciences, chemistry, geosciences, and physical biosciences.
The four long-term goals in scientific advancement that the BES program is committed to and against which progress can be measured are:
Design, model, fabricate, characterize, analyze, assemble, and use a variety of new materials and structures, including metals, alloys, ceramics, polymers, biomaterials and more-particularly at the nanoscale-for energy-related applications.
Understand, model, and control chemical reactivity and energy transfer processes in the gas phase, in solutions, at interfaces, and on surfaces for energy-related applications, employing lessons from inorganic and biological systems.
Develop new concepts and improve existing methods to assure a secure energy future, e.g., for solar energy conversion and for other energy sources.
Conceive, design, fabricate, and use new scientific instruments to characterize and ultimately control materials, especially instruments for x-ray, neutron, and electron beam scattering and for use with high magnetic and electric fields.
The BES science subprograms and their objectives are as follows:
(a) Materials Sciences and Engineering
Technical Contact: Linda Horton, 301-903-7506, linda.horton@science.doe.gov
The objective of this subprogram is to support fundamental experimental and theoretical research to provide the knowledge base for the discovery and design of new materials with novel structures, functions, and properties. These research activities emphasize the design and synthesis of materials; the characterization of their structure and defect state; the understanding of their physical, chemical, and irradiation-induced behaviors over multiple length and time scales; and the development and advancement of new experimental and computational tools and techniques. The main research elements of the subprogram are condensed matter and materials physics; scattering and instrumentation sciences; and materials discovery, design, and synthesis. In condensed matter and materials physics - including activities in experimental condensed matter physics, theoretical condensed matter physics, mechanical behavior and radiation effects, and physical behavior of materials - research is supported to understand, design, and control materials properties and function. These goals are accomplished through studies of the relationship of materials structures to their electrical, optical, magnetic, surface reactivity, and mechanical properties and the way in which materials respond to external forces such as stress, chemical and electrochemical environments, radiation, and the proximity of materials to surfaces and interfaces. The activity emphasizes correlation effects, which can lead to the formation of new particles, new phases of matter, and unexpected phenomena. The theoretical efforts focus on the development of advanced computer algorithms and codes to treat large or complex systems. In scattering and instrumentation sciences - including activities in neutron and x-ray scattering and electron and scanning microscopies - research is supported on the fundamental interactions of photons, neutrons, and electrons with matter to understand the atomic, electronic, and magnetic structures and excitations of materials and the relationship of these structures and excitations to materials properties and behavior. Major research areas include fundamental dynamics in complex materials, correlated electron systems, nanostructures, and the characterization of novel systems. The development of next-generation neutron, x-ray, and electron microscopy instrumentation is a key element of this portfolio.
In materials discovery, design, and synthesis - including activities in synthesis and processing science, materials chemistry, and biomolecular materials - research is supported in the discovery and design of novel materials and the development of innovative materials synthesis and processing methods. Major research thrust areas include nanoscale synthesis, organization of nanostructures into macroscopic structures, solid state chemistry, polymers and polymer composites, surface and interfacial chemistry including electrochemistry and electro-catalysis, and synthesis and processing science including biomimetic and bioinspired routes to functional materials and complex structures.
(b) Chemical Sciences, Geosciences, and Biosciences
Technical Contact: Eric Rohlfing, 301-903-8165, eric.rohlfing@science.doe.gov
The objective of this subprogram is to support fundamental research enabling the understanding of chemical transformations and energy flow in systems relevant to DOE missions. This knowledge serves as a basis for the development of new processes for the generation, storage, and use of energy and for mitigation of the environmental impacts of energy use. New experimental techniques are developed to investigate chemical processes and energy transfer over a wide range of spatial and temporal scales: from atomic to kilometer spatial scales and from femtosecond to millennia time scales. Theory, modeling, and computational simulations are performed, from detailed quantum calculations of chemical properties and reactivity to multi- scale simulations of combustion devices. The main research activities within the subprogram are fundamental interactions; photo- and biochemistry; and chemical transformations. In fundamental interactions, basic research is supported in atomic, molecular and optical sciences; gas-phase chemical physics; ultrafast chemical science; and condensed phase and interfacial molecular science. Emphasis is placed on structural and dynamical studies of atoms, molecules, and nanostructures, and the description of their interactions in full quantum detail, with the aim of providing a complete understanding of reactive chemistry in the gas phase, condensed phase, and at interfaces. Novel sources of photons, electrons, and ions are used to probe and control atomic, molecular, and nanoscale matter. Ultrafast optical and x-ray techniques are developed and used to study chemical dynamics. There is a focus on cooperative phenomena in complex chemical systems, such as the effect of solvation on chemical structure, reactivity, and transport and the coupling of complex gas-phase chemistry with turbulent flow in combustion.
In photo- and biochemistry, including solar photochemistry, photosynthetic systems, and physical biosciences, research is supported on the molecular mechanisms involved in the capture of light energy and its conversion into chemical and electrical energy through biological and chemical pathways. Natural photosynthetic systems are studied to create robust artificial and bio- hybrid systems that exhibit the biological traits of self assembly, regulation, and self repair. Complementary research encompasses organic and inorganic photochemistry, photo-induced electron and energy transfer, photoelectrochemistry, and molecular assemblies for artificial photosynthesis. Inorganic and organic photochemical studies provide information on new chromophores, donor-acceptor complexes, and multi-electron photocatalytic cycles. Photoelectrochemical conversion is explored in studies of nanostructured semiconductors at liquid interfaces. Biological energy transduction systems are investigated, with an emphasis on the coupling of plant development and microbial biochemistry with the experimental and computational tools of the physical sciences.
In chemical transformations, the themes are characterization, control, and optimization of chemical transformations, including efforts in catalysis science; separations and analytical science; actinide chemistry; and geosciences. Catalysis science underpins the design of new catalytic methods for the clean and efficient production of fuels and chemicals and emphasizes inorganic and organic complexes; interfacial chemistry; nanostructured and supramolecular catalysts; photocatalysis and electrochemistry; and bio-inspired catalytic processes. Heavy element chemistry focuses on the spectroscopy, bonding, and reactivity of actinides and fission products; complementary research on chemical separations focuses on the use of nanoscale membranes and the development of novel metal-adduct complexes. Chemical analysis research emphasizes laser-based and ionization techniques for molecular detection, particularly the development of chemical imaging techniques. Geosciences research covers analytical and physical geochemistry, rock-fluid interactions, and flow/transport phenomena; this research provides a fundamental basis for understanding the environmental contaminant fate and transport and for predicting the performance of repositories for radioactive waste or carbon dioxide sequestration.
(c) Scientific User Facilities-Related Research
Technical Contact: Pedro Montano, 301-903-2347, pedro.montano@science.doe.gov
This subprogram supports the R&D, planning, and operation of scientific user facilities for the development of novel nano-materials and for materials characterization through x-ray, neutron, and electron beam scattering. The main research elements of the subprogram are accelerator and detector research for light sources and neutron scattering facilities, electron-beam micro- characterization, nanoscale science and engineering, and the development and use of x-ray and neutron scattering to address scientific problems of interest to the two subprograms described in (a) and (b) above. All of these research elements are in the context of serving the needs of the Scientific User Facilities.