The NSF CAREER
Award
Erica Whitney
Associate Director
evwhitney@berkeley.edu
Berkeley Research Development Office
NSF CAREER website
http://www.nsf.gov/career
– RFA (http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2015/nsf15555/nsf15555.htm)
– FAQs (http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2015/nsf15057/nsf15057.jsp)
– NSF contacts
– Funded awards
– Career-Life Balance supplements
– Supplemental research opportunities
BRDO
Purpose
§  To support junior faculty who exemplify the
role of teacher-scholars through outstanding
research, excellent education and the
integration of education and research.
§  To build a firm foundation for a lifetime of
leadership in integrating education and research,
where research is enhanced by inspired teaching
and enthusiastic learning.
BRDO
Purpose
§  A career development award, not just a
research award.
BRDO
Eligibility
§  Hold a doctoral degree by the deadline date in a
field supported by NSF; be untenured until October
1 following the deadline; and have not previously
received a CAREER award
– AND
§  Be employed in a tenure-track (or tenure-trackequivalent) position as an assistant professor (or
equivalent title by October 1 following the
submission deadline.
BRDO
Number of submissions
§  You can enter 3 CAREER competitions.
§  You cannot submit the same research proposal
to more than one entity.
§  The proposed research must be distinct from
any other federally-funded research.
BRDO
Deadlines
§  Directorate-dependant:
– BIO, CISE, EHR: July 20, 2016
– ENG: July 21, 2016
– GEO, MPS, SBE: July 22, 2016
BRDO
Choosing a Program to Submit To
§  Indicate the program you wish to review/fund
your proposal on your proposal’s cover page.
§  Multidisciplinary proposals can list multiple
divisions on the cover page.
BRDO
NSF Organization
Director
•  Office of Integrative
Activities
•  Office of Int. Science &
Engineering
National Science
Board
Biological Sciences
Computer &
Information Science
Engineering
Social, Behavioral &
Econ Sciences
BRDO
Math & Physical
Sciences
Engineering
Geosciences
Education & Human
Resources
NSF Organization
OFFICE OF DIVERSITY &
INCLUSION (ODI)
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
NATIONAL SCIENCE BOARD (NSB)
Rhonda Davis, Head
703.292.8020
OFFICE OF THE
GENERAL COUNSEL (OGC)
OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR
703.292.8000
Dan E. Arvizu
Chair
Kelvin K. Droegemeier
Vice Chair
Lawrence Rudolph, General Counsel
Peggy Hoyle, Deputy GC
703.292.8060
A. Córdova
France A.France
Córdova
703.292.7000
Director
Director
Vacant
Vacant
OFFICE OF
INTEGRATIVE ACTIVITIES (OIA)
Suzanne Iacono, Head
703.292.8040
Richard Buckius
Chief Operating
Officer
NATIONAL SCIENCE BOARD
OFFICE
OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL
SCIENCE & ENGINEERING (OISE)
Michael Van Woert
Executive Officer
703.292.7000
Rebecca Keiser, Head
703.292.8710
Deputy Director
Deputy Director
OFFICE OF INSPECTOR
GENERAL (OIG)
OFFICE OF LEGISLATIVE &
PUBLIC AFFAIRS (OLPA)
Allison C. Lerner, Inspector General
Amanda Greenwell, Head
703.292.8070
703.292.7100
DIRECTORATE FOR
BIOLOGICAL
SCIENCES
(BIO)
James L. Olds,
Assistant Director
Jane Silverthorne,
Deputy AD
703.292.8400
DIRECTORATE FOR
COMPUTER &
INFORMATION SCIENCE &
ENGINEERING (CISE)
DIRECTORATE FOR
EDUCATION & HUMAN
RESOURCES
(EHR)
James F. Kurose,
Assistant Director
Joan Ferrini-Mundy,
Assistant Director
Erwin Gianchandani,
Acting Deputy AD
William (Jim) Lewis,
Deputy AD
703.292.8900
703.292.8600
DIVISION OF BIOLOGICAL
INFRASTRUCTURE (DBI)
Muriel E. Poston,
Division Director
703.292.8470
DIVISION OF COMPUTER &
NETWORK SYSTEMS (CNS)
Peter Arzberger,
Acting Division Director
703.292.8950
DIVISION OF GRADUATE
EDUCATION (DGE)
Dean Evasius,
Division Director
703.292.8630
DIVISION OF ENVIRONMENTAL
BIOLOGY (DEB)
Paula M. Mabee,
Division Director
703.292.8480
DIVISION OF COMPUTING &
COMMUNICATION
FOUNDATIONS (CCF)
Rao Kosaraju,
Division Director
703.292.8910
DIVISION OF HUMAN RESOURCE
DEVELOPMENT (HRD)
Sylvia James,
Division Director
703.292.8640
DIVISION OF INTEGRATIVE
ORGANISMAL SYSTEMS (IOS)
Heinz G. de Couet,
Division Director
703.292.8420
DIVISION OF MOLECULAR &
CELLULAR BIOSCIENCES (MCB)
Linda E. Hyman,
Division Director
703.292.8440
DIVISION OF ADVANCED
CYBERINFRASTRUCTURE (ACI)
Irene Qualters,
Division Director
703.292.8970
DIVISION OF INFORMATION &
INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS (IIS)
Lynne E. Parker,
Division Director
703.292.8930
DIVISION OF RESEARCH ON
LEARNING IN FORMAL &
INFORMAL SETTINGS (DRL)
Evan Heit,
Division Director
703.292.8620
DIVISION OF UNDERGRADUATE
EDUCATION (DUE)
Susan Singer,
Division Director
703.292.8670
OFFICE OF EMERGING
FRONTIERS (EF)
Charles Liarakos,
Program Director
703.292.8508
National Science Foundation
4201 Wilson Boulevard
Arlington, Virginia 22230
TEL: 703.292.5111 | FIRS: 800.877.8339 | TDD: 800.281.8749
BRDO
DIRECTORATE FOR
ENGINEERING
(ENG)
Pramod P.
Khargonekar,
Assistant Director
Grace Wang,
Deputy AD
703.292.8300
DIVISION OF CHEMICAL,
BIOENGINEERING, ENVIRONMENTAL &
TRANSPORT SYSTEMS (CBET)
JoAnn Lighty,
Division Director
703.292.8320
DIVISION OF CIVIL,
MECHANICAL & MANUFACTURING
INNOVATION (CMMI)
Deborah Goodings,
Division Director
703.292.8360
DIVISION OF ELECTRICAL,
COMMUNICATIONS & CYBER
SYSTEMS (ECCS)
Samir El-Ghazaly,
Division Director
703.292.8339
DIVISION OF ENGINEERING
EDUCATION & CENTERS (EEC)
Mario Rotea,
Division Director
703.292.8380
DIVISION OF INDUSTRIAL
INNOVATION & PARTNERSHIPS (IIP)
Barry Johnson,
Division Director
703.292.8050
OFFICE OF EMERGING
FRONTIERS IN RESEARCH &
INNOVATION (EFRI)
Sohi Rastegar,
Senior Advisor
703.292.8301
DIRECTORATE FOR
GEOSCIENCES
(GEO)
DIRECTORATE FOR
MATHEMATICAL &
PHYSICAL SCIENCES
(MPS)
DIRECTORATE FOR
SOCIAL, BEHAVIORAL, &
ECONOMIC SCIENCES
(SBE)
Roger Wakimoto,
Assistant Director
Fleming Crim,
Assistant Director
Fay L. Cook,
Assistant Director
Margaret Cavanaugh,
Deputy AD
Clifford Gabriel,
Acting Deputy AD
Kellina M. CraigHenderson
Deputy AD
703.292.8500
703.292.8800
703.292.8700
OFFICE OF BUDGET,
FINANCE, & AWARD
MANAGEMENT
(BFA)
Martha A. Rubenstein,
Head / Chief Financial
Officer
Teresa Grancorvitz,
Deputy Head
703.292.8200
OFFICE OF INFORMATION
& RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT
(OIRM)
Joanne S. Tornow,
Head / Chief Human
Capital Officer
Donna Butler,
Deputy Office Head
703.292.8100
DIVISION OF ATMOSPHERIC &
GEOSPACE SCIENCES (AGS)
Paul Shepson
Division Director
703.292.8520
DIVISION OF ASTRONOMICAL
SCIENCES (AST)
James Ulvestad,
Division Director
703.292.8820
DIVISION OF BEHAVIORAL &
COGNITIVE SCIENCES (BCS)
Howard Nusbaum,
Division Director
703.292.8740
BUDGET DIVISION (BUD)
Michael Sieverts,
Division Director
703.292.8260
DIVISION OF ADMINISTRATIVE
SERVICES (DAS)
Wonzie Gardner,
Acting Division Director
703.292.8190
DIVISION OF EARTH
SCIENCES (EAR)
Carol Frost,
Division Director
703.292.8550
DIVISION OF CHEMISTRY (CHE)
Carol Bessel,
Acting Division Director
703.292.8840
DIVISION OF SOCIAL &
ECONOMIC SCIENCES (SES)
Alan Tomkins,
Acting Division Director
703.292.8760
DIVISION OF ACQUISITION AND
COOPERATIVE SUPPORT (DACS)
Jeffery Lupis,
Division Director
703.292.8240
DIVISION OF INFORMATION
SYSTEMS (DIS)
Dorothy Aronson,
Division Director
703.292.8150
DIVISION OF OCEAN
SCIENCES (OCE)
Richard Murray,
Division Director
703.292.8580
DIVISION OF MATERIALS
RESEARCH (DMR)
Linda S. Sapochak,
Acting Division Director
703.292.8810
NATIONAL CENTER FOR
SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
STATISTICS (NCSES)
John Gawalt,
Division Director
703.292.8780
DIVISION OF FINANCIAL
MANAGEMENT (DFM)
Michael Wetklow,
Division Director
703.292.8280
DIVISION OF HUMAN RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT (HRM)
Judy Sunley,
Division Director
703.292.8180
DIVISION OF
POLAR PROGRAMS (PLR)
Kelly Falkner,
Division Director
703.292.8030
DIVISION OF MATHEMATICAL
SCIENCES (DMS)
Michael Vogelius,
Division Director
703.292.8870
DIVISION OF GRANTS &
AGREEMENTS (DGA)
Karen M. Tiplady,
Division Director
703.292.8210
DIVISION OF PHYSICS (PHY)
Denise Caldwell,
Division Director
703.292.8890
DIVISION OF INSTITUTION &
AWARD SUPPORT (DIAS)
Dale Bell,
Division Director
703.292.8230
OFFICE OF MULTIDISCIPLINARY
ACTIVITIES (OMA)
Clark Cooper,
Office Head
703.292.8800
LARGE FACILITIES OFFICE
Matthew J. Hawkins,
Deputy Director
703.292.4416
February 2016
Directorate of Biological Sciences
(BIO)
Divisions of:
§  Biological Infrastructure (DBI)
§  Environmental Biology (DEB)
§  Integrative Organismal Systems (IOS)
§  Molecular and Cellular Biosciences (MCB)
§  Emerging Frontiers (EF)
BRDO
Clusters
§  MCB
– Cellular Dynamics and Function
– Genetic Mechanisms
– Molecular Biophysics
– Systems and Synthetic Biology
BRDO
See What’s Been Funded: Advanced Search
BRDO
Funding
§  Directorate-dependant:
– BIO, ENG, and PLR: minimum $500,000 total
for 5 years
– Others: minimum $400,000 total for 5 years
• Total costs = direct + indirect costs
§  Look at what’s been funded to see what the
normal level is for your area.
§  Talk to your program officer to see what levels
they are funding at.
BRDO
Funding
§  Can fund:
– Yourself
– Postdocs
– Grad students
– Travel
– Supplies, etc.
§  Can’t fund:
– Senior personnel (other faculty or senior staff)
BRDO
Supplemental Funding
§  Career-Life Balance (if on family leave for
childbirth/adoption or elder care)
§  Research Opportunities in Europe (collaboration
with ERC-funded researchers)
§  Research Opportunities in Germany
(collaboration with DFG-funded researchers)
BRDO
BRDO
BRDO
Writing the Proposal
§  Follow the instructions in the RFA
§  Follow the instructions in the NSF Grant Proposal Guide
(GPG)
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/policydocs/pappguide/nsf16001/gpg_index.jsp
BRDO
Proposal Components
BRDO
§
§
§
§
§
§
§
§
§
§
§
Project summary (1 page)
Project description (15 pages)
Biosketch (2 pages, using NSF format)
Departmental letter (2 pages)
Letters of collaboration (if applicable, 1 page each)
Postdoc mentoring plan (if applicable, 1 page)
Data management plan (2 pages)
Facilities & Resources
References Cited
Budget
Budget justification (3 pages)
Preparing to Write
1.  Identify a strategic plan.
2.  Define your research question.
3.  Define your needs.
4.  Draft the proposal.
BRDO
1. Identify a Strategic Plan
§  What are your strategic, long-term career
goals?
§  What steps do you need to take to get there?
§  How would this award help you achieve those
goals?
BRDO
2. Define Your Research Question
§  Identify a gap in knowledge in your field.
§  Identify a problem whose solution will be a big
step forward for the field, rather than an
incremental step.
§  Choose a problem that is going to matter to
more people than just you.
BRDO
2. Define Your Research Question
§  Place your research question in the context of
your larger research plan for your career.
§  Which portion of your long-term career goals
will be addressed with this grant?
BRDO
3. Define Your Need
§  What do I need in order to do my research that
I don’t already have?
§  How much do I need?
§  Who do I need to help me?
BRDO
4. Draft the Proposal
Understand your audience:
§  Assume you are not writing for an expert.
§  Target your proposal at 3 levels:
– Someone who doesn’t know your field.
– Someone familiar with, yet not expert in your
field.
– Someone expert in your field.
BRDO
4. Draft the Proposal
More detailed instructions available in the “NSF
CAREER Award Writing Guide.”
BRDO
Project Summary
Three Sections:
§  Overview section:
– Research and education objectives.
– Plans for the integration of education and
research activities.
§  Separate sections on how the proposal meets both
the Intellectual Merit and Broader Impact
review criteria.
§  4700 characters, in three separate boxes (can
upload PDF if using special characters).
BRDO
Project Description, per NSF:
§  The proposed research project, including preliminary
supporting data where appropriate, specific objectives,
methods and procedures to be used, and expected
significance of the results;
§  The proposed educational activities, including plans to
evaluate their impact on students and other
participants;
§  How the research and educational activities are
integrated with one another; and
§  Results of prior NSF support, if PI or co-PI on any
grant in last 5 years.
BRDO
Project Description
§  Proposers should address:
– what they want to do,
– why they want to do it,
– how they plan to do it,
– how they will know if they succeed, and
– what benefits could accrue if the project is
successful.
BRDO
Project Description
§  Include:
– Objectives/Specific aims
– Research Plan
– Education Plan
– Broader Impacts
– Timeline/Milestones
– Results from Prior NSF Support (or say “Not
applicable”)
BRDO
Project Description
§  For the Research Plan, include:
– Background and Significance
– Preliminary Data
– Research Design and Methods
– Potential Pitfalls and Alternative Approaches
– Evaluation/Expected Outcomes
– Timeline
– Future steps
BRDO
Project Description
§  Presentation is important!
– Proper English
– Correct grammar
– Attractive formatting
– Effective figures and tables (don’t forget the
titles and captions)
BRDO
NSF Peer Review Criteria
What is the
intellectual
merit of the
proposed
activity?
BRDO
What are the
broader
impacts of
the proposed
activity?
Peer Review Criteria
Intellectual Merit:
The potential to advance knowledge
Broader Impacts:
The potential to benefit society and
contribute to the achievement of specific,
desired societal outcomes
BRDO
NSF Peer Review Criteria
1. What is the potential for the proposed activity to:
a. Advance knowledge and understanding within
its own field or across different fields
(Intellectual Merit); and
b. Benefit society or advance desired societal
outcomes (Broader Impacts)?
2. To what extent do the proposed activities suggest
and explore creative, original, or potentially
transformative concepts?
BRDO
NSF Peer Review Criteria
3. Is the plan for carrying out the proposed activities
well-reasoned, well-organized, and based on a
sound rationale? Does the plan incorporate a
mechanism to assess success?
4. How well qualified is the individual, team, or
organization to conduct the proposed activities?
5. Are there adequate resources available to the PI
(either at the home organization or through
collaborations) to carry out the proposed
activities?
BRDO
Peer Review Scoring
Excellent
BRDO
Very
Good
Good
Fair
Poor
NSF Staff Review Criteria
§  Integration of research and education.
§  Integrating diversity into NSF programs,
projects, and activities.
BRDO
The NSF CAREER
Award:
Creating a winning
education plan
Kate Spohr
Research Outreach Specialist
kspohr@berkeley.edu
Berkeley Research Development Office
CAREER program
Goal of Faculty Early Career Development Program— To support junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacherscholars through outstanding research, excellent education and the
integration of education and research.
15 page
project
description
BRDO
•  Objectives/specific aims
•  Research plan
•  Education plan
•  Broader impacts
•  Results from prior NSF
support
Developing your education plan
BRDO
Identify the “right” focus & scope
§  What types of E&O activities does your
research lend itself to?
§  What unique expertise, resources, and
assets can you provide?
§  Where can you have the biggest impact?
§  What do you want to spend 5 years on?
(AND: What are you realistically able to
accomplish in 5 years?)
§  How will the education plan be
integrated with your research plan?
BRDO
Involving the community, leveraging
partnerships
§  What gaps can you address?
§  How can you involve others in
your research—particularly those
underrepresented in STEM?
§  How can you involve your
whole lab?
§  What partners can you engage
with?
BRDO
Partnerships are key
Per NSF: Proposers are encouraged to collaborate with, utilize
resources in academia and from other sectors (i.e. industry,
museums, schools, after school programs, community orgs, etc).
Benefits of partnering
§  Lends credibility to your project.
§  Adds expertise to your team.
§  Provides in-kind resources—e.g. marketing
lists, facilities, volunteers.
§  Helps with scaling up, dissemination.
§  Builds in sustainability.
BRDO
Elements of a successful education plan
§  Activities go beyond your ordinary job duties. BUT: the workload is not be unreasonable.
§  Activities are informed by research & best practices in
education/pedagogy (use references).
§  Traditionally underrepresented communities are included
in meaningful ways.
§  Activities include measurable outcomes.
§  Activities match the expectations of the NSF directorate
to which you are applying (search abstracts, check with
program officer).
BRDO
Education plan (suggested length 3-5 pgs)
§  Overview, background, aims
§  Design and methods
§  Evaluation
§  Integration of research and education
§  Broader impacts
§  Timeline
BRDO
Remember the review criteria!
Potential to
advance
knowledge
and benefit
society
Adequate
resources
Wellqualified
proposer
Intellectual
Merit
& Broader
Impacts
Original,
potentially
transformative
Sound
rationale &
mechanism
to assess
success
All 5 review elements apply to Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts.
BRDO
Frequently asked questions
§  How much weight does NSF give to each criteria
in the review process?
§  What number and scope of education activities is
reasonable? §  How important are the concepts of creativity and
originality in education plans?
§  What level of effort & financial commitment is
expected?
BRDO
Beyond the award – supplements
§  REU – Research Experiences for
Undergraduates, $6k/student/year. Up to 2 students; more if URM.
§  RET – Research Experiences for Teachers, up to
$10k/teacher/year (stipend/supplies). 1-2 teachers
per year, ENG and CISE only.
– Contact your program director first.
– Apply at beginning of fiscal year (October).
– All progress reports must be up to date!
BRDO
Broader impacts help, consultations
Kate Spohr, kspohr@berkeley.edu
brdo.berkeley.edu
BRDO