Post Category: Proposal Calls

The Science and Technology Centers (STC): Integrative Partnerships program supports exceptionally innovative, complex research and education projects that require large-scale, long-term awards. STCs focus on creating new scientific paradigms, establishing entirely new scientific disciplines and developing transformative technologies which have the potential for broad scientific or societal impact. STCs conduct world-class research through partnerships among institutions of higher education, national laboratories, industrial organizations, other public or private entities, and via international collaborations, as appropriate. They provide a means to undertake potentially groundbreaking investigations at the interfaces of disciplines and/or highly innovative approaches within disciplines. STC investments support the NSF vision of creating and exploiting new concepts in science and engineering and providing global leadership in research and education. Preliminary Proposal Due Date: February 1, 2022.

The FRES program will support research in Earth systems from the core through the critical zone. The project may focus on all or part of the surface, continental lithospheric, and deeper Earth systems over the entire range of temporal and spatial scales. FRES projects should have a larger scientific scope and budget than those considered for funding by disciplinary programs in the Division of Earth Sciences (EAR). FRES projects may be interdisciplinary studies that do not fit well within EAR’s disciplinary programs or cannot be routinely managed by sharing between disciplinary programs. Full proposal deadline: February 2, 2022.

With a focus on enhancing research capacity and broadening participation of new faculty of biology at minority-serving institutions (MSIs), predominantly undergraduate institutions (PUIs), and other universities and colleges that are not among the nation’s most research-intensive institutions, the Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO) offers the Building Research Capacity of New Faculty in Biology (BRC-BIO) program. The BRC-BIO program aims to a) broaden participation by expanding the types of institutions that submit proposals to BIO, and b) expand opportunities to groups underrepresented in the biological sciences, including Blacks and African Americans, Hispanics, Latinos, Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders, and persons with disabilities, especially those serving at under-resourced institutions. Submission window date: January 3-31, 2022.

The Carnegie Institution for Science invites applications for postdoctoral fellowships at the Earth and Planets Laboratory in Washington D.C. Carnegie Science emphasizes interdisciplinary observational, experimental and theoretical research in fields including astronomy, cosmochemistry, data science, geodynamics, experimental petrology, geobiology, geochemistry, geophysics, mineral physics, planetary science and volcanology. Carnegie scientists conduct research in these and related fields in the general quest for improved understanding of the origin and evolution of Earth and planets, including the fundamental physics and chemistry of materials. The deadline for application materials, along with the names of three references familiar with the applicant’s work who will upload letters of support, is November 1, 2021.

The Division of Ocean Sciences (OCE) offers postdoctoral research fellowships (PRF) to provide opportunities for scientists early in their careers to work within and across traditional disciplinary lines, develop partnerships, and avail themselves of unique research resources, sites and facilities. The fellowship program is intended to provide beginning investigators of significant potential with experiences that will establish them in positions of leadership in the scientific community. During tenure, Fellows affiliate with a host research organization(s) and conduct research on topics supported by OCE. Fellowships will include participation in a professional development program that emphasizes development of mentoring skills and that coordinates the involvement of Fellows in conferences and activities that are focused on increasing the engagement of underrepresented groups in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Full proposal deadline: November 12, 2021.

The Division of Earth Sciences (EAR) awards Postdoctoral Fellowships to recent recipients of doctoral degrees to conduct an integrated program of independent research and professional development. Fellowship proposals must address scientific questions within the scope of EAR disciplinary programs and must align with the overall theme for the postdoctoral program. Because the fellowships are offered only to postdoctoral scientists early in their career, doctoral advisors are encouraged to discuss the availability of EAR postdoctoral fellowships with their graduate students early in their doctoral programs. Full proposal deadline: November 3, 2021.

The U.S. Science Support Program (USSSP) invites members of the U.S. IODP community to submit proposals for novel projects and activities that will enhance and advance the goals of scientific ocean drilling. With this request for proposals, USSSP aims to foster innovative, out-of-the box projects that may address elements of the current IODP Science Plan or focus on the future of scientific ocean drilling (2050 Science Framework). Novel Projects proposals may explore a range of topics, including (but not limited to): Legacy Data and Cores, Outreach and Communication, and Career Development. This Novel Projects RFP is intended to stimulate new ideas, foster opportunities for unique projects and collaborations, and encourage community engagement related to scientific ocean drilling. Proposal deadline: October 15, 2021.

AGU will be offering grants (averaging $1,000 or less) to scientists around the world to encourage and jump-start outreach and engagement activities that will share science and its value with wider communities, from journalists to policymakers to students to members of the public. The deadline is October 11, 2021.

The International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) explores Earth’s climate history, structure, mantle/crust dynamics, natural hazards, and deep biosphere as described in the IODP Science Plan: Illuminating Earth’s Past, Present, and Future. IODP facilitates international and interdisciplinary research on transformative and societally relevant topics using the ocean drilling, coring, and down-hole measurement facilities JOIDES Resolution, Chikyu, and Mission-Specific Platforms (MSP). The deadline is October 1, 2021.

The purpose of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) is to help ensure the quality, vitality, and diversity of the scientific and engineering workforce of the United States. The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students who are pursuing full-time research-based master’s and doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) or in STEM education. The GRFP provides three years of support over a five-year fellowship period for the graduate education of individuals who have demonstrated their potential for significant research achievements in STEM or STEM education. NSF101 has five tips from a program officer to help you with your application. Full proposal deadlines vary by discipline: October 18-22, 2021.

The NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research (OER), also known as NOAA Ocean Exploration, is soliciting proposals to conduct or support ocean exploration resulting in outcomes that provide or enable initial assessments about unknown or poorly understood regions of U.S. waters. Proposals should support the ocean exploration topical priorities or spatial priorities in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) identified in the “Report on the Workshop to Identify National Ocean Exploration Priorities in the Pacific”. Proposals should also support the National Strategy for Mapping, Exploring, and Characterizing the United States Exclusive Economic Zone. Proposals for the ocean exploration and marine archaeology themes must be for projects in unknown or poorly understood areas as referenced in the national strategy’s implementation plan and within the U.S. EEZ in the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific priorities workshop report stresses the active awareness of the cultural context in which ocean exploration is often conducted. Recognizing the unique and numerous Pacific communities as partners and stakeholders enhances the overall impact of the ocean exploration enterprise through wider public support, a more diverse workforce and community of practitioners, and incorporation of traditional knowledge systems throughout the process. Applicants should consider including the interests of tribal nations and Indigenous peoples within targeted exploration areas and engaging these communities in a meaningful way. OER is soliciting proposals focused on any one of the following three themes: ocean exploration, marine archaeology, and technology. Register for a webinar about the funding opportunity on May 26, 2021, at 1 p.m. EDT. Required pre-proposals are due June 21, 2021.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Mathematical Sciences (DMS), in collaboration with the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences (MCB), seeks to promote interdisciplinary research that enables novel mathematical and computational approaches that capture and explore the full range of mechanisms and biological variability needed to better understand complex and nonlinear behavior across multiple biological systems and scales. The development of replicative or descriptive models for complex biological systems remains a challenging task, yet models that move beyond replication into the realm of prediction and ultimately becoming indispensable tools for discovery-driven biology are severely lacking. A paradigm shift in the current approach to interdisciplinary mathematical biology is needed to promote the realization of modeling platforms that facilitate discovery of novel biological phenomena, rules, and theories. As part of the effort, funding opportunities are available in fiscal years FY2021 and FY2022 to provide support for proposals from interdisciplinary teams comprised of mathematical, computational, and biological scientists to develop MODels for Uncovering Rules and Unexpected Phenomena in Biological Systems (MODULUS). This Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) is to encourage researchers involved in the biosciences and the mathematical sciences to collaborate in a substantive manner in biological investigations using novel mechanistic mathematical models to guide biological exploration and discovery of new rules, phenomena, and theories in living systems.

To continue expansion and scaling efforts from NSF’s Geosciences Opportunities for Leadership in Diversity (GOLD) Program and related activities to broaden participation in the geosciences, and to develop unique approaches for greater inclusion in the geoscience education and research community, NSF welcomes submission of the following types of proposals: Early-Concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER) Proposals, Conference Proposals, and Research Coordination Networks (RCNs). Proposals must be received by June 1, 2021.

A key aspect of Convergence Accelerator projects is the innovation curriculum that requires a significant time investment and frequent participation of all partners such as academia, industry, non-profit, government, and other sectors under the guidance of coaches. The curriculum includes a team science and human-centered design approach that rapidly moves projects towards deliverables in both Phase I and Phase II that will have broad scale national impact. This solicitation for FY 2021 invites proposals for the following Track Topic among others: Networked Blue Economy (Track E). This track aims to create a smart, integrated, connected, and open ecosystem for ocean innovation, exploration, and sustainable utilization. Letter of Intent Due Date for Phase I Full Proposals: May 5, 2021.

Predicting Transformation of Living Systems in Evolving Environments.  Full proposal deadline: May 10, 2021.

Various deadlines from August 2, 2021 and onward.

Expressions of Interest are requested from eligible U.S. institutions to provide a multi-decadal drilling vessel, possibly through the National Science Foundation (NSF) Major Multi-User Research Facilities process as described in the NSF Major Facilities Guide, to support the science needs and enable new science discovery as defined in the recently completed Exploring Earth by Scientific Ocean Drilling 2050 Science Framework. The 2050 Science Framework is based on workshop-derived input from the American scientific community and international workshops held in Europe, Japan, China, Australia, South Korea, and India. All totaled, over 800 participants defined the need for a multi-decade program with a globally ranging scientific drillship to address critical global geoscience problems in the oceans and explore areas of the Earth otherwise inaccessible for sampling or observation. NSF seeks innovative solutions to future scientific ocean drilling and is ready to consider a wide array of possible strategies, including new build, provision of major vessel systems (such as a drilling system) installed on a new hull, or modification to an existing vessel. Expressions of Interest should be provided by May 1, 2021.

The Biological Oceanography Program supports fundamental research in biological oceanography and marine ecology (populations to the ecosystems) broadly defined: relationships among aquatic organisms and their interactions with the environments of the oceans or Great Lakes. Projects submitted to the program are often interdisciplinary efforts that may include participation by other OCE or BIO Programs. Proposals are accepted at any time.

The URoL:MIM program defines a microbiome as a community of microorganisms with more than one type of organism, including bacteria, archaea, fungi, protists, and viruses that inhabit a particular habitat. The habitat can be a living host or a particular environment, broadly defined to include the biological, chemical, physical, and/or social state, settings, or conditions. The URoL:MIM Program is focused on the causal and mechanistic understanding of the structure and function of these microbiomes and the connections, interactions, and interdependencies within and among the microbiome, the host, and the environment (biological, chemical, physical, and social). The major objective of URoL:MIM is to develop an integrated understanding of how microbiome organisms communicate and interact with each other, with their hosts, and with their environments, across various spatial and temporal scales. This includes mechanisms underlying how the microbiome affects the phenotypes of organisms and their robustness, resilience, and adaptability. How the underlying relationships among the microbiomes, hosts, and physical, social, and built environments ultimately emerge as properties that affect phenotype of the microbiome, the host, or both is of interest. Full proposal deadline: February 23, 2021.

Instituted in 2012, NSF’s Career-Life Balance (CLB) initiative is an agency-wide approach to help attract, retain, and advance graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and other researchers in STEM fields. This effort aims to help reduce the rate at which early-career researchers depart from the STEM workforce. With this Dear Colleague Letter (DCL), NSF draws attention to the opportunity for supplemental funding to help researchers, who are confronted with a short-term increase in dependent care responsibilities, ensure that the research activities supported by an NSF award can continue. NSF recognizes that primary dependent care responsibilities and other family considerations pose unique challenges to the STEM workforce. The purpose of this DCL is to announce NSF’s continued interest in CLB supplemental funding requests, with two key changes from CLB DCLs issued in FY 2013: 1) an increase in the amount and duration of salary support that may be requested; and 2) an extension of the opportunity to Principal Investigators (PIs) and co-PIs of all active NSF grant or cooperative agreements. Career Life Balance supplements may be requested to support additional personnel (e.g., a technician or research assistant) for existing research awards, graduate research fellowships and postdoctoral fellowship programs when award personnel are on family leave for primary dependent care responsibilities and other direct family considerations. The supplemental request may include funding for up to six months of salary support or stipend for a maximum of $30,000 in direct costs of salary compensation or stipend, but the duration of the salary or stipend support may not exceed the duration of the family leave. Fringe benefits and associated indirect costs, but not tuition, may be included in addition to the salary costs, and therefore, the total supplemental funding request may exceed $30,000.

Arctic temperatures are warming faster than nearly everywhere else on Earth, with some models projecting that continued warming could produce an ice-free Arctic Ocean in a few decades. The rapid and wide-scale changes occurring in response to this warming portend new opportunities and unprecedented risks to natural environments; social and cultural systems; economic, political and legal systems; and built environments of the Arctic and across the globe. Gaps in scientific observations and the prevalence of interdependent social, natural, and built systems in the Arctic make it challenging to predict the region’s future. Understanding and adapting to a changing Arctic requires creative new directions for Arctic-related research, education, workforce development, and leveraging of science, engineering, and technology advances from outside the Arctic. Navigating the New Arctic (NNA) embodies an important forward-looking response by the Foundation to these profound challenges. NNA seeks innovations in fundamental convergence research across the social, natural, environmental, computing and information sciences, and engineering that address the interactions or connections among natural and built environments and social systems, and how these connections inform our understanding of Arctic change and its local and global effects. This solicitation requests proposals that fall within one of three tracks: NNA Planning Grants, dedicated to developing convergence research questions and teams to tackle projects of larger scope in the future; NNA Research Grants, aimed to support creative projects on fundamental research that address convergent scientific and engineering challenges related to the rapidly changing Arctic; and NNA Collaboratory Grants, designed to support collaborative teams undertaking research and training initiatives on critical themes of a broad scope related to the New Arctic. Full Proposal Deadline: March 5, 2021.

The U.S. Science Support Program sponsors workshops to promote the development of new ideas related to the study of the Earth’s processes and history via scientific ocean drilling. The primary goal is to identify promising new scientific objectives and research opportunities. The workshop program encourages wide scientific community involvement to bring a broader and multidisciplinary approach to standing hypotheses and to explore new directions for IODP research and communication. Workshop topics should be related to objectives outlined in the IODP Science Plan, Illuminating Earth’s Past, Present, and Future. Workshops may focus on a specific scientific theme or topic, or they may focus on a geographic region, integrating multiple topics. Regionally-focused workshops offer opportunities to develop drilling proposals for future target areas based on projected ship tracks, or to synthesize scientific results from past expeditions. Workshop proposals must be submitted by researchers affiliated with a U.S. institution. Funding may be requested for U.S.-based workshops or to support U.S. participants at large, international workshops. Proposals are accepted biannually and evaluated competitively by an independent review panel. The next proposal deadline is December 1, 2020.

This Solicitation supports the following funding opportunity to advance geosciences research: Science-Enabling Capabilities: This opportunity builds capabilities to improve geosciences data use and reuse for observational, experimental, and computational research that is interoperable with emerging standards and resources, as well as efforts to integrate different datasets and tools from multiple GEO disciplines. In addition to the solicited opportunity, the EarthCube program will accept requests for supplements to support adoption of emerging EarthCube open web standards and existing cyberinfrastructure (CI) by science projects and data resources. Supplements must abide by the guidelines for supplements in the PAPPG. Prospective PIs should contact an EarthCube program director to discuss a potential supplement. The EarthCube program will accept requests for supplements of the following types: Science adoption: Target broadening or enhancing existing geoscience projects to achieve new research and education outcomes through adoption of existing data and software tools (including, but not limited to, products from EarthCube projects). Possible projects include the adoption of data standards to support the science goals of a project.
Data resource adoption: Support data facilities and data resources to adopt robust standards and/or implementation of pilot tools/activities to improve discovery, interoperability and access to data and CI services. In conjunction with EarthCube/Council of Data Facilities developments, these awards would facilitate adoption of new semantic web standards and machine-readable publishing patterns, such as for the EarthCube data repository and resource registries. These awards are meant for an initial implementation of these standards and are not meant to sustain existing core functions of data facilities. Full proposal deadlines: March 2, 2021.

Applications for the postdoctoral fellowship program at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) are currently being accepted. MBARI is dedicated to the development of state-of-the-art instrumentation, systems, and methods supporting scientific research in the oceans. Ongoing programs at MBARI span marine robotics, ocean physics, chemistry, geology, biology, and engineering. Located in Moss Landing, California at the head of Monterey Canyon, MBARI enjoys convenient access to a diverse range of ocean environments. The Institute operates two ocean-going research ships, a coastal workboat, remotely operated vehicles, autonomous underwater and surface vehicles, oceanographic profilers and moorings, the MARS seafloor cabled observatory, and a wide range of oceanographic equipment. MBARI is a non-profit oceanographic research institute supported by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. Offers will be made to selected candidates from the fields of biological, chemical and physical oceanography, marine geology, and engineering. Candidates must be awarded a Ph.D. degree prior to commencing the two-year appointment starting between July 2021 and June 2022. Applicants should communicate with potential research sponsors at MBARI for guidance on project feasibility, relevance to ongoing research projects, resource availability, and expected start date. Application deadline: January 20, 2021.

The U.S. Science Support Program is currently accepting applications for the 2021-2022 Schlanger Ocean Drilling Fellowship Program. The Schlanger Fellowship Program offers merit-based awards for graduate students enrolled in a Ph.D. program to conduct research related to the International Ocean Discovery Program. Research may be related to the objectives of past expeditions or it may address broader science themes. Selected fellows will receive an award of $30,000 for a 12-month period that can be used for research, stipend, tuition, or other approved costs. Schlanger Fellowships are open to all graduate students enrolled at U.S. institutions in full-time Ph.D. programs. Applications require reference material from two referees, one of which must be the student’s faculty advisor. All application materials, including reference material, must be submitted by December 11, 2020.

Fostering the growth of a globally competitive and diverse research workforce and advancing the scientific and innovation skills of the U.S. is a; strategic objective of the National Science Foundation (NSF). U.S. global competitiveness depends critically on the readiness of the Nation’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) workforce and NSF seeks to continue to invest in programs that directly advance this workforce. As part of this effort, a supplemental funding opportunity is available in fiscal years FY 2021 and beyond to provide graduate students with experiential learning opportunities through research internships to acquire core professional competencies and skills to support careers in any sector of the U.S. economy. NSF currently invests in a number of graduate student preparedness activities and has historically encouraged principal investigators (PIs) to include such activities in research proposals to NSF. NSF will consider supplemental funding requests for up to an additional six months of graduate student support on active NSF grants with the following goals: 1) To provide graduate students with the opportunity to augment their research assistantships or NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) fellowships with non-academic research internship activities and training opportunities that will complement their academic research training; 2) To allow graduate students to pursue new activities aimed at acquiring professional development experience that will enhance their preparation for multiple career pathways after graduation; 3) and To encourage the participation of graduate students from underrepresented groups such as women, persons with disabilities, underrepresented minorities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), veterans, and persons from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Supplemental funding requests may be submitted at any time with a target date of April 15th for each Fiscal Year.

Microbes inhabit and sustain all habitats on Earth. In the oceans, microbes capture solar energy, catalyze biogeochemical transformations of important elements, produce and consume greenhouse gases, and provide the base of the food web. The purpose of these awards is to help launch the careers of outstanding investigators in the field of marine microbial ecology and evolution who will advance our understanding through experiments, modeling or theory. Investigators must be currently active in research on microbial ecology and/or evolution, excluding research focusing on the microbiomes of animals or plants. Investigators with backgrounds in different fields are encouraged to apply. Reference Letters Deadline: October 30, 2020. LOI Deadline: November 5, 2020.

The CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholars program supports exceptional early-career researchers with funding, mentorship, a global network, and professional skills development. Application Deadline: October 30, 2021.

We seek a postdoctoral scholar who can make a fundamental contribution to marine mineral research. Proposed work may use either archival samples (extensive USGS and other sample sets exist), or propose the collection of new samples, as feasible. Proposed work may focus in any of the following areas: (1) experimental studies regarding the environmental consequences of marine mineral extraction, (2) targeted speciation and extractability studies of marine critical minerals, (3) estimates of marine minerals within the context of global mineral resources, including terrestrial minerals, (4) statistical analyses of existing marine mineral datasets, (5) relating terrestrial and marine minerals in adjacent settings or (6) developing geophysical techniques to detect or study marine minerals. Other topics may be of interest. In particular, we welcome applications that cross disciplinary boundaries between marine science and geology, and applications that focus on the distribution, extent, or relevance of critical minerals in marine mineral deposits. Proposals that tie in the Earth MRI framework (Hofstra and Kreiner, 2020) are also welcome. These positions are competitive and filled based on availability of funds and qualified applicants; the deadline for submission of applications, which include research proposals, will be January 4, 2021.

This fall, NSF’s Division of Ocean Sciences intends to announce a funding opportunity for Postdoctoral Research Fellowships to provide opportunities for scientists early in their careers to work within and across traditional disciplinary lines, develop partnerships, and avail themselves of unique resources, sites, and facilities. The fellowship program will provide beginning investigators of significant potential with experiences that will further prepare them for positions of leadership in the scientific community. During their PRF tenure, fellows will affiliate with an appropriate research institution(s) and conduct research on topics supported by OCE. NSF is committed to supporting early career researchers during the national crisis created by the COVID19 pandemic. The pandemic has put the country’s academic enterprise under extreme duress. The human impact on all academic members is acute, but especially so for graduate students and early-career scientists. The OCE PRF program will provide important employment options for early career scientists. OCE anticipates awarding about fifteen Postdoctoral Fellowships with approximate start dates of mid 2021 or later. The OCE PRF will emphasize strong scientific merit in a field of science supported by the Division of Ocean Sciences and will require letters of support from a mentor(s). The purview of OCE includes a diversity of disciplinary and cross-disciplinary areas. Projects that make use of existing data, including data archived though NSF-supported data centers such as the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI), the Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office (BCO-DMO), and the sites hosted by the Interdisciplinary Earth Data Alliance (IEDA), such as the Marine Geoscience Data System (MGDS), and EarthChem, are encouraged. Information regarding the OCE PRF funding opportunity will be available this fall via the NSF website.

The Biological Oceanography Program in the Division of Ocean Sciences will eliminate target dates and accept proposals for consideration at any time after January 1, 2021. This action is being taken to enable greater flexibility for the community and reduce the burden on investigators, reviewers, and submitting institutions. Proposals requesting ship time should allow for at least 18 months of lead time for those projects requiring Academic Research Fleet Global- or Ocean-Class vessels and at least 12 months for all other ship requests. The Biological Oceanography Program will maintain a high-quality merit review system using ad hoc mail reviews and panels, as appropriate. Evidence from other NSF programs that have eliminated deadlines shows that proposal pressure is reduced and success rates increase with more highly-ranked proposals being funded. The Geosciences Directorate expects the change will reduce the burden on institutions and the community by spreading out proposal submission requests over the course of the year, as opposed to having submissions limited to two specific time windows. The Program hopes that investigators will have more time to build strong collaborations; be more creative without the pressure of a deadline; and propose more complex, interdisciplinary projects. The Biological Oceanography Program will continue its current practice in which a proposal is ineligible for resubmission until a minimum of one year has passed since its initial submission. A proposal on the same general topic by the same PI team is considered a resubmission. This moratorium allows investigators the time required to thoughtfully consider the results of the merit review and revise or restructure their proposal accordingly. Only proposals submitted to the Biological Oceanography Core Program in the Division of Ocean Sciences are affected by this change. Submissions to other Programs and funding opportunities in the Division of Ocean Sciences will continue to follow the deadlines outlined in their respective solicitations and webpages. The Program will continually assess the impact of this change on the merit review goals outlined above. The Program Directors from the Biological Oceanography Program have one more scheduled Town Hall (register for the zoom webinar) on October 21, 2020 to explain the change and address questions from the community.

The Symbiosis in Aquatic Systems Initiative is pleased to announce a new collaboration with the Wellcome Sanger Institute to sequence the genomes of 1,000 freshwater and marine organisms involved in aquatic symbioses where at least one partner is a microbe. The Aquatic Symbiosis Project seeks to provide the genomic foundations needed by scientists to answer key questions about the ecology and evolution of aquatic symbioses. The goals of this project are to create essential research infrastructure and to build community across aquatic symbiosis researchers. Phase One of the Aquatic Symbiosis Genomics project has linked the Sanger research team with four international teams of collaborators who bring their expert knowledge in symbiosis to the project. The four team leads are: Dr. Ute Hentschel Humeida (GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, Germany): Sponges as symbiont communities, Dr. Jose Victor Lopez (Nova Southeastern University, USA): Photosymbiosis in marine animals, Dr. Michael Sweet (University of Derby, UK): Coral symbiosis sensitivity to environmental change, Dr. John Archibald (Dalhousie University, Canada): Evolution of new symbioses in single-celled eukaryotes. Phase Two is now open for applicants to propose additional organisms for sequencing. For more information, including FAQs, the list of organisms currently in the sequencing queue, and a link to the application, please visit the Aquatic Symbiosis Project website. Applications are due November 1, 2020.

The International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) and U.S. Science Support Program (USSSP) are now accepting applications for scientific participants from U.S. institutions to join Expedition 396 Mid-Norwegian Continental Margin Magmatism, scheduled for 6 August to 6 October 2021 aboard the JOIDES Resolution. Expedition 396 is a scientific ocean drilling project that seeks to understand the nature, cause and climate implications of excess magmatism during the northeast Atlantic continental breakup. The expedition will take place from 6 August to 6 October 2021. Opportunities exist for researchers (including graduate students) in most shipboard specialties, including but not limited to sedimentologists, volcanologists, petrologists, igneous geochemists, inorganic and organic geochemists, micropaleontologists, paleomagnetists, physical properties specialists, and borehole geophysicists. Good working knowledge of the English language is required. The deadline to apply has been extended to October 19, 2020.

The NSF INCLUDES Big Idea is a comprehensive national initiative to enhance U.S. leadership in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) discoveries and innovations focused on NSF’s commitment to diversity, inclusion, and broadening participation in these fields. The vision of NSF INCLUDES is to catalyze the STEM enterprise to work collaboratively for inclusive change, resulting in a STEM workforce that reflects the population of the Nation. More specifically, NSF INCLUDES seeks to improve collaborative efforts aimed at enhancing the preparation, increasing the participation, and ensuring the contributions of individuals from groups that have been historically underrepresented and underserved in the STEM enterprise such as African Americans, Alaska Natives, Hispanics, Native Americans, Native Hawaiians, Native Pacific Islanders, persons with disabilities, persons from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, and women and girls. Significant advancement in the inclusion of underrepresented groups in STEM will result in a new generation of STEM talent and leadership to secure our nation’s future and long-term economic competitiveness. Through this solicitation, NSF INCLUDES will support the establishment and growth of new Alliances that employ a collaborative infrastructure approach to address a critical broadening participation challenge in STEM at scale. Letter of Intent deadline: October 5, 2020.

The US National Science Foundation (NSF) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Research Cooperation. The MOU provides an overarching framework to encourage collaboration between US and UK research communities and sets out the principles by which jointly supported activities might be developed. The MOU provides for a lead agency arrangement whereby proposals may be submitted to either NSF (via Research.gov or Grants.gov) or UKRI (via Je-S). The NSF Directorate for Biological Sciences (NSF/BIO) and the UKRI Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) are pleased to announce new topical areas associated with the lead agency opportunity. The lead agency opportunity allows for reciprocal acceptance of merit review through unsolicited mechanisms. Its goal is to help reduce some of the current barriers to working internationally. Proposals relevant to the following priority areas and agency programs are eligible to apply for the lead agency opportunity in 2020/2021: Biological Informatics, Microbes and the Host Immune System, and Quantum Biology and Synthetic Cell.

The International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) explores Earth’s climate history, structure, mantle/crust dynamics, natural hazards, and deep biosphere as described in the IODP Science Plan Illuminating Earth’s Past, Present, and Future. IODP facilitates international and interdisciplinary research on transformative and societally relevant topics using the ocean drilling, coring, and downhole measurement facilities JOIDES Resolution (JR), Chikyu, and Mission Specific Platforms (MSP). The number of proposals, at all stages of development, currently in the system for the JOIDES Resolution provide many high-quality options for scheduling the ship through the end of the current program and into 2024; therefore, we are not requesting new pre-proposals or full proposals. We will accept revisions to pre-proposals and full proposals already in the system, new Ancillary Project Letters (APLs), new Land-2-Sea proposals, and submission of proposals that were deactivated in 2020 with an encouragement to revise and re-submit. Deadline: April 1, 2021.

The CSP New Investigator call seeks to target investigators and research initiatives new to the JGI, with an emphasis on providing pilot data to assess feasibility of a novel approach or form the foundation for a large-scale CSP proposal submission. Projects must be independent of ongoing JGI proposals, and lead PIs cannot have been lead PI on any previously accepted JGI CSP or FICUS proposal. Sequence requests should not exceed 500 Gbp in total. Current call topics include: Bacterial and archaeal isolates and single cell draft genomes; Genome resequencing; Plant/algal genome size estimation; RNA sequencing; Bacterial and archaeal epigenomes and high-quality draft genomes; Metagenomes and metatranscriptomes; DNA synthesis for functional assays; Metabolomics based functional analyses. Proposals are accepted on a continuous basis and will be reviewed twice a year. Letters of intent are not required. Deadline for submission is 60 days prior to the review date. Next deadline: March 21, 2020.

The International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) is now accepting applications for scientific participants with expertise in geochemistry or microbiology, to join the offshore phase and the onshore science party for Expedition 386 Japan Trench Paleoseismology. Expedition 386 will take place aboard a Mission-Specific Platform (MSP) organized by the ECORD Science Operator (ESO) and jointly implemented with the Institute for Marine-Earth Exploration and Engineering (MarE3) within the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC). The deadline to apply is September 25, 2020.

The Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO) awards Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology (PRFB) to recent recipients of the doctoral degree for research and training in selected areas supported by BIO and with special goals for human resource development in biology. For applications under this solicitation, these areas are (1) Broadening Participation of Groups Underrepresented in Biology, (2) Integrative Research Investigating the Rules of Life Governing Interactions Between Genomes, Environment and Phenotypes, and (3) Plant Genome Postdoctoral Research Fellowships. The fellowships encourage independence at an early stage of the research career to permit Fellows to pursue their research and training goals in the most appropriate research locations in collaboration with sponsoring scientists. It is expected that the sponsoring scientists will actively mentor the Fellows and will greatly benefit from collaborating with these talented early-career scientists and incorporating them into their research groups. The research and training plan of each fellowship must address important scientific questions within the scope of BIO and the specific guidelines in this fellowship program solicitation. Because the fellowships are offered to postdoctoral scientists only early in their careers, NSF encourages doctoral students to discuss the availability of these postdoctoral fellowships with their doctoral mentors and potential postdoctoral sponsors early in their doctoral programs to take advantage of this funding opportunity. Fellowships are awards to individuals, not institutions, and are administered by the Fellows. Full proposal deadline: November 18, 2020.

The International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) program supports international research and research-related activities for U.S. science and engineering students. The IRES program contributes to development of a diverse, globally engaged workforce with world-class skills. IRES focuses on active research participation by undergraduate and/or graduate students in high quality international research, education and professional development experiences in NSF-funded research areas. The overarching, long-term goal of the IRES program is to enhance U.S. leadership in science and engineering research and education and to strengthen economic competitiveness through training the next generation of research leaders. This solicitation features two mechanisms; proposers are required to select one of the following tracks to submit their proposal. Track I: IRES Sites (IS) projects engage a group of undergraduate and/or graduate students in active high-quality collaborative research, in principle at an international site with mentorship from researchers at a host lab. IRES Sites must be organized around a coherent intellectual theme that may involve a single discipline or multiple disciplines funded by NSF. Track II: Advanced Studies Institutes (ASI) are intensive short courses with related activities that engage advanced graduate students in active learning and research at the frontiers of knowledge. ASIs typically range in length from ten to twenty-one days and, in principle, must be held outside the United States. For all IRES proposals, PIs are strongly encouraged to outline virtual, hybrid or other alternative approaches to strengthen and maintain international collaboration in the event travel is not undertaken, and/or in addition to travel. Track I: IRES Sites (IS) due dates: November 12, 2020 and September 21, 2021. Track II: Advanced Studies Institutes (ASI) due dates: November 9, 2020 and September 28, 2021.

The Division of Earth Sciences (EAR) awards Postdoctoral Fellowships to recent recipients of doctoral degrees to conduct an integrated program of independent research and professional development. Fellowship proposals must address scientific questions within the scope of EAR disciplinary programs and must align with the overall theme for the postdoctoral program. The program supports researchers for a period of up to two years with fellowships that can be taken to the institution of their choice (including institutions abroad). The program is intended to recognize beginning investigators of significant potential, and provide them with research experience, mentorship, and training that will establish them in leadership positions in the Earth Sciences community. Because the fellowships are offered only to postdoctoral scientists early in their career, doctoral advisors are encouraged to discuss the availability of EAR postdoctoral fellowships with their graduate students early in their doctoral programs. Fellowships are awards to individuals, not institutions, and are administered by the Fellows. Full proposal deadline date: September 9, 2020.

The Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP) provides awards to Tribal Colleges and Universities, Alaska Native-serving institutions, and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions to promote high quality science (including sociology, psychology, anthropology, economics, statistics, and other social and behavioral sciences as well as natural sciences), technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, research, and outreach. Support is available to TCUP-eligible institutions for research studies (in addition to capacity-building and multi-institution collarborations), that further the scholarly activity of individual faculty members are supported through Small Grants for Research (SGR) [Deadline: December 10, 2020] and Science Education Alliance Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science in Tribal Colleges and Universities (SEA-PHAGES in TCUs) [Deadline: September 4, 2020]. Through TCUP programs, as well as collaborations with other National Science Foundation (NSF) units and other organizations, TCUP aims to increase Native individuals’ participation in STEM careers and improve the quality of STEM programs at TCUP-eligible institutions. TCUP strongly encourages the inclusion of activities that will benefit veterans.

The Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program supports active research participation by undergraduate students in any of the areas of research funded by the National Science Foundation. REU projects involve students in meaningful ways in ongoing research programs or in research projects specifically designed for the REU program. This solicitation features two mechanisms for support of student research: (1) REU Sites are based on independent proposals to initiate and conduct projects that engage a number of students in research. REU Sites may be based in a single discipline or academic department or may offer interdisciplinary or multi-department research opportunities with a coherent intellectual theme. Proposals with an international dimension are welcome. (2) REU Supplements may be included as a component of proposals for new or renewal NSF grants or cooperative agreements or may be requested for ongoing NSF-funded research projects. Undergraduate student participants in either REU Sites or REU Supplements must be U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, or permanent residents of the United States. Students do not apply to NSF to participate in REU activities. Students apply directly to REU Sites or to NSF-funded investigators who receive REU Supplements. To identify appropriate REU Sites, students should consult the directory of active REU Sites. Full proposal deadline: August 26, 2020.

The purpose of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) is to help ensure the quality, vitality, and diversity of the scientific and engineering workforce of the United States. The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students who are pursuing full-time research-based master’s and doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) or in STEM education. The GRFP provides three years of support for the graduate education of individuals who have demonstrated their potential for significant research achievements in STEM or STEM education. NSF actively encourages women, members of underrepresented minority groups, persons with disabilities, veterans, and undergraduate seniors to apply. Application deadlines: October 19-22, 2020.

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the US-Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Research Cooperation. The MOU provides an overarching framework to encourage collaboration between U.S. and Israeli research communities and sets out the principles by which jointly supported activities might be developed. The MOU provides for an international collaboration arrangement whereby U.S. researchers may receive funding from the NSF and Israeli researchers may receive funding from the BSF. The goal of this US-Israel collaborative research opportunity is to help reduce some of the current barriers to working internationally. Through a lead agency model, NSF and BSF will address these issues by allowing U.S. and Israeli researchers to submit a single collaborative proposal that will undergo a single review process at NSF, which will be the lead agency. The collaborative opportunity described in this Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) remains in effect until archived. This is not a single-year program.

The Arctic Sciences Section of the National Science Foundation solicits proposals for research to enhance our understanding of the Arctic, from advancing fundamental disciplinary understanding of important Arctic processes to complex interdisciplinary studies of couplings among social, biological, physical, and geochemical components of the Arctic system to the changing connections between the Arctic and lower latitudes. Of special interest is research focused on understanding processes relevant to social and environmental change. All proposals should discuss explicitly how their results would contribute to increasing our understanding of the Arctic region or its interaction with global systems. Proposals accepted anytime.

The European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling (ECORD) regrettably announces that IODP Expedition 377: Arctic Ocean Paleoceanography will not be implemented in August to October 2021. In spring 2020, the ECORD Science Operator (ESO) opened a call to the commercial market to provide platform, drilling and ice management services for this expedition. The commercial bids received were evaluated at the end of May 2020. Unfortunately, it has been concluded that the procurement has failed to achieve its objectives. The primary and overriding reason for this is the combination of facilities and services required cannot be fulfilled within the expedition’s available budget. At its recent spring meeting on 10-11 June 2020, ECORD Council confirmed the removal of Expedition 377 from the 2021 mission-specific platform expedition schedule. Later in June, the ECORD Facility Board will consider options for future MSP expeditions for 2021-2023. The Call for Scientists will now be stopped, and announcements on the future of Expedition 377 will be made via IODP-related channels in due course. Current applications will be deleted, and a fresh Call for Scientist issued if and when appropriate.

The Simons Foundation invites applications for postdoctoral fellowships to support basic research on fundamental problems in marine microbial ecology, with an emphasis on understanding the role of microorganisms in shaping ocean processes, and vice versa. The foundation is particularly interested in applicants with training in different fields, as well as applicants with experience in modeling or theory development. While these cross-disciplinary applicants will receive particular attention, applicants already involved in ocean research are also encouraged to apply. The foundation anticipates awarding five fellowships in 2020. Application deadline: May 15, 2020.

The NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research (OER) is soliciting ocean exploration proposals to support projects that provide data and information that may inform ocean-related segments of the U.S. economy through mapping, characterization, and exploration of the deep seafloor and water column of the U.S. exclusive economic zone (EEZ) as well as marine cultural heritage in U.S. waters. Proposals are being requested on the following three topics: 1. OCEAN EXPLORATION. Ocean exploration to inform management, sustainable use, and conservation of marine resources in poorly explored deep ocean areas of the U.S. EEZ. Areas proposed for exploration and/or initial characterization must be at a minimum water depth of 200 m or more. 2. MARINE ARCHAEOLOGY. Discovery and characterization of underwater cultural heritage to inform decisions on preservation and seabed use, and to identify sources of potential environmental impacts. Marine archaeology proposals can be conducted in any water depth within the U.S. EEZ. 3. TECHNOLOGY. Application of new or novel use of existing ocean technologies or innovative methods that increase the scope and efficiency of acquiring ocean exploration data and improve usability of and access to ocean exploration data. Proposed technologies must be applicable to water depths of 200 m or greater, though testing in shallower water or lab-based test facilities will be supported. Technology testing may occur outside of U.S. waters. The deadline for the pre-proposal submission is July 8, 2020. The full proposal will be due on October 22, 2020.

To further scientific and technological cooperation between the United States and the European Community, the National Science Foundation and the European Research Council signed an Implementing Arrangement on October 29, 2019 to enable U.S.-based scientists and engineers with active NSF awards, particularly those early on in their careers, to pursue research collaboration with European colleagues supported through EU-funded European Research Council (ERC) grants. This letter invites current NSF grantees to submit supplemental funding requests for research visits to any identified, appropriate ERC-funded European research group. NSF particularly encourages requests from NSF grantees who are early on in their careers or who are still actively building their careers. Further, the letter gives instructions on how to submit supplemental funding requests and other relevant policies and requirements. The European hosts will provide funding to support in-country living expenses during the visits. NSF will provide travel funds to and from Europe. It is expected that the amount requested will not exceed $20,000, inclusive of any foreign travel expenses for qualified family members. This opportunity is open only to PIs and co-PIs of active NSF awards. Supplemental funding may not be used to support travel for senior personnel, postdocs, or others funded on the award. Please note, however, that NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellows with active Fellowships are eligible to submit to this opportunity. Requests must be received at NSF at least 3 months prior to the proposed visit, but no later than May 15, 2020, for consideration using Fiscal Year 2020 funds.

In this time of considerable uncertainty, I would like to assure you that NSF Ocean Sciences is continuing to conduct business using all available tools in our full-time teleworking posture. We do not anticipate any changes to the timeframe of our standard proposal review and decision process. Panels will continue as scheduled, though they will move to virtual formats for the time being. We thank all of our reviewers and panelists for their flexibility and assistance as we adjust to the situation. We understand if you can’t complete a review or serve on a panel at this time, please just let your Program Officer know (email is best). As always, the thoughtful comments that you provide are the foundation of our merit review process. Those with active awards should be sure to carefully read the NSF guidance issued March 23, 2020, which describes NSF plans to implement directives of the Office of Management and Budget. NSF has also established a frequently updated webpage for information about the novel Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19). No-cost extensions are a tool available to deal with delays in projects. Grantees also have considerable flexibility to re-budget funds between most budget categories in support of the project (Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG). We also encourage you to update us on COVID-related changes via the interim report option when the need to make modifications becomes clear. As noted in the NSF Implementation document, grantees should not assume that supplemental funding will be available to cover costs and/or delays associated with the current circumstances. We understand that there is a lot of stress and uncertainty at this time, which impacts all of us and our families and communities and our nation. We stand ready to work together with you, the ocean sciences community, under these very challenging circumstances! Please stay safe. – Terry Quinn, Director, Division of Ocean Sciences. Links: NSF Guidance, NSF Coronavirus webpage, COVID-19 Information for the Geosciences Research Community.

Discovering the world’s biota underpins the study of the origins, evolution, and maintenance of biodiversity. Yet despite centuries of exploration, our knowledge of the diversity of life is still temporally and spatially biased, and critical areas of extant and extinct biodiversity remain undiscovered or undocumented. This restricts our ability to develop a comprehensive and comparative evolutionary framework for all life and hinders our understanding of the mechanisms and processes of evolution. To address this issue, the Division of Environmental Biology (DEB) in the Directorate of Biological Sciences (BIO) encourages the submission of proposals to the Systematics and Biodiversity Sciences (SBS) cluster to support research on Poorly Sampled and Unknown Taxa (PurSUiT). The PurSUiT category is meant to encourage biodiversity discovery and description in poorly known, or dark areas, of the Tree of Life. Its incorporation as a special category within SBS reflects a continued effort to close significant gaps in biodiversity knowledge. Proposals submitted to this category should address expeditionary and exploratory research on organismal diversity that occurs, or used to occur, in natural environments and should aim to advance the discovery, identification, description, classification, and cataloguing of the world’s unknown extant and extinct biodiversity. Research projects must address compelling biodiversity discovery questions and must entail a primarily clade- or guild-based approach (e.g., regional, global, or planetary inventories). Priority will be given to innovative projects that fill significant gaps in biodiversity knowledge and integrate taxon information within an evolutionary or taxonomic framework.

The International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) is now accepting applications for scientific participants on Expedition 395 Reykjanes Mantle Convection and Climate aboard the JOIDES Resolution. Reykjanes Mantle Convection Expedition 395 will investigate mantle upwelling beneath Iceland, which supports the regional bathymetry and has led to changes in the height of oceanic gateways that control the strength of deep-water flow over geologic timescales. This drilling program contains three objectives: (1) to test contrasting hypotheses for the formation of V-shaped ridges that are the result of interaction between the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and the Iceland plume; (2) to understand temporal changes in ocean circulation and explore connections with plume activity; and (3) to reconstruct the evolving chemistry of hydrothermal fluids with increasing crustal age, varying sediment thickness, and crustal architecture. Expedition 395 is based on IODP Proposal 892-Full2 (Mantle Dynamics, Paleoceanography and Climate Evolution in the North Atlantic Ocean) and will target the sediments and 130 m of igneous basement along with downhole logging at five sites east of Reykjanes Ridge. Four sites intersect V-shaped ridges/troughs pairs, one of which coincides with Bjorn Drift. The fifth site is located over 32.4 Ma oceanic crust devoid of V-shaped features, chosen to intersect Oligocene-Miocene sediments of Gardar Drift. Millennial-scale paleoclimate records are contained within rapidly accumulated sediments of contourite drifts in this region. The accumulation rate of the sediments is a proxy for current strength, and the sediments also provide constraints for climatic events including Pliocene warmth, the onset of Northern Hemisphere Glaciation, and abrupt Late Pleistocene climate change. Major, trace and isotope geochemistry of basalts will allow us to observe spatial and temporal variations in mantle melting processes. This combined approach will explore relationships between deep Earth processes, ocean circulation, and climate. The expedition will take place from 26 June to 26 August 2020. Opportunities exist for researchers (including graduate students) in all shipboard specialties, including but not limited to sedimentologists, petrologists, micropaleontologists, paleomagnetists, petrophysicists, borehole geophysicists, igneous geochemists, inorganic and organic geochemists. The deadline to apply is March 30, 2020.

NSF conducted a webinar on February 6, 2020, covering the significant changes to the Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 20-1). The webinar is now available for on-demand viewing. The new PAPPG will be effective for proposals submitted or due, and awards made, on or after June 1, 2020.

The submitted Idea Machine entries were in the form of short concept outlines and videos rather than full-length research proposals. To develop these conceptual descriptions into actionable research agendas that include sets of specific research questions, NSF seeks proposals for catalytic activities in the form of: 1) Conferences that bring together those interested in shaping any or a group of these top 33 broad ideas into actionable research themes, or new long-term research programs – proposal deadline: March 15, 2020; and 2) EAGER projects to extend, develop and test concepts from among the top 33 ideas that are ripe for early stage, transformative research – concept outlines deadline: March 1, 2020.

The Oceanographic Technology and Interdisciplinary Coordination (OTIC) Program supports a broad range of research and technology development activities. Unsolicited proposals are accepted for instrumentation development that has broad applicability to ocean science research projects and that enhance observational, experimental or analytical capabilities of the ocean science research community. Specific announcements for funding opportunities are made for additional projects involving Improvements in Facilities, Communications, and Equipment at Biological Field Stations and Marine Laboratories (FSML) and the National Ocean Partnership Program.  Full proposal target date: February 18, 2020.

The Chemical Oceanography Program supports research into the chemistry of the oceans and the role of the oceans in global geochemical cycles. Areas of interest include chemical composition, speciation, and transformation; chemical exchanges between the oceans and other components of the Earth system; internal cycling in oceans, seas, and estuaries; and the use of measured chemical distributions as indicators of physical, biological, and geological processes. Full proposal target dates: August 17, 2020 and February 15, 2021.

The Physical Oceanography Program supports research on a wide range of topics associated with the structure and movement of the ocean, with the way in which it transports various quantities, with the way the ocean’s physical structure interacts with the biological and chemical processes within it, and with interactions between the ocean and the atmosphere, solid earth and ice that surround it. Full proposal target dates: August 17, 2020 and February 15, 2021.

The primary goal of the UNOLS Cruise Opportunity Program is to provide graduate students currently completing (or who have recently completed) a degree in a field of oceanographic research with the opportunity to participate in a research cruise. The participant will be a member of the scientific party and be involved in data collection and all other activities at sea. It is envisioned that the individual will be familiar with the science to be conducted at sea, and thus, form new collaborations and potentially develop new research directions. To be eligible to participate in this program, the individual must be either currently be studying at a U.S.-based institution or a recent graduate, and must have either a U.S. Passport or a U.S. Work Visa. The application deadline for the Spring 2020 Deployment Operations cruises is February 28, 2020; for Fall 2020, the application deadline is August 3, 2020.

Understanding the Rules of Life (URoL): Predicting Phenotype is one of NSF’s 10 Big Ideas and is focused on predicting the set of observable characteristics (phenotype) from the genetic makeup of the individual and the nature of its environment. The development of new research tools has revolutionized our ability to manipulate and investigate the genome and to measure multiple aspects of biological, physical, and social environments. The opportunity now is to assimilate this new information into causal, mechanistic, and/or predictive relationships among the genomic and epigenetic makeup, the environmental experience, and the phenotypic characteristics of biological systems. These relationships are the basis for the Rules of Life – the theoretical constructs that explain and predict the characteristics of living systems, from molecular and sub-cellular components, to cells, whole organisms, communities and biomes. Successful projects of the URoL:Epigenetics Program are expected to use complementary, interdisciplinary approaches to investigate how epigenetic phenomena lead to emergent properties that explain the fundamental behavior of living systems. Full proposal deadline: February 6, 2020.

The NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) program is designed to encourage the development and implementation of bold, new, and potentially transformative models for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) graduate education training. The NRT program seeks proposals that explore ways for graduate students in research-based master’s and doctoral degree programs to develop the skills, knowledge, and competencies needed to pursue a range of STEM careers. The program is dedicated to effective training of STEM graduate students in high priority interdisciplinary or convergent research areas, through the use of a comprehensive traineeship model that is innovative, evidence-based, and aligned with changing workforce and research needs. The NRT program addresses workforce development, emphasizing broad participation, and institutional capacity building needs in graduate education. Strategic collaborations with the private sector, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), government agencies, national laboratories, field stations, teaching and learning centers, informal science centers, and academic partners are encouraged. NRT especially welcomes proposals that will pair well with the efforts of NSF Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science (INCLUDES) to develop STEM talent from all sectors and groups in our society. Collaborations are encouraged between NRT proposals and existing NSF INCLUDES projects, provided the collaboration strengthens both projects. Full Proposal Deadline Date: February 6, 2020; February 6, Annually Thereafter.

The USSSP Onboard Outreach Program gives formal and informal educators, artists, writers, videographers and other participants the opportunity to spend an entire expedition with an IODP shipboard party and translate their experiences for students and the general public via blogs, videos, social networking sites, live ship-to-shore video events and development of educational resources. Onboard Outreach Program participants are selected through a competitive application and interview process. All expenses for Onboard Outreach Program participants, such as travel to and from the ports of call, and a $10,000 stipend, are paid by USSSP. The selected individual(s) will also be flown to a three-day training session prior to their expedition. Non-US applicants will be directed to their country’s IODP Program Member Office but are still encouraged to apply. Deadline: February 10, 2020.

Growing Convergence Research (GCR)at the National Science Foundation was identified as one of 10 Big Ideas. Convergence research is a means for solving vexing research problems, in particular, complex problems focusing on societal needs. It entails integrating knowledge, methods, and expertise from different disciplines and forming novel frameworks to catalyze scientific discovery and innovation. GCR identifies Convergence Research as having two primary characteristics: 1) Research driven by a specific and compelling problem. Convergence Research is generally inspired by the need to address a specific challenge or opportunity, whether it arises from deep scientific questions or pressing societal needs. 2) Deep integration across disciplines. As experts from different disciplines pursue common research challenges, their knowledge, theories, methods, data, research communities and languages become increasingly intermingled or integrated. New frameworks, paradigms or even disciplines can form sustained interactions across multiple communities. A distinct characteristic of convergence research, in contrast to other forms of multidisciplinary research, is that from the inception, the convergence paradigm intentionally brings together intellectually diverse researchers and stakeholders to frame the research questions, develop effective ways of communicating across disciplines and sectors, adopt common frameworks for their solution, and, when appropriate, develop a new scientific vocabulary. Research teams practicing convergence aim at developing sustainable relationships that may not only create solutions to the problem that engendered the collaboration, but also develop novel ways of framing related research questions and open new research vistas. Full proposal deadline: February 3, 2020.

The goals of the Accelerating Research through International Network-to-Network Collaborations (AccelNet) program are to accelerate the process of scientific discovery and prepare the next generation of U.S. researchers for multiteam international collaborations. The AccelNet program supports strategic linkages among U.S. research networks and complementary networks abroad that will leverage research and educational resources to tackle grand scientific challenges that require significant coordinated international efforts. The program seeks to foster high-impact science and engineering by providing opportunities to create new collaborations and new combinations of resources and ideas among linked global networks. This solicitation invites proposals for the creation of international networks of networks in research areas aligned either with one of the NSF Big Ideas or a community-identified scientific challenge with international dimensions. AccelNet awards are meant to support the connections among research networks, rather than supporting fundamental research as the primary activity.  Each network of networks is expected to engage in innovative collaborative activities that promote synergy of efforts across the networks and provide professional development for students, postdoctoral scholars, and early-career researchers. There are two proposal categories covered by this solicitation: Catalytic and Full-Scale Implementation. Full proposal deadline date: January 31, 2020.

Through the Enabling Discovery through GEnomics (EDGE) program, the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes for Health (NIH) support research to advance understanding of comparative and functional genomics.  The EDGE program supports the development of innovative tools, technologies, resources, and infrastructure that advance biological research focused on the identification of the causal mechanisms connecting genes and phenotypes. The EDGE program also supports functional genomic research that addresses the mechanistic basis of complex traits in diverse organisms within the context (environmental, developmental, social, and/or genomic) in which they function.  These goals are essential to uncovering the rules that underlie genomes-to-phenomes relationships and predict phenotype, an area relevant to Understanding the Rules of Life: Predicting Phenotype, one of the 10 Big Ideas for NSF investment.  The goals also support the NHGRI priority to establish the roles and relationships of all genes and regulatory elements in pathways, networks, and phenotypes.

The goal of the RCN program is to advance a field or create new directions in research or education by supporting groups of investigators to communicate and coordinate their research, training, and educational activities across disciplinary, organizational, geographic, and international boundaries. The RCN-UBE program originated as a unique RCN track to “catalyze positive changes in biology undergraduate education” (NSF 08-035) and is now supported by the collaborative efforts of the Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO) and the Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR). It has been responsive to the national movement to revolutionize undergraduate learning and teaching in the biological sciences as described in the “Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education” report. The RCN-UBE program seeks to improve undergraduate biology in different areas by leveraging the power of a collaborative network. The theme or focus of an RCN-UBE proposal can be on any topic likely to advance the goal of enhancing undergraduate biology education. Collectively, the program has contributed to developing and disseminating educational research resources and modules, to forging of new collaborations, and to sharing of best practices and ideas for scalability and sustainability of activities.  These efforts have involved a large cadre of faculty, students, and other stakeholders. Proposed networking activities directed to the RCN-UBE program should focus on a theme to give coherence to the collaboration. Full proposal deadline: January 21, 2020.

Despite centuries of discovery, most of our planet’s biodiversity remains unknown. The scale of Earth’s unknown diversity is especially troubling given the rapid and permanent loss of biodiversity across the globe. The goal of the Dimensions of Biodiversity campaign is to transform how we describe and understand the scope and role of life on Earth. This campaign promotes novel integrative approaches to fill the most substantial gaps in our understanding of the diversity of life on Earth. It takes a broad view of biodiversity, and focuses on the intersection of genetic, phylogenetic, and functional dimensions of biodiversity. Successful proposals must integrate these three dimensions to understand interactions among them. The 2020 Dimensions of Biodiversity program is restricted to projects supported by international partnerships with the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) of Brazil, and the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa. Full Proposal Deadline extended: April 20, 2020.

The Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program is a Foundation-wide activity that offers the National Science Foundation’s most prestigious awards in support of early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization. Activities pursued by early-career faculty should build a firm foundation for a lifetime of leadership in integrating education and research. NSF encourages submission of CAREER proposals from early-career faculty at all CAREER-eligible organizations and especially encourages women, members of underrepresented minority groups, and persons with disabilities to apply. Full proposal deadline: August 11, 2020.

This Solicitation supports two funding opportunities to advance geosciences research: 1) Science-Enabling Capabilities and Pilots: This opportunity builds capabilities to improve geosciences data use and reuse for observational, experimental, and computational research that is interoperable with emerging standards and resources. It also solicits pilot efforts to integrate different datasets and tools from multiple GEO disciplines. 2) EarthCube Research Coordination Networks (RCNs): This opportunity supports the formation of RCNs closely tied to the science and data needs of core geosciences programs and domains supported by GEO. In addition to these solicited opportunities, the EarthCube program will accept requests for supplements to support adoption of emerging EarthCube open web standards and existing cyberinfrastructure by science projects and data resources. Supplements must abide by the guidelines for supplements in the PAPPG. Prospective PIs should contact an EarthCube program director to discuss a potential supplement. The EarthCube program will accept requests for supplements of the following types: 1) Science adoption: Target broadening or enhancing existing geoscience projects to achieve new research and education outcomes through adoption of existing data and software tools (including, but not limited to, products from EarthCube projects). Possible projects include the adoption of data standards to support the science goals of a project. 2) Data resource adoption: Support data facilities and data resources to adopt robust standards and/or implementation of pilot tools/activities to improve discovery, interoperability and access to data and cyberinfrastructure services. In conjunction with EarthCube/Council of Data Facilities developments, these awards would facilitate adoption of new semantic web standards and machine-readable publishing patterns, such as for the EarthCube data repository and resource registries. These awards are meant for an initial implementation of these standards and are not meant to sustain existing core functions of data facilities. Full proposal deadline: March 12, 2020.

The purpose of the Understanding the Rules of Life: Epigenetics (URoL:Epigenetics) program is to enable innovative research and to promote multidisciplinary education and workforce training in the broad area of epigenetics. The URoL:Epigenetics program is a wide collaboration across Directorates/Offices within the National Science Foundation with a focus on understanding the relationship between epigenetic mechanisms associated with environmental change, organismal phenotype, and resultant robustness and adaptability of organisms and populations. Successful projects of the URoL:Epigenetics Program are expected to use complementary, interdisciplinary approaches to investigate how epigenetic phenomena lead to emergent properties that explain the fundamental behavior of living systems. Ultimately, successful projects should identify general principles (“rules”) that underlie biological phenomena within or across scales of size, complexity (e.g., molecular, cellular, organismal, population) and time (from sub-second to geologic) in taxa from anywhere within the tree of life, including humans. URoL:Epigenetics projects must integrate perspectives and research approaches from more than one research discipline (e.g., biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering, geology, mathematics, physics, social and behavioral sciences).The interdisciplinary scope of URoL:Epigenetics projects also provides unique training and outreach possibilities to train the next generation of scientists in a diversity of approaches and to engage society more generally.  Letter of Intent Deadline: December 20, 2019.

The Directorate for Geosciences (GEO) contributes to the IUSE initiative through the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Pathways into the Geosciences – Earth, Ocean, Polar and Atmospheric Sciences (IUSE:GEOPAths) funding opportunity. IUSE:GEOPAths invites proposals that specifically address the current needs and opportunities related to education within the geosciences community through the formation of STEM Learning Ecosystems that engage students in the study of the Earth, its oceans, polar regions and atmosphere. The primary goal of the IUSE:GEOPAths funding opportunity is to increase the number of students pursuing undergraduate and/or postgraduate degrees through the design and testing of novel approaches that engage students in authentic, career-relevant experiences in geoscience. In order to broaden participation in the geosciences, engaging students from historically excluded groups or from non-geoscience degree programs is a priority. While maintaining elements from the legacy tracks of GEOPATHS, this solicitation features three new funding tracks that focus on Geoscience Learning Ecosystems (GLEs): 1) GEOPAths: Informal Networks (IN). Collaborative projects in this track will support geoscience learning and experiences in informal settings for teachers, pre-college (e.g., upper level high school) students, and early undergraduates in the geosciences. 2) GEOPAths: Undergraduate Preparation (UP). Projects in this track will engage pre-college and undergraduate students in extra-curricular experiences and training in the geosciences with a focus on service learning [Reference 3 in the Program Description section] and workplace skill building. 3) GEOPAths: Graduate Opportunities (GO). Projects in this track will improve research and career-related pathways into the geosciences for undergraduate and graduate students through institutional collaborations with a focus on service learning and workplace skill building. Letter of Intent Due Dates: December 20, 2019 and November 17, 2020.

Understanding the Rules of Life (URoL): Predicting Phenotype is one of NSF’s 10 big ideas and is focused on predicting the set of observable characteristics (phenotypes) based on the genetic makeup of the individual and the nature of its environment. The Understanding the Rules of Life: Microbiome Theory and Mechanisms (URoL:MTM) program is an integrative collaboration across Directorates and Offices within the National Science Foundation. The objective of URoL:MTM is to understand and establish the theory and mechanisms that govern the structure and function of microbiomes, a collection of microbes in a specific habitat/environment. This may include but is not limited to host-associated microbiomes, such as those with humans and other organisms, where i) the microbiome impacts host physiology, behavior, development, and fitness; ii) the host influences the metabolic activity, dynamics and evolution of the microbiome, and iii) the environment (biological, chemical, physical, and social) influences and is influenced by both the host and the microbiome. Letter of Intent due date: January 17, 2020.

The FRES program will support research in Earth systems from the core through the critical zone. The project may focus on all or part of the surface, continental lithospheric, and deeper Earth systems over the entire range of temporal and spatial scales. FRES projects should have a larger scientific scope and budget than those considered for funding by disciplinary programs in the Division of Earth Sciences (EAR). FRES projects may be interdisciplinary studies that do not fit well within EAR’s disciplinary programs or cannot be routinely managed by sharing between disciplinary programs. Innovative proposals within a single disciplinary area with outcomes of potential broad relevance to Earth Science research are also encouraged. Investigations may employ any combination of field, laboratory, and computational studies with observational, theoretical, or experimental approaches. Projects should be focused on topics that meet the guidelines for research funded by the Division of Earth Sciences. Full proposal deadline: February 5, 2020.

The Schlanger Ocean Drilling Fellowship Program offers merit-based awards for graduate students enrolled in a Ph.D. program to conduct research related to the International Ocean Discovery Program. The Fellowship year begins in either June or August (summer or fall semester) and runs one year. During the following summer, at the conclusion of the fellowship, Schlanger Fellows may attend a meeting of the U.S. Advisory Committee for Scientific Ocean Drilling (USAC) to present the initial results of their research and take part in U.S. Science Support Program-related activities. Fellowship awards are $30,000 for a 12-month period and are made to the fellow’s home institution. The entire amount is intended to be applied to the research project, student stipend, tuition, benefits, and, if necessary, related travel. No part of the award is to be used to cover institutional overhead, administrative costs, or permanent equipment. Award start dates can be negotiated on an individual basis—but in general are based on the academic year and following summer. The deadline for submission is December 6, 2019.

The International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) is now accepting applications for scientific participants on Expedition 392 Agulhas Plateau Cretaceous Climate, aboard the JOIDES Resolution. Agulhas Plateau Cretaceous Climate Expedition 392 is a scientific ocean drilling project that seeks to understand the evolution of Earth’s climate system from the Cretaceous Supergreenhouse into the Icehouse world of the Oligocene through examination of temperature, ocean circulation, and sedimentation changes as pCO2 fluctuated from as much as 3500 parts per million by volume (ppmv) to less than 560 ppmv. The Late Cretaceous was marked by reduced meridional temperature gradients and oceanic sedimentation was punctuated by episodic deposition of organic-rich sediment known as Oceanic Anoxic Events (OAEs); however, whether these events resulted from enhanced productivity or sluggish circulation remains unclear. This expedition also seeks to understand the nature and formation of the Agulhas Plateau as a Large Igneous Province (LIP) following the breakup of Gondwana and its impact on the timing of oceanic gateway opening, which has implications for oceanic circulation, carbon cycling, and global climate during the Late Cretaceous. Expedition 392 is based on IODP Proposals 834-Full2 and 834-Add and will primarily target Cretaceous to Paleogene age sediment and igneous basement at five primary sites on Agulhas Plateau (4 sites) and Transkei Basin (1 site) to examine the nature of Agulhas Plateau basement, opening of oceanic gateways, and evolution of the climate system through the Cretaceous Supergreenhouse and into the Cenozoic. The expedition will take place from 4 February to 6 April 2021. Opportunities exist for researchers (including graduate students) in all shipboard specialties, including but not limited to sedimentologists, petrologists, micropaleontologists, paleomagnetists, petrophysicists, borehole geophysicists, igneous geochemists, inorganic and organic geochemists, and microbiologists. The deadline to apply is December 2, 2019.

This Dear Colleague Letter provides updated information regarding the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Division of Ocean Sciences (OCE) support of the marine seismic community need for long-term sustainable access to seismic data collection capability.

The International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) explores Earth’s climate history, structure, mantle/crust dynamics, natural hazards, and deep biosphere as described in the IODP Science Plan Illuminating Earth’s Past, Present, and Future. IODP facilitates international and interdisciplinary research on transformative and societally relevant topics using the ocean drilling, coring, and downhole measurement facilities JOIDES Resolution (JR), Chikyu, and Mission Specific Platforms (MSP). Proposals are being actively sought for all three facilities. The JR is currently scheduled into the beginning 2022. Due to the recent facility renewal, we plan to schedule JR expeditions through the end of 2024. The JR is expected to operate in the Equatorial and North Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, Mediterranean, Caribbean, and the Arctic in 2021 and 2022, and to complete its circumnavigation with a return to the east Pacific region by 2023, the western Pacific by 2023-2024, and potentially the Indian Ocean by the end of 2024. Proposals for these future operational areas are now needed. MSP expeditions are planned to operate once every other year to recover core from targets that are inaccessible by the other facilities (e.g., shallow water, enclosed seas, inland seas). MSP proposals for any ocean are welcomed. Completely new Chikyu riser proposals (other than CPPs) will not be accepted until after publication of a new post-2023 science plan. We also invite proposals that involve drilling on land and at sea through coordination with the International Continental Drilling Program (ICDP). Investigators are reminded that the interval from the first proposal submission to expedition scheduling is on the order of 4-5 years due to the science and safety review process and required lead time for scheduling, and that adequate site characterization / site survey data are critical for success. Next submission deadline: October 1, 2019.

Scholarships are available to new or recent doctoral graduates in diverse areas of research. Applications will be accepted from doctoral recipients with research interests associated with the following Departments: Applied Ocean Physics & Engineering, Biology, Marine Chemistry & Geochemistry, Geology & Geophysics, Physical Oceanography [flyer]. A joint USGS/WHOI award will be given to a postdoc whose research is in an area of common interest between USGS and WHOI Scientific Staff [flyer]. The Ocean Bottom Seismograph Instrument Center (OBSIC) will award a fellowship for research on the earth’s internal structure and its dynamic processes using seafloor seismic measurements [flyer]. The Ocean Twilight Zone (OTZ) project will award a fellowship for research on midwater ecosystems and processes, including biomass, biodiversity, life histories and behavior, trophic interactions, links to the global carbon cycle, and ways to engage scientists with stakeholders [flyer]. Completed applications must be received by October 15, 2019.

The Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO) awards Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology (PRFB) to recent recipients of the doctoral degree for research and training in selected areas supported by BIO and with special goals for human resource development in biology. The fellowships encourage independence at an early stage of the research career to permit Fellows to pursue their research and training goals in the most appropriate research locations regardless of the availability of funding for the Fellows at that site. For applications under this solicitation, these areas are (1) Broadening Participation of Groups Underrepresented in Biology, (2) Interdisciplinary Research Using Biological Collections, (3) National Plant Genome Initiative (NPGI) Postdoctoral Research Fellowships and (4) Integrative Research Investigating the Rules of Life Governing Interactions Between Genomes, Environment and Phenotypes. Proposal deadline November 19, 2019.

The Division of Earth Sciences (EAR) awards Postdoctoral Fellowships to recent recipients of doctoral degrees to conduct an integrated program of independent research and professional development.  Fellowship proposals must address scientific questions within the scope of EAR disciplinary programs and must align with the overall theme for the postdoctoral program. The program supports researchers for a period of up to two years with fellowships that can be taken to the institution of their choice (including institutions abroad). The program is intended to recognize beginning investigators of significant potential, and provide them with research experience, mentorship, and training that will establish them in leadership positions in the Earth Sciences community. Because the fellowships are offered only to postdoctoral scientists early in their career, doctoral advisors are encouraged to discuss the availability of EAR postdoctoral fellowships with their graduate students early in their doctoral programs. Fellowships are awards to individuals, not institutions, and are administered by the Fellows. Proposals due September 11, 2019.

The OPUS program seeks to provide opportunities for mid- to later-career investigators to develop new understanding of science in the fields supported by the Division of Environmental Biology (DEB) through two tracks of synthesis activities. OPUS: Mid-Career Synthesis. This track aims to provide a mid-career researcher, defined as a candidate at the associate professor rank (or equivalent), with new capabilities to enhance their productivity, improve their retention as a scientist, and ensure a diverse scientific workforce that remains engaged in active research (including more women and minorities at high academic ranks). This track provides an opportunity for the mid-career scientist to enable a new synthesis of their ongoing research. Synthesis is achieved by developing new research capabilities through collaboration with a mentor to enable new understanding of the research system and questions of interest. OPUS: Core Research Synthesis. This track provides an opportunity for an individual or a group of investigators to revisit and synthesize a significant body of their prior research in a way that will enable new understanding of their research system and questions of interest. This track would also be appropriate early enough in a career to produce unique, integrated insight useful both to the scientific community and to the development of the investigator’s future career. Proposal deadlines: August 28, 2019 and August 3, 2020.

The purpose of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) is to help ensure the vitality and diversity of the scientific and engineering workforce of the United States. The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students who are pursuing full-time research-based master’s and doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) or in STEM education. The GRFP provides three years of support for the graduate education of individuals who have demonstrated their potential for significant research achievements in STEM or STEM education. NSF especially encourages women, members of underrepresented minority groups, persons with disabilities, veterans, and undergraduate seniors to apply. Application deadlines October 21-25, 2019 and October 19-23, 2020.

The International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) is now accepting applications for scientific participants on Expedition 391 Walvis Ridge Hotspot aboard the JOIDES Resolution. Expedition 391 is a scientific ocean drilling project that seeks to understand the geodynamic significance and origin of the Walvis Ridge (WR), a long-lived hotspot trail that began ~132 Ma at the opening of the South Atlantic Ocean. Because of its duration and volcanic expression, WR is the most influential of Atlantic hotspots and is thought to have a deep mantle plume source that can be projected to the edge of the African large low shear wave velocity province (LLSVP), a hypothesized plume generation zone. The hotspot displays long-lived (since ~70 Ma) isotopic zonation, a characteristic thought to originate at the LLSVP edge, and may be the first example of a hotspot split into three isotopically distinct seamount chains. The hotspot interacted with the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) for most of its early history, producing both the WR and Rio Grande Rise (RGR). Valdivia Bank, a WR plateau, may have formed with the RGR around a microplate, and this added complexity raises questions about simple plume models and the geodynamic implications of this hotspot trail. Opportunities exist for researchers (including graduate students) in all shipboard specialties, including but not limited to sedimentologists, petrologists, micropaleontologists, paleomagnetists, petrophysicists, borehole geophysicists, inorganic and organic geochemists, and microbiologists. The deadline to apply to sail is October 1, 2019.

Students and postdocs interested  in the field of “Exobiology: Early Evolution of Life and the Biosphere” are encouraged to check out opportunities for NASA Postdoctoral Program fellowships to work with several different investigators. Amongst the available mentors for this opportunity, C-DEBI Senior Scientist Beth Orcutt and Associate Director Julie Huber welcome discussion with interested applicants that want to use marine deep biosphere “extreme” environments, particularly in oceanic crust, as analog for studying life on ocean worlds. Please contact C-DEBI Senior Scientist Beth Orcutt (borcutt@bigelow.org, @DeepMicrobe) and Associate Director Julie Huber (jhuber@whoi.edu, @JulesDeep) to discuss your interest in this opportunity. Fellowship applications due Nov 1, 2019.

The Arctic plays host to a diverse range of microorganisms, including bacteria, algae, and viruses. The activity (or inactivity) or these microorganisms impacts the carbon and nutrient cycling among glaciers and soils, as well as the fertilization and productivity of Polar fjords and oceans, and the albedo of ice surfaces and thus the rate of sea-level rise. Microorganisms in cryospheric habitats must overcome a multitude of environmental stresses, including the freezing of water, desiccation, nutrient deficiencies, and exposure to UV irradiation. To counteract the potentially damaging effects of their harsh environment, they have evolved a range of adaptations. During extended periods of extremely harsh conditions (such as winter), dormancy is essential to enable life to persist. The PhD project seeks to measure the level of activity and dormancy of microorganisms from of a number of Arctic settings including glaciers and soils. This project will develop novel methods to determine the activity of microbial communities from Arctic habitats in situ and in the lab, and will involve laboratory and computational methods, with a possibility of Arctic fieldwork. The student will collaborate within a multi-disciplinary team across Queen Mary University of London and the Natural History Museum. The project would suit a student with an interest in environmental microbiology and biogeochemistry, and Arctic climate change. Opportunities for funding include London NERC DTP and QMUL Principal’s Postgraduate Research Studentships. For further information about the project, eligibility and future application deadlines in 2019/20, please contact Dr James Bradley.

The deep subsurface biosphere contains a vast proportion of Earth’s microbial life and organic carbon. In deep, energy-limited settings, microorganisms persist over extraordinarily long timescales with very slow metabolisms – constituting an important analogue to the potential for life beyond Earth. However, the subsurface is notoriously difficult to study because of its remoteness and limited access, as well as the low biomass concentrations and energy fluxes associated with microbial activity. Therefore, numerical models are pivotal in addressing how microorganisms endure, proliferate, and assemble in deep subsurface settings, and understanding the selective environmental pressures that determine energetic trade-offs between growth and maintenance activities. This PhD project provides the opportunity to work at the frontier of deep biosphere science by developing a microbially-explicit model for the subsurface. This model will provide quantitative insight into microbial and geochemical coupling in deep marine or terrestrial settings, and insight into the energetic limit of life. The project would suit a computational and numerate student with an interest in life in extreme environments, biogeochemistry, and microbial-biogeochemical modelling. Opportunities for funding include London NERC DTP and QMUL Principal’s Postgraduate Research Studentships. For further information about the project, eligibility and future application deadlines in 2019/20, please contact Dr James Bradley.

The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation’s Symbiosis in Aquatic Systems Initiative and the Simons Foundation Life Sciences Division are jointly soliciting proposals for research on the origin of the eukaryotic cell. In addition to seeking researchers who currently work in these areas, we hope to identify scientists and engineers who have not previously worked on these topics and who would bring novel perspectives, methods and technologies to these important areas of science. The deadline for submitting a proposal is September 30, 2019.

The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation’s Symbiosis in Aquatic Systems Initiative is solicitating pre-applications to advance development of experimentally tractable model systems in aquatic symbiosis. Additionally, we are seeking information about needs in model systems development through a related survey.  In addition to seeking researchers who currently work in these areas, we hope to identify scientists and engineers who have not previously worked on these topics and who would bring novel perspectives, methods and technologies to these important areas of science. The deadline for submitting a pre-application for the Symbiosis Model Systems funding call is August 8, 2019.

The Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program is a Foundation-wide activity that offers the National Science Foundation’s most prestigious awards in support of early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization. Activities pursued by early-career faculty should build a firm foundation for a lifetime of leadership in integrating education and research. NSF encourages submission of CAREER proposals from early-career faculty at all CAREER-eligible organizations and especially encourages women, members of underrepresented minority groups, and persons with disabilities to apply. Full proposal deadlines: July 17-19, 2019.

The primary goal of the UNOLS Cruise Opportunity Program is to provide graduate students currently completing (or who have recently completed) a degree in a field of oceanographic research with the opportunity to participate in a research cruise. The participant will be a member of the scientific party and be involved in data collection and all other activities at sea. It is envisioned that the individual will be familiar with the science to be conducted at sea, and thus, form new collaborations and potentially develop new research directions. To be eligible to participate in this program, the individual must be either currently be studying at a U.S.-based institution or a recent graduate, and must have either a U.S. Passport or a U.S. Work Visa. Please note that you are responsible for paying for your travel to/from the ship (unless otherwise noted), and at this time the UNOLS Office is unable to provide travel funds; however your advisor or institution may have some ideas.

The International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) is now accepting applications for scientific participants on Expedition 386 Japan Trench Paleoseismology, aboard a Mission-Specific Platform (MSP) organized by the ECORD Science Operator (ESO) and jointly implemented with the Institute for Marine-Earth Exploration and Engineering (MarE3) within the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC). Opportunities exist for researchers (including graduate students) in all specialties. While other expertise may be considered, specialists in the following fields are required: sedimentology (with special focus on deep-water and hadal trench depositional environments, sediment fabrics, and X-ray computed tomography), event stratigraphy, micropaleontology (including expertise with siliceous microfossils and benthic foraminifera), tephra stratigraphy, paleomagnetics, stratigraphic correlation, organic geochemistry, inorganic geochemistry, physical properties, geophysics, paleoseismology, structural geology, and microbiology. For the offshore phase of the expedition, we are particularly looking for the following fields: sedimentology, micropaleontology, organic geochemistry, inorganic geochemistry, physical properties, event stratigraphy, stratigraphic correlation, geophysics and microbiology. The deadline to apply is July 19, 2019.

The International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) program supports international research and research-related activities for U.S. science and engineering students. The IRES program contributes to development of a diverse, globally-engaged workforce with world-class skills. IRES focuses on active research participation by undergraduate or graduate students in high quality international research, education and professional development experiences in NSF-funded research areas. The overarching, long-term goal of the IRES program is to enhance U.S. leadership in research and education and to strengthen economic competitiveness through training the next generation of research leaders. This solicitation features three mechanisms; proposers are required to select one of the following tracks to submit their proposal. Track I focuses on the development of world-class research skills in international cohort experiences. Track II is dedicated to targeted, intensive learning and training opportunities that leverage international knowledge at the frontiers of research. Track III supports U.S. institutional collaborations to develop, implement and evaluate innovative models for high-impact, large-scale international research and professional development experiences for U.S. graduate students. Student participants supported by IRES funds must be citizens, nationals, or permanent residents of the United States. Students do not apply directly to NSF to participate in IRES activities. Students apply to NSF-funded investigators who receive IRES awards. To identify appropriate IRES projects, students should consult the directory of active IRES awards. Full Proposal Deadlines: September 10, 2019 (Track I), September 17, 2019 (Track II) and September 24, 2019 (Track III).

This Special Issue seeks to cover all geobiological aspects of the upper crust (continental and marine) and we invite contributions with relevance to geomicrobiology, isotope geochemistry, microbial-activity-associated geochronology and related geochemical and hydrochemical proxies as well as presentations on new methods, techniques, and experimental approaches in both the modern and ancient crust. We wish to cover a broad spectrum of environments such as ultra-mafic, mafic, and felsic systems, as well as hydrothermal/geothermal areas and sedimentary successions. We encourage contributions related to scientific drilling programs as well as research from underground facilites and deep drillings related to mining activity or nuclear waste disposal, in addition to studies of exposed ancient crust. Astrobiological implications are also encouraged. Deadline for manuscript submissions: September 1, 2019.

Apply for one of four grants totaling $20,000. Winners will receive credit toward any GENEWIZ service, including Next Generation Sequencing, Synthetic DNA Solutions, and Sanger Sequencing. Simply submit a 250-word abstract describing your project. Winners will be announced at the end of GENEWIZ Week (June 14, 2019). Submit your application by June 7, 2019 for consideration.

The U.S. Science Support Program, associated with the International Ocean Discovery Program, is currently accepting proposals for planning workshops. Proposed workshops should promote the development of new ideas and strategies to study the Earth’s processes and history using scientific ocean drilling. Workshops may focus on a specific scientific theme or topic, or they may focus on a geographic region, integrating multiple topics. Regionally-focused workshops offer opportunities to synthesize scientific results from past expeditions, or to develop drilling proposals for future expeditions. Prospective workshop proponents should consider long-term projected ship tracks in identifying potential geographic areas for focus. Funding may be requested for U.S.-based meetings or to support U.S. participants at larger international workshops. Broad-based scientific community involvement, co-sponsorship by related programs, and the active participation of early career researchers are strongly encouraged. The submission deadline is June 1, 2019.

The Symbiosis in Aquatic Systems Initiative of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation is soliciting pre-applications for investigator awards. Each award will fund research in a single investigator’s laboratory. Our goal with the awards is to provide scientists with the resources and flexibility to pursue innovative, risky research that has high potential for significant conceptual and methodological advances in aquatic symbiosis. We anticipate investigators will generate new technologies, resources, theory, natural history and hypotheses to spark discovery in understanding aquatic organisms and their symbioses. We envision a vibrant cohort of investigators that serves as a source of ideas for the initiative, collaborates among peers, and moves the community towards a more comprehensive understanding how marine and freshwater organisms interact in symbiotic associations involving microbes. We anticipate awards encompassing one or more of three central themes: origins and evolution, mechanisms of symbiotic interactions, and/or ecology and natural history. We are interested in symbioses where at least one partner is a microbe and where the symbiosis takes place in a marine or freshwater environment. We anticipate the initiative will support approximately 12 scientists for five years (2020-2025) who represent both early and established career stages and include both current and emerging leaders in their fields. Investigators will convene at an annual symposium to share research findings and build connections across symbiosis researchers. Awards will range from approximately $200K-$400K/year in direct costs. Pre-application deadline: June 3, 2019.

To further scientific and technological cooperation between the United States and the European Community, the National Science Foundation and the European Research Council signed an Implementing Arrangement on July 13, 2012 to enable U.S. scientists and engineers with NSF-funded CAREER awards and Postdoctoral Research Fellowships to pursue research collaboration with European colleagues supported through EU-funded European Research Council (ERC) grants. Connecting researchers with complementary strengths and shared interests promotes scientific progress in solving some of the world’s most vexing problems. This international research opportunity is mutually beneficial to the U.S. participants and the hosts through cooperative activities during research visits and establishing international research partnerships to enrich future research activities in the U.S. and Europe. Under the Arrangement, the ERC Executive Agency (ERCEA) identifies ERC-funded research groups who wish to host NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellows for research visits of up to one year within their ERC funding. The 2018 Dear Colleague Letter for this opportunity noted that 2018 would be the final year in its current form. NSF is extending the current opportunity for one additional year. NSF intends to announce a new, related opportunity in FY 2020. Requests must be received at NSF at least 3 months prior to the proposed visit, but no later than June 21, 2019, for consideration using Fiscal Year 2019 funds.

Expeditions 390 and 393 are a multidisciplinary and joint scientific ocean drilling project that aims to recover complete sedimentary sections and ~200 m of oceanic crust along a crustal age transect at ~31°S across the South Atlantic Ocean to: (1) investigate the history of low-temperature hydrothermal interactions between the aging ocean crust and the evolving South Atlantic Ocean; (2) quantify past hydrothermal contributions to global geochemical cycles; (3) investigate sediment and basement-hosted microbial community variation with substrate composition and age in the low energy South Atlantic Gyre subseafloor biosphere; and (4) investigate the responses of Atlantic Ocean circulation patterns and the Earth’s climate system to rapid climate change, including elevated CO2 during the Cenozoic. The expeditions will occur from 5 October to 5 December 2020 (Expedition 390) and 6 April to 6 June 2021 (Expedition 393). Opportunities exist for researchers (including graduate students) in all shipboard specialties, including but not limited to sedimentologists, petrologists, micropaleontologists, paleomagnetists, petrophysicists, geophysicists, inorganic and organic geochemists, and microbiologists. The deadline to apply is August 1, 2019.

The Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program supports active research participation by undergraduate students in any of the areas of research funded by the National Science Foundation. REU projects involve students in meaningful ways in ongoing research programs or in research projects specifically designed for the REU program. This solicitation features two mechanisms for support of student research: (1) REU Sites are based on independent proposals to initiate and conduct projects that engage a number of students in research. REU Sites may be based in a single discipline or academic department or may offer interdisciplinary or multi-department research opportunities with a coherent intellectual theme. Proposals with an international dimension are welcome. (2) REU Supplements may be included as a component of proposals for new or renewal NSF grants or cooperative agreements or may be requested for ongoing NSF-funded research projects. Full Proposal Deadlines: May 24, 2019 and August 28, 2019.

The NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research (OER) is soliciting ocean exploration proposals to address knowledge gaps and support growth in the Nation’s Blue Economy and/or to contribute to Seabed 2030 goals. Proposals are being requested on the following three topics: 1. OCEAN EXPLORATION. Ocean exploration to inform management, sustainable use, and conservation of marine resources in poorly explored deep ocean areas of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone. Areas proposed for exploration and/or initial characterization must be at a minimum depth of 200 meters. 2. MARINE ARCHAEOLOGY. Discovery and characterization of underwater cultural heritage representing past marine-based economic activities or early human occupation to inform decisions on preservation and seabed use, and to identify sources of potential environmental impacts. Marine archaeology proposals can be conducted in any water depth. 3. TECHNOLOGY. Application of new or novel use of existing ocean technologies or innovative methods that increase the scope and efficiency of acquiring ocean exploration data and improve usability of and access to ocean exploration data. Proposed technologies must be applicable to water depths of 200 meters or greater, though testing in shallower water or lab-based test facilities will be supported. The deadline for the pre-proposal submission is May 24, 2019.

The Simons Foundation invites applications for postdoctoral fellowships to support research on fundamental problems in marine microbial ecology. The foundation is particularly interested in applicants with training in different fields who want to apply their experience to understanding the role of microorganisms in shaping ocean processes, and vice versa, as well as applicants with experience in modeling or theory development. While these cross-disciplinary applicants will receive particular attention, applicants already involved in ocean research are also encouraged to apply. The foundation anticipates awarding five fellowships in 2019. Application deadline: June 14, 2019.

We are opening a call for the selection of current M.Sc. or Ph.D. students along with early career scientists to participate in the NSF funded project AXIAL aboard the R/V Marcus Langseth during the summer of 2019. The 33 day research cruise will allow participation in all facets of ship operation, including deployment of scientific instrumentation, keeping watch during data collection, initial onboard data processing, an onboard reading and discussion group and workshops for mapping and seismic processing. We encourage a diverse group of participants including women and demographics underrepresented in the geoscience community. Applications due April 1, 2019.

UNOLS is pleased to announce that the US National Science Foundation together with the Office of Naval Research and the State of Hawaii have provided funding for a Chief Scientist Training Cruise Opportunity with an emphasis on Biological and Chemical Oceanographic research. The research cruise will take place in June 2019 (15-24 June 2019) aboard the R/V Kilo Moana. The cruise will depart from and arrive into Honolulu, HI. Participants will help plan and execute 10 days of at-sea oceanographic research that will take advantage of shipboard and PI supplied equipment to address scientific questions related to the role of biology in regulating vertical exchanges of bioelements between the upper ocean and the ocean’s interior waters. The research cruise will focus on biogeochemical and ecological dynamics at Station ALOHA (22°45´N, 158°W), field site for the Hawaii Ocean Time-series program in the subtropical North Pacific Ocean. The wealth of contextual information available from decades of research at this field site will help guide the scientific foci for this training cruise. Pre-cruise meetings and workshops will be used to identify participant-specific research questions and objectives. Travel costs and research supplies will be provided. Space is limited. To apply you must be an employee, trainee, or student (U.S. Citizen or permanent resident) at a U.S. institution or a U.S. citizen working abroad. To be considered, applications must be received by March 18, 2019.

This solicitation invites proposals for the creation of international networks of networks in research areas aligned either with one of the NSF Big Ideas or a community-identified scientific challenge with international dimensions. AccelNet awards are meant to support the connections among research networks, rather than supporting fundamental research as the primary activity.  Each network of networks is expected to engage in innovative collaborative activities that promote synergy of efforts across the networks and provide professional development for students, postdoctoral scholars, and early-career researchers. There are two proposal categories covered by this solicitation: Catalytic and Full-Scale Implementation. Letter of intent due date: October 30, 2019.

The Asahiko Taira International Scientific Ocean Drilling Research Prize (The Taira Prize) is given annually to one honoree in recognition of “outstanding transdisciplinary research accomplishment in ocean drilling.” Established in 2014, the Taira Prize is a partnership between the American Geophysical Union (AGU) and the Japan Geoscience Union (JpGU), and is made possible through the generous donation from the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Management International (IODP-MI). The prize is given in honor of Dr. Asahiko Taira of the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology. Deadline to nominate: April 15, 2019.

The Division of Integrative Organismal Systems (IOS) recognizes that a lack of methods for analysis of gene function represents an obstacle to progress in a range of diverse non-model organisms. These organisms are important for understanding numerous basic science questions in organismal biology as funded through the Division’s core programs. Enabling Discovery through Genomic Tools (EDGE) is designed to provide support for development of tools, approaches and infrastructure necessary for direct tests of cause and effect hypotheses between gene function and phenotypes in diverse plants, animals, microbes, viruses and fungi for which these methods are presently unavailable. Such approaches are essential to advance understanding of the genomes-to-phenomes relationship, an area relevant to Understanding the Rules of Life: Predicting Phenotype, one of the 10 Big Ideas for future NSF investment. To meet the goal of catalyzing communities to enable direct tests of cause-and-effect hypotheses about genes and phenotypes in organisms for which such tools and infrastructure are presently lacking, EDGE proposals must include training and rapid dissemination plans enabling larger communities of investigators to utilize the newly-developed tools quickly, thereby catalyzing an increase in the capacity of research communities to test cause-and-effect hypotheses about genes and phenotypes in organisms for which such tools and infrastructure are presently lacking. Full Proposal Deadline Date: February 12, 2019.

The NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) program is designed to encourage the development and implementation of bold, new, and potentially transformative models for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) graduate education training. The NRT program seeks proposals that explore ways for graduate students in research-based master’s and doctoral degree programs to develop the skills, knowledge, and competencies needed to pursue a range of STEM careers. Next letter of intent window: November 25, 2019 – December 6, 2019.

The FRES program will support research in Earth systems from its core through the critical zone. The project may focus on all or part of the surface, continental lithospheric, and deeper Earth systems over the entire range of temporal and spatial scales. FRES projects will typically have a larger scientific scope and budget than those considered for funding by core programs in the Division of Earth Sciences (EAR). FRES projects may be interdisciplinary studies that do not fit well within the core programs or cannot be routinely managed by sharing between core programs. Innovative proposals within a single area with results that will have broad relevance to Earth Science research are also encouraged. Investigations may employ any combination of field, laboratory, and computational studies with observational, theoretical, or experimental approaches. Projects should be focused on topics that meet the guidelines for research funded by the Division of Earth Sciences. Full proposal deadline date: February 21, 2019 .

The Physical Oceanography Program supports research on a wide range of topics associated with the structure and movement of the ocean, with the way in which it transports various quantities, with the way the ocean’s physical structure interacts with the biological and chemical processes within it, and with interactions between the ocean and the atmosphere, solid earth and ice that surround it. Full proposal deadline dates: February 15, 2019  and August 15, 2019.

The Chemical Oceanography Program supports research into the chemistry of the oceans and the role of the oceans in global geochemical cycles. Areas of interest include chemical composition, speciation, and transformation; chemical exchanges between the oceans and other components of the Earth system; internal cycling in oceans, seas, and estuaries; and the use of measured chemical distributions as indicators of physical, biological, and geological processes. Full proposal deadline dates: February 15, 2019  and August 15, 2019.

The Biological Oceanography Program supports fundamental research in biological oceanography and marine ecology (populations to the ecosystems) broadly defined: relationships among aquatic organisms and their interactions with the environments of the oceans or Great Lakes. Projects submitted to the program are often interdisciplinary efforts that may include participation by other OCE Programs. Full proposal deadline dates: February 14, 2019  and August 15, 2019.

The Instrumentation and Facilities Program in the Division of Earth Sciences (EAR/IF) supports meritorious requests for infrastructure that promotes research and education in areas supported by the Division. Under this solicitation EAR/IF will consider proposals for Laboratory Technician Support to provide for optimal and efficient operation of advanced instrumentation, analytical protocol development, and user training for Earth science research instrumentation. Support is available through grants in response to investigator-initiated proposals. Technician support duties that promote human resource development and education are expected to be an integral part of proposals. Efforts to support participation of underrepresented groups in laboratory and/or field instrument use and training are encouraged as part of any described technician’s duties. Proposals from early career (tenure track but untenured) lead investigators are also encouraged. Such proposals will be given due consideration as part of the Broader Impacts merit review criterion. Full proposal deadline date: February 14, 2019

The International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) is now accepting applications for scientific participants on Expedition 388 Equatorial Atlantic Gateway, aboard the JOIDES Resolution. IODP Expedition 388 will study the tectonic, climatic, and biotic evolution of the Equatorial Atlantic Gateway (EAG) at three sites on and near the Pernambuco Plateau (northeastern Brazilian continental shelf). These will target Late Cretaceous-Recent sediments and oceanic crust and are strategically located both near the continental margin and at paleo-water depths that are shallow enough (< 2000 m) to provide well-preserved organic biomarkers and calcareous microfossils for proxy reconstructions of greenhouse climates. Core and log data will address four key themes: (1) the early rift history of the Equatorial Atlantic; (2) the biogeochemistry of the restricted Equatorial Atlantic; (3) the long-term paleoceanography of the EAG; and, (4) the limits of tropical climates and ecosystems under conditions of extreme warmth. This expedition will constrain the long-term interactions between tectonics, oceanography, ocean biogeochemistry and climate, and the functioning of tropical ecosystems and climate during intervals of extreme warmth. The expedition will take place from 26 June to 26 August 2020. Opportunities exist for researchers (including graduate students) in all shipboard specialties, including but not limited to sedimentologists, micropaleontologists, paleomagnetists, inorganic/organic geochemists, microbiologists, petrologists, petrophysicists, and borehole geophysicists. U.S.-affiliated scientists interested in responding to the special call should apply to sail through the U.S. Science Support Program. The deadline to apply is April 1, 2019.

The International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) is now accepting applications for scientific participants on Expedition 387 Amazon Margin, aboard the JOIDES Resolution. IODP Expedition 387 will drill the upper portion of the Foz do Amazonas basin of the equatorial margin of Brazil to recover a complete, high-resolution sedimentary sequence spanning nearly the entire Cenozoic. This expedition is the marine complement to the Trans-Amazon Drilling Project transect of continental drill sites, and will address fundamental questions about the Cenozoic climatic evolution of the Amazon region, the origins and evolution of the neotropical rain forest and its incomparable biodiversity, the paleoceanographic history of the western equatorial Atlantic, and the origins of the transcontinental Amazon River. Core and log data from sites on the uppermost continental slope will be used to: (1) generate a continuous record of climate and biodiversity in Cenozoic South America at unprecedented resolution; (2) reconstruct the oceanographic conditions of the western tropical Atlantic; (3) provide critical marine biostratigraphic control for correlation with the Trans-Amazon Drilling Project; (4) determine the onset and history of trans-continental drainage of the proto-Amazon River into the Atlantic; and (5) test major hypotheses about the originations and extinctions of tropical South American biota. The expedition will take place from 26 April to 26 June 2020. Opportunities exist for researchers (including graduate students) in all shipboard specialties, including but not limited to sedimentologists, micropaleontologists, paleomagnetists, inorganic/organic geochemists, petrologists, petrophysicists, microbiologists, and borehole geophysicists. U.S.-affiliated scientists interested in responding to the special call should apply to sail through the U.S. Science Support Program. The deadline to apply is March 1, 2019.

The OPUS program seeks to provide opportunities for mid- to later-career investigators to develop new understanding of science in the fields supported by the Division of Environmental Biology (DEB) through two tracks of synthesis activities. 1) OPUS: Mid-Career Synthesis: This track provides an opportunity for a mid-career researcher, defined as a candidate at the associate professor rank (or equivalent) to enable a new synthesis of their ongoing research. Synthesis is achieved by developing new research capabilities through collaboration with a mentor to enable new understanding of their research system and questions of interest. This track aims to provide mid-career scientists with new capabilities to enhance their productivity, improve their retention as scientists, and ensure a diverse scientific workforce that remains engaged in active research (including more women and minorities at high academic ranks). 2) OPUS: Core Research Synthesis: This track provides an opportunity for an individual or a group of investigators to revisit and synthesize a significant body of their prior research in a way that will enable new understanding of their research system and questions of interest. This track would also be appropriate early enough in a career to produce unique, integrated insight useful both to the scientific community and to the development of the investigator’s future career. Full proposal deadlines: November 19, 2018 and August 5, 2019.

The Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO) awards Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology to recent recipients of the doctoral degree for research and training in selected areas supported by BIO and with special goals for human resource development in biology.  The fellowships encourage independence at an early stage of the research career to permit Fellows to pursue their research and training goals in the most appropriate research locations regardless of the availability of funding for the Fellows at that site. For FY 2015 and beyond, these BIO programs are (1) Broadening Participation of Groups Under-represented in Biology, (2) Research Using Biological Collections, and (3) National Plant Genome Initiative (NPGI) Postdoctoral Research Fellowships.  These areas change periodically as new scientific and infrastructure opportunities present themselves. For this reason, this solicitation will be changed as necessary to reflect the areas being funded. Full proposal deadline date: November 6, 2018.

The U.S. Science Support Program is currently accepting applications for the 2019-2020 Schlanger Ocean Drilling Fellowship Program. The Schlanger Fellowship Program offers merit-based awards for outstanding graduate students to conduct research related to the International Ocean Discovery Program. Research may be related to the objectives of past expeditions or it may address broader science themes. Selected fellows will receive an award of $30,000 for a 12-month period that can be used for research, stipend, tuition, or other approved costs. Schlanger Fellowships are open to all graduate students enrolled at U.S. institutions in full-time M.S. or Ph.D. programs. Applications require reference material from two referees, one of which must be the student’s faculty advisor. The submission deadline is December 7, 2018.

Successful projects of the URoL:Epigenetics Program are anticipated to use complementary, interdisciplinary approaches to investigate how epigenetic phenomena lead to emergent properties that explain the fundamental behavior of living systems. Ultimately, successful projects should identify general principles (“rules”) that underlie a wide spectrum of biological phenomena across size, complexity (e.g., molecular, cellular, organismal, population) and temporal scales (from sub-second to geologic) in taxa from anywhere within the tree of life. URoL:Epigenetics projects must integrate perspectives and research approaches from more than one research discipline (e.g., biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering, geology, mathematics, physics, social and behavioral sciences). The interdisciplinary scope of URoL:Epigenetics projects also provides unique training and outreach possibilities to train the next generation of scientists in a diversity of approaches and to engage society more generally. Full proposal deadline: February 1, 2019.

The U.S. Science Support Program, associated with the International Ocean Discovery Program, is currently accepting proposals for planning workshops. Proposed workshops should promote the development of new ideas and strategies to study the Earth’s processes and history using scientific ocean drilling. Workshops may focus on a specific scientific theme or topic, or they may focus on a geographic region, integrating multiple topics. Regionally-focused workshops offer opportunities to synthesize scientific results from past expeditions, or to develop drilling proposals for future expeditions. Prospective workshop proponents should consider long-term projected ship tracks in identifying potential geographic areas for focus. Funding may be requested for U.S.-based meetings or to support U.S. participants at larger international workshops. Broad-based scientific community involvement, co-sponsorship by related programs, and the active participation of early career researchers are strongly encouraged. The submission deadline is December 1, 2018.

The International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) is now accepting applications for scientific participants on Expedition 389 Hawaiian Drowned Reefs aboard a Mission-Specific Platform (MSP) provided by the ECORD Science Operator. The overall goal of IODP Expedition 389 is to sample a unique succession of drowned coral reefs around Hawaii now at -134 to -1155 m below sea level. Scientific drilling through these reefs will generate a new record of sea-level and associated climate variability during several controversial and poorly understood periods over the last 500 kyr. Opportunities exist for researchers (including graduate students) in all specialties. While other expertise may be considered, specialists in the following fields are required: carbonate sedimentology, corals, sedimentology, paleontology, palynology, organic geochemistry, inorganic geochemistry, structural geology, paleomagnetics, microbiology, physical properties, geophysics, geodynamics, glacial isostatic adjustment, stratigraphic correlation and downhole logging. For the offshore phase of the expedition, we are particularly looking for the following fields: carbonate sedimentology, corals, sedimentology, paleontology, organic geochemistry, inorganic geochemistry, microbiology, physical properties, and petrophysics/downhole logging. The deadline to apply is November 23, 2018.

The Infrastructure Innovation for Biological Research (IIBR) program encourages new approaches to the acquisition and use of biological data to provide greater value to the scientific community. The IIBR program is especially interested in proposals that offer innovative and potentially transformative advances in the acquisition and use of biological data through the development of 1) informatics methods and resources for organizing, analyzing, and displaying complex data sets, 2) novel instrumentation and associated methods for collection of new data, and 3) multidisciplinary approaches to innovative infrastructure solutions in data acquisition, management, or analysis. It is expected that awards made in the IIBR program will stimulate advances that impact a significant segment of the biological research community supported by the NSF Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO). All fields of science supported by BIO are eligible for support under the IIBR program. Proposals accepted anytime.

The USSSP Onboard Outreach Program gives formal and informal educators, artists, writers, videographers and other participants the opportunity to spend an entire expedition with an IODP shipboard party and translate their experiences for students and the general public via blogs, videos, social networking sites, live ship-to-shore video events and development of educational resources. Onboard Outreach Program participants are selected through a competitive application and interview process. All expenses for Onboard Outreach Program participants, such as travel to and from the ports of call, and a $10,000 stipend, are paid by USSSP. The selected individual(s) will also be flown to a three-day training session prior to their expedition. Non-US applicants will be directed to their country’s IODP Program Member Office but are still encouraged to apply. Application period ends on October 19, 2018.

There is a new National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP) “Broad Agency Announcement” (ONR BAA # N000014-18-S-B007) posted that includes seven ocean research and technology topics that may be of interest. Up to $27.3 million over three (3) years may be available for this solicitation, subject to appropriation, availability of funds, and final approval by the participating NOPP agencies. The BAA provides research opportunities for the following seven topics: Topic 1 – CubeSat Sensors for Investigating Littoral Ocean & Atmosphere Dynamics; Topic 2 – Sustained observations of marine biodiversity for improved understanding of marine ecosystem responses to changing environmental conditions; Topic 3 – Advanced Sensor Technology; Topic 4 – Autonomous Profiling Floats for Investigating Tropical Pacific Ocean Biogeochemistry; Topic 5 – Improving Arctic Operational Forecasts Arctic Observing System Simulation Experiments using Year of Polar Prediction data (Arctic OSSE); Topic 6 – New Approaches for Data Assimilation to Improve Operational Ocean Prediction; Topic 7 – Autonomous Mapping. Proposal deadlines of December 21, 2018 and January 18. 2019.

The International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) explores Earth’s climate history, structure, mantle/crust dynamics, natural hazards, and deep biosphere as described in the IODP Science Plan Illuminating Earth’s Past, Present, and Future. IODP facilitates international and interdisciplinary research on transformative and societally relevant topics using the ocean drilling, coring, and downhole measurement facilities JOIDES Resolution (JR), Chikyu, and Mission Specific Platforms (MSP). All three IODP facilities are now encouraging new proposals. The JR is currently scheduled into early 2020. The JR is expected to operate in the Equatorial and North Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, Mediterranean, Caribbean, and the Arctic in 2021 and 2022, and to complete its circumnavigation with a return to the Indo-Pacific region by 2023. Proposals for these future operational areas are strongly encouraged. MSP expeditions are planned to operate once per year on average to recover core from targets that are generally inaccessible by JR and Chikyu. MSP proposals for any ocean are welcomed. To encourage exciting Chikyu expeditions in the future, new pre-proposals for both riser and non-riser operations will be considered. Next proposal deadline: October 1, 2018.

Advances in the biological sciences are enabled by our capacity to acquire, manage, represent, and analyze biological information through the use of modern instrumentation and computational tools.  Instrumentation Capacity for Biological Research (ICBR) invites proposals that specifically enable increased access to state of the art instrumentation in support of the biological sciences by (1) increasing access to a community of users through broadening of dissemination of such instrumentation, and (2) broadening access to state-of-the art instrumentation and facilities at a regional or national level. The “Rules of Life” is one of the NSF’s ten big ideas for future investment. Understanding these basic “Rules” and how they operate across scales of time, space, and complexity to determine how genes function and interact with the environment will enable us to predict the phenotype, structure, function, and behavior of organisms. Providing scientists with the instrumentation and resources necessary to make these discoveries requires investments in new instrumentation capabilities and extending access to existing instrumentation and experimental facilities. Competitive proposals under ICBR  will expand access to new or existing instrumentation that supports a significant segment of the biological research community conducting research in areas supported by the NSF Biological Sciences Directorate (BIO). The program will support activities that (1) enhance the access to and dissemination of innovative instrumentation, and (2) promote and enable access to existing instrumentation facilities (ie. imaging, genomics, proteomics, etc.) at the regional or national level.

ICBR supports capacity building that may include (but is not limited to):

• Building a community of instrument users through broadening dissemination of new or significantly improved instrumentation
• Broadening of access to instrumentation or experimental facilities at the regional or national level that provide infrastructure for data collection that might not be otherwise available to researchers due to the cost of instrumentation, the lack of available resources on campus, or the requirement of otherwise unavailable technical expertise.

The Division of Environmental Biology (DEB) Core Track supports research and training on evolutionary and ecological processes acting at the level of populations, species, communities, and ecosystems. DEB encourages research that elucidates fundamental principles that identify and explain the unity and diversity of life and its interactions with the environment over space and time. Research may incorporate field, laboratory, or collection-based approaches; observational or manipulative studies; synthesis activities; phylogenetic discovery projects; or theoretical approaches involving analytical, statistical, or computational modeling. Research addressing ecology and ecosystem science in the marine biome should be directed to the Biological Oceanography Program in the Division of Ocean Sciences; research addressing evolution and systematics in the marine biome should be directed to the Evolutionary Processes or Systematics and Biodiversity Science programs in DEB. All DEB programs also encourage proposals that leverage NSF-supported data networks, databases, centers, and other forms of scientific infrastructure, including but not limited to the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), Environmental Data Initiative (EDI), and Integrated Digitized Biocollections (iDigBio). Rules of Life Track proposals that integrate across the scales in biological sciences are solicited to support research that spans from the population, species, community and ecosystem scales normally funded by DEB, to organismal, cellular and molecular scales typically funded by other divisions in the Biological Sciences. This track provides new opportunities to advance our understanding of the Rules of Life by new mechanisms for review and funding of proposals that would not ordinarily fit well within one division in the Biological Sciences Directorate. Proposals Accepted Anytime.

IUSE: GEOPATHS invites proposals that specifically address the current needs and opportunities related to undergraduate education within the geosciences community. The primary goal of the IUSE: GEOPATHS funding opportunity is to increase the number of undergraduate students interested in pursuing undergraduate degrees and/or post-graduate degrees in geoscience through the design and testing of novel approaches for engaging students in authentic, career-relevant experiences in geoscience. In order to broaden participation in the geosciences, engaging undergraduate students from traditionally underrepresented groups or from non-geoscience degree programs is a priority. The IUSE: GEOPATHS solicitation features two funding tTracks: (1) Engaging students in the geosciences through extra-curricular experiences and training activities (GEOPATHS-EXTRA), and (2) Improving pathways into the geosciences through institutional collaborations and transfer (GEOPATHS-IMPACT). Letter of Intent deadline:  September 21, 2018.

The Division of Earth Sciences (EAR) awards Postdoctoral Fellowships to recent recipients of doctoral degrees to conduct an integrated program of independent research and professional development.  Fellowship proposals must address scientific questions within the scope of EAR disciplinary programs and must align with the overall theme for the postdoctoral program. The program supports researchers for a period of up to two years with fellowships that can be taken to the institution of their choice (including institutions abroad). The program is intended to recognize beginning investigators of significant potential, and provide them with research experience, mentorship, and training that will establish them in leadership positions in the Earth Sciences community. Because the fellowships are offered only to postdoctoral scientists early in their career, doctoral advisors are encouraged to discuss the availability of EAR postdoctoral fellowships with their graduate students early in their doctoral programs. Fellowships are awards to individuals, not institutions, and are administered by the Fellows. Full proposal deadline: September 19, 2018.

The PI of an active NSF award may request supplemental funding for one or more graduate students to gain knowledge, skills and experiences that will augment their preparation for a successful long-term career through an internship in a non-academic setting, including the following: For-profit industry laboratories or industry research and development groups; Start-up businesses, such as (but not limited to) those funded through the NSF’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program; Government agencies (all levels) and National Laboratories; Policy think-tanks; and Non-profit organizations. PIs are encouraged to discuss with the cognizant NSF program director activities that are synergistic with the project scope. It is expected that the graduate student and the PI on the NSF grant will work together to identify innovative experiences that add the most educational value for the graduate student on activities that are not already available at the student’s academic institution. Further, it is expected that the internship will be on-site at the host organization and will be research-focused in a STEM field or in STEM education research. The total amount of funding requested must not exceed $55,000 per student per six-month period. NSF plans to fund up to approximately 200 supplements in fiscal years FY 2019 and FY 2020, depending on the availability of funds. Supplemental funding requests may be submitted at any time but no later than May 1, 2019 (for available FY 2019 funds) and May 1, 2020 (for available FY 2020 funds).

The International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) program supports international research and research-related activities for U.S. science and engineering students. The IRES program contributes to development of a diverse, globally-engaged  workforce with world-class skills. IRES focuses on active research participation by undergraduate or graduate students in high quality international research, education and professional development experiences in NSF-funded research areas.  The overarching, long-term goal of the IRES program is to enhance U.S. leadership in research and education and to strengthen economic competitiveness through training the next generation of research leaders. This solicitation features three mechanisms; proposers are required to select one of the following tracks to submit their proposal.

• Track I: IRES Sites (IS) focuses on the development of world-class research skills in international cohort experiences. Full proposal deadline September 11, 2018.
• Track II: Advanced Studies Institutes (ASI) is dedicated to targeted, intensive learning and training opportunities that leverage international knowledge at the frontiers of research. Full proposal deadline September 18, 2018.
• Track III: New Concepts in International Graduate Experience (IGE) calls for U.S. institutional partnerships and coalitions to develop and evaluate innovative models for high-impact, large-scale international research and professional development experiences for graduate students, as individuals or groups. Full proposal deadline September 25, 2018.

The purpose of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) is to help ensure the vitality and diversity of the scientific and engineering workforce of the United States. The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students who are pursuing full-time research-based master’s and doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) or in STEM education. The GRFP provides three years of support for the graduate education of individuals who have demonstrated their potential for significant research achievements in STEM or STEM education. NSF especially encourages women, members of underrepresented minority groups, persons with disabilities, veterans, and undergraduate seniors to apply. Application deadlines: October 22-26, 2018.

The Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program supports active research participation by undergraduate students in any of the areas of research funded by the National Science Foundation. REU projects involve students in meaningful ways in ongoing research programs or in research projects specifically designed for the REU program. This solicitation features two mechanisms for support of student research: (1) REU Sites are based on independent proposals to initiate and conduct projects that engage a number of students in research. REU Sites may be based in a single discipline or academic department or may offer interdisciplinary or multi-department research opportunities with a coherent intellectual theme. Proposals with an international dimension are welcome. (2) REU Supplements may be included as a component of proposals for new or renewal NSF grants or cooperative agreements or may be requested for ongoing NSF-funded research projects. Undergraduate student participants in either REU Sites or REU Supplements must be U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, or permanent residents of the United States. Students do not apply to NSF to participate in REU activities. Students apply directly to REU Sites or to NSF-funded investigators who receive REU Supplements. Full Proposal Deadline: August 22, 2018.

The Physical Oceanography Program supports research on a wide range of topics associated with the structure and movement of the ocean, with the way in which it transports various quantities, with the way the ocean’s physical structure interacts with the biological and chemical processes within it, and with interactions between the ocean and the atmosphere, solid earth and ice that surround it. Full Proposal Target Date: August 15, 2018.

The Chemical Oceanography Program supports research into the chemistry of the oceans and the role of the oceans in global geochemical cycles. Areas of interest include chemical composition, speciation, and transformation; chemical exchanges between the oceans and other components of the Earth system; internal cycling in oceans, seas, and estuaries; and the use of measured chemical distributions as indicators of physical, biological, and geological processes. Full Proposal Target Date: August 15, 2018.