Faculty Development in geoSpace Science
Agency: National Science Foundation
Posted: 2023-04-14 | Closing date: 2025-03-03
Estimated total program funding: 6000000
Award floor: 1500000
Expected number of awards: 4
Cost sharing or matching requirement: No

The Geospace Section of the NSF Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences (AGS) offers funding for the creation of new tenure-track faculty positions within the disciplines that comprise the AGS Geospace programs to ensure their vitality at U.S. universities and colleges. The aim of the Faculty Development in geoSpace Science (FDSS) is to integrate topics in geospace science including solar and space physics and space weather research into natural sciences or engineering or related departments at U.S. institutions of higher education (IHE). FDSS also stimulates the development of undergraduate or graduate programs or curricula capable of training the next generation of leaders in geospace science. Geospace science is interdisciplinary in nature and FDSS awardees will be expected to establish partnerships within multiple parts of the IHE. NSF funding will support the salary, benefits and training of the newly recruited tenure-track FDSS faculty member for a duration of up to five years with a total award amount not to exceed $1,500,000.Growing diversity in the geospace science workforce and institutions is a community priority, yet relatively few geospace science research and training opportunities are available at minority-serving institutions (MSIs) and emerging research institutions (ERIs). One of NSF’s priorities is to improve representation in the scientific enterprise. FDSS aims to bolster long-term investments in geospace science at a broad range of U.S. IHEs, including MSIs and ERIs. This solicitation offers a track for all qualified U.S. IHEs and additionally, a separate track for proposal submissions from MSIs and ERIs.

Eligibility: *Who May Submit Proposals: Proposals may only be submitted by the following:   - Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) - Two- and four-year IHEs (including community colleges) accredited in, and having a campus located in the United States, acting on behalf of their faculty members. Proposing institutions are those that offer or plan to offerbachelor, masters or doctoral degrees in natural sciences or engineering or related sciences.The institution must be able to grant tenure status to faculty.    * Track 1 &ndash; Any eligible IHE (as described above)<br />* Track 2 - Only minority-serving institutions (MSIs) and emerging research institutions (ERIs) among IHEs as described above.    This solicitation adopts the U.S. Department of Education definition of MSIs to be U.S. IHEs enrolling populations with significant percentages of undergraduate minority students, or that serve certain populations of minority students under various programs created by Congress. These include Historically Black Colleges or Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), Tribal Colleges or Universities (TCUs), and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs).    For the purposes of this solicitation, ERIs are IHEs that have less than $50,000,000 in annual Federal research expenditures averaged over the previous 5 fiscal years at the time of proposal submission.    <br />Institutions that have previously received an NSF FDSS award are ineligible to submit proposals to this solicitation.   *Who May Serve as PI:  Principal Investigators should be someone at the IHE with the authority to implement the proposed FDSS program and select and hire the new faculty member. These may be, but are not limited to, a dean, provost, director of a university associated research institute, department chairperson, or a senior tenured faculty member.