OVERVIEW OF NSF CAREER AWARD PROGRAM
The National Science Foundation (NSF) offers junior faculty a professional development award mechanism - the Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program. All NSF Directorates participate in this program. This prestigious award differs from regular NSF awards in three ways, according to Hai Lin, Assistant Professor of Chemistry here at UCD and a current CAREER Awardee:
- CAREER Awards are given for 5 years (versus the normal 3-year award period)
- Those who submit CAREER Award applications are competing against other junior faculty members (versus competing with investigators at all levels as is the case for most NSF grant programs)
- CAREER Awards have an explicit requirement - integration of research and teaching
You are eligible for the CAREER Award if you (1) hold a doctoral degree, (2) are untenured, (3) have not received a previous CAREER or NSF PECASE* Award and (4) are employed in a tenure-track position as an assistant professor at a US academic institution.
[*PECASE = Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers]
ORDE NSF CAREER AWARD TOOLKIT (UPDATED MARCH 2011)
ORDE has developed a CAREER Award Toolkit to familiarize eligible faculty with the CAREER Program in a comprehensive way. This document also provides tips from past NSF CAREER Award recipients.
NSF CAREER AWARD LINKS:
UPDATED CAREER Program Announcement (NSF 11-690) - Released in March, 2011, this updated program announcement provides upcoming deadlines and proposal requirements specific to the CAREER Award Program
FAQs for the CAREER Program (NSF 11-038) - Answers questions concerning eligiblity, proposal preparation, the educational component, the budget, the peer review process and award administration
CAREER Award Web Page - This section of the NSF website provides access to specific program contacts and abstracts of previously funded CAREER Awards
NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (NSF 11-001) - Full and complete information on how to submit proposals to, and manage awards for, the National Science Foundation; provides detailed instructions on all proposal sections, electronic submission via NSF FastLane; used in conjunction with the CAREER Program Announcement (NSF 11-690)
NSF CAREER Proposal Writing Tips - A book of articles compiled by ZJ Pei, a CAREER awardee, that incorporates tips and insights from other CAREER awardees
(provided by permission of author, ZJ Pei)
HELPFUL RESOURCES FOR INTEGRATING RESEARCH & EDUCATION
Successful integration of research and education, required by the NSF CAREER Program, is the result of planning. Several resources below were identified by NSF in their most recent program announcement and we are adding new ones as they become available from National Academies Press. These resources are a good start when contemplating the innovative educational outreach activities you would like to include in your proposed project.
National Academies Press (NAP) Books (NAP has announced that many of their Adobe Acrobat [PDF] format books are now available for FREE download to individual users; click DOWNLOAD FREE PDF and register or use Guest access):
Other Education Resources Cited by NSF
- Broadening Participation in Computing (BPC) - See the BPC Digital Library for quality resources vetted by the BPC on topics related to increasing diversity and inclusion.
- National Lab Network - A nationwide initiative to foster collaborations among educators, students and volunteers to increase hands-on learning opportunities