University of Memphis Completes NSF CAREER Development Program
Aiding junior faculty in receiving prestigious NSF award
Beginning in Fall 2019, the University of Memphis Division of Research & Innovation began strategically supporting the pursuit of National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) grant applications for faculty. The CAREER program is designed to help junior faculty to succeed in launching their research careers by providing an initial grant that awards an average of $500,000. These awards form a firm foundation for a lifetime of leadership in integrating education and research. NSF CAREER awards establish researchers as leaders in their fields by strengthening the focus on the NSF vision to capitalize on new concepts in science and engineering and provide global leadership in advanced research and education. The CAREER awards are among the most prestigious awarded by the NSF, and the success of these awards is a good measure of the overall quality of research at a university.
This year’s CAREER program included 17 participants across eight departments: Computer Science, Civil Engineering, Earth Sciences, Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Biology, Physic Materials and Science, and Chemistry. Six faculty members are submitting for the first time and the remaining 11 are resubmitting after their initial submission last year. Faculty are allowed to submit to the NSF CAREER program no more than three times. The NSF CAREER program is very competitive, with funding rates ranging from ~14%-24% depending on the directorate. NSF is divided into seven directorates that support science and engineering research and education: Biological Sciences, Computer and Information Science and Engineering, Engineering, Geosciences, Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences, and Education and Human Resources.
The CAREER Program at the University of Memphis features an intensive multi-stage review accompanied by workshops which are designed to acclimate faculty to the NSF CAREER call specifically. It is designed to help develop grant writing skills for faculty and to establish a funding trajectory that will lead to future success, regardless of whether the CAREER is awarded. By providing enhanced support for obtaining research funding through these programs, the University of Memphis is establishing a culture of funding pursuit that will continue to strengthen overall research infrastructure at the University.
The cohort-based program for the UofM CAREER program has provided resources and support to faculty for several years now, and the benefits are beginning to be seen in the success rate of our faculty. Between 2019 and 2022 the University of Memphis was awarded seven CAREER awards in six departments. Prior to 2019 the University of Memphis had never received a CAREER Award for faculty, though several of our faculty had received them at prior institutions.
If you are interested in learning more about the UofM NSF CAREER Development Program or participating in next year’s cohort, contact the Division of Research & Innovation at researchdev@memphis.edu.
To learn more about the NSF Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER), see the current program solicitation on the NSF website at https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2022/nsf22586/nsf22586.htm.