Becoming a Grant Peer Reviewer to Advance your Career
Information on how to become a peer reviewer for federal agencies
Serving as a peer reviewer for federal grant agencies offers numerous professional benefits, including exposure to best practices to writing a successful proposal, skill development, networking opportunities, staying abreast of research trends, contributing to the research community, recognition, and access to funding opportunities. Numerous federal agencies depend on contributions from academic volunteers to ensure expertise and impartiality in their review processes. The Division of Research & Innovation strongly encourages faculty members to become peer reviewers to advance research at our institution in alignment with our strategic plan.
Below outlines the process for becoming a peer reviewer for a variety of federal agencies:
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Email the NSF program officer(s) of the program(s) that fit your expertise—introduce yourself, identify your areas of expertise, and let them know that you are interested in being a peer reviewer. It is beneficial to also attach a 2-page CV with current contact information.
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Email the appropriate NIH Scientific Review Officer (SRO) with a brief description of your areas of expertise (1-2 sentences) and attach your biosketch.
Select the office that most closely resonates with your area(s) of expertise and contact each DOE office separately to register as a reviewer. To see which DOE officers are seeking reviewers and to register, please visit their website.
Department of Transportation (DOT)
Email the Travel Model Improvement Program (TMIP) moderator (moderator@tmip.org) for more details on how to volunteer to serve on an expert peer panel.
Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agriculture Marketing Service (AMS)
To register as an AMS reviewer, you will need to create an Reviewer Recruitment Module (RRM) account, enter personal contact information, select general descriptions to indicate areas of expertise, paste resume information into a searchable text box, and attach and upload your resume document. Applying to become a reviewer does not guarantee your selection, and selected reviewers will be required to participate in a training session prior to reviewing applications.
Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE)
Create a G5 account here and, after logging in, go to “My Profile,” scroll to the bottom of the page, select “Reviewer” in the Available Type list, click “Continue,” and complete the review profile tabs to the left of the page. Submit your resume during this process (5 page max) and be sure to include a brief list of career highlights and/or outlines of your expertise. Be sure to click “Submit” once finished. More detailed information on the process can be found here.
National Institute of Justice (NIJ)
Email ojpprsupport@usdoj.gov including your contact information and resume to start the enrollment process.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Complete the Reviewer Contact Information form and then email the form and your resume to Reviewer@samhsa.hhs.gov.
National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)
If you have ever applied for an NEH grant or served on an NEH panel, you are already in the electronic grants management system (eGMS) and do not need to register—if you are new to the NEH, fill out the Panelist Sign-up Form.
Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)
Familiarize yourself with IMLS grant programs by reading Notices of Funding Opportunities and Sample Applications, learn about the review process through reviewer resources, and submit your information through the Library Review Application and/or the Museum Reviewer Application.
If you have questions about becoming a peer reviewer or would like assistance with the process of becoming a peer reviewer for a specific funding agency, contact Research Development at researchdev@memphis.edu.