Strategies for Writing a WinningNSF CAREER Proposal

Suzanne ShontzDepartment of Mathematics and Statistics

Department of Computer Science and EngineeringCenter for Computational Sciences

Computational Engineering Graduate ProgramMississippi State University

ORED SeminarMississippi State University

March 27, 2014

My Background

My Background: My Career Path• University of Northern Iowa; B.A. in Mathematics, B.S. in Chemistry, Minor

in Physics

• Cornell University – M.S. in Applied Mathematics, M.S. in Computer Science, Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics

• University of Minnesota – Twin Cities – Postdoc in Computer Science

• The Pennsylvania State University – University Park – Faculty in Computer Science and Engineering; Affiliated with the Institute for CyberScience

• Mississippi State University – Faculty in Mathematics and Statistics; Affiliated with the Center for Computational Sciences; Adjunct faculty in Computer Science and Engineering; Affiliated with the Computational Engineering Graduate Program

My Background: Interactions with NSFResearch grants:• NSF CNS Grant – Co-PI - 2007-2012• 2011 NSF OCI CAREER Award – PI - 2011-16

(OCI is now CISE/ACI)• 2011 NSF PECASE Award – Awarded in 2012 by President Obama

Conference grants:• NSF CISE Conference Grant – PI – 2010-11• NSF OCI Conference Grant – PI – 2012-13• NSF ACI Conference Grant – Co-PI – 2013-14• NSF ACI Conference Grant – PI – 2014-15

Also worked on one NSF education grant and one NSF infrastructure grant.

My Background: Interaction with NSF

I have served on numerous panels (and as an adhoc reviewer) for:• OCI – Office of Cyberinfrastructure• CISE – Computer and Information Science and

Engineering• MPS – Mathematics and Physical Sciences• EHR – Education and Human Resources• GEO – Geological Sciences

Service on panels for the above NSF entities has helped me to understand what is important to NSF CAREER panels.

My Background: Interaction with NSF

Co-Chair of the NSF CyberBridges Workshop (2012-2014)

• Workshop for recent NSF CAREER Awardees from CISE/ACI and related areas

• Have keynote talks and discussions on grand challenges and interdisciplinary research, computational-and data-enabled science and engineering, visualization, high performance computing, and education

• Also discuss topics of interest such as sustainable software and research, the publication model, training the next generation, etc.

• Workshop website: http://www.ccs.msstate.edu/conferences/NSFcyberbridges2013/

My Background: NSF CAREER Proposal Mentoring

• Invited Speaker at NSF CISE CAREER Proposal Writing Workshop, May 2013

• Mentored several junior faculty on NSF CAREER proposals nationwide, Summer 2013

• Invited speaker, ORED Seminar, March 2014

NSF CAREER Proposals

Synopsis of NSF CAREER Program

• “… a Foundation-wide activity that offers the National Science Foundation’s most prestigious awards in support of junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of education and research within the context of the mission of their organizations. “

• “Such activities should build a firm foundation for a lifetime of leadership in integrating education and research. “

Directorates and Offices Soliciting CAREER Proposals

• Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO), Computer and Information Sciences and Engineering (CISE), Education and Human Resources (EHR), Engineering (ENG), Geosciences (GEO), Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS), Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE)

• Office of International and Integrative Activities (IIA)

Notes: (1) Co-funding can occur (where relevant). (2) Must also specify the division within the directorate.

NSF CAREER Program Deadlines

• July 21, 2014 – BIO, CISE, HER

• July 22, 2014 – ENG

• July 23, 2014 – GEO, MPS, SBE

• ? = IIA

• Plan a vacation the day after you submit your NSF CAREER proposal!

NSF CAREER Program

• Solo PI awards

• Project duration: 5 years

• Minimum award: $400,000

• Exception: BIO and Division of Polar Programs (PLR): $500,000 minimum.

NSF CAREER Program EligibilityProposers must meet all of the following eligibility requirements (by proposal deadline):• Hold a doctoral degree in a field supported by

NSF• Be untenured until October 1 following the

deadline• Have not previously received a CAREER award

AND ….

NSF CAREER Program EligibilityBy October 1:• Must be employed in a tenure-track (or tenure-track

equivalent) position as an assistant professor (or equivalent title) at an accredited institution located in the U.S., its territories, or possessions, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, that awards degrees in a field supported by NSF.

OR

• …. that is a non-profit, non-degree-granting organization such as a museum, observatory ,or research lab.

Note: Associate Professors with or without tenure are not eligible.

Who May Serve as PI?

• Eligible faculty may submit one CAREER proposal per competition.

• A PI may not participate in more than three CAREER competitions.

• If a proposal is not reviewed (i.e., if it is returned without review), it does not count against the limit.

Proposal Sections• Cover Sheet• Project Summary• Project Description• References Cited• Biographical Sketch• Budget• Budget Justification• Current and Pending Support• Facilities, Equipment and Other Resources• Data Management Plan• Postdoctoral Mentoring Plan• Departmental Letter• (Optional) Collaboration Letters

Cover Sheet• Ask proposal assistant to complete this.• Select the program solicitation number• Specify the unit(s) of consideration. The relevant

proposal deadline is the one for the lead discipline in the event multiple units are selected.

• Specify the project title: “CAREER: ______”.• Co-PIs: None• PI eligibility information (will come from

departmental letter which is uploaded as a supplementary document).

Project Summary• One-page summary of project.

• Three parts: 1. Overview 2. Statement on intellectual merit of the proposal. 3. Statement on broader impacts of the proposal.

• Type into three boxes in Fastlane.

• Make sure it shows up as one page and is under the character limit!

Project DescriptionComponents of the project description:• a description of the proposed research project,

including preliminary supporting data where appropriate, specific objectives, methods and procedures to be used, and expected significance of the results;

• a description of the proposed educational activities, including plans to evaluate their impacts on students and other participants;

• a description of how the research and educational activities are integrated with one another; and

• results of prior NSF support, if applicable.

Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives• Inter-, multi-, and trans-disciplinary CAREER proposals may

be submitted. Can be co-reviewed.

• Can hire external evaluator (education portion)

• Can secure time at shared research facility

• Can seek research and education collaborations. (But should be minimal and complementary to your work if you do so.)

• Cannot list other individuals as Co-PIs or Senior Personnel.

International/Global Dimensions• Can include international/global dimensions in proposal

(optional).

• If relevant, indicate how your activities fit within the context of expertise, facilities, data, and other global resources.

• State how your activities will be enhanced by international engagements; describe benefits to participants in the U.S. and abroad.

• If including international component, contact relevant country program officer in the International Science and Engineering Section.

Field Work in the Polar Regions

If you are considering field work in the Arctic or Antarctica, contact the program officer in Polar Programs most relevant to your proposed research.

Education Activities• Proposed education activities can be directed to any level: K-12

students, undergrads, grad students, and/or the general public.

• Should be related to the proposed research.

• Examples: innovative course design, incorporating research activities into undergraduate courses, support for teacher preparation/enhancement, enhancing scientific literacy, activities that link to industrial, international, or crossdisciplinary work, etc.

• See solicitation for more examples and references.

• Important: Assessment of education activities.

References Cited

• Provide references for research activities.

• Provide references for education activities.

Biographical Sketch• Mini CV (formatted according to GPG) – only 2 pages

• List degrees and appointments

• Include both research and education activities and accomplishments

• Up to 10 publications (called products)

• Synergistic activities

• List collaborators, co-editors, graduate students and postdocs, graduate and postdoc advisors

Budget/Budget Justification• Make a list of items for which you would like to

request funding

• Examples: 1 graduate student per year, 1 month of summer salary per year, $N in travel per year, etc.

• Proposal assistant: Provides draft budget and draft budget justification. Iterate and fill in blanks in budget justification.

Current and Pending Support

• Proposal assistant: prepares list of all of your current grants and submitted proposals.

• Should include details on project dates, project titles,

your role, total amount of support requested, number of months of salary per year requested.

• Let them know about any proposals submitted through another unit.

Facilities, Equipment, and Other Resources

• Description of facilities available to you for your research.

• Proposal assistant: Can provide you with statement on facilities for your research center.

Data Management Plan

• Description of plans for data management and sharing of the products of research (e.g., specimens, data, software, etc.)

• Or assert absence of the need for such plans

Postdoctoral Mentoring Plan

• 1 page mentoring plan must be included if requesting funding for a postdoc

• If not, need to upload a document saying it is not applicable. Look at solicitation for specific wording of this.

Departmental Letter

• Include signed letter from department head as supplementary documentation

• Should demonstrate department head’s understanding of and commitment to the effective integration of research and education

• Must acknowledge institutional commitment to professional development and mentoring (include description of start-up funds here)

• Description of relationship between CAREER project, PI’s career goals, job responsibilities, goals of department/organization, ways in which appropriate mentoring will be ensured

• Statement that the PI is eligible for the CAREER program

Letters of Collaboration (Optional)

• Can include short letters of collaboration (up to 1 page) if applicable

• Examples: intellectual contributions to the project, permission to access site/instrument/facility, offer of samples and materials for research, logistical support to research and education, mentoring of U.S. students at a foreign site

• Does NOT replace description of nature of collaboration in project description

• No letters of recommendation are allowed.

Review Criteria

• Intellectual Merit – encompasses the potential to advance knowledge

• Broader Impacts – encompasses the potential to benefit society and contribute to the achievement of specific, desired societal outcomes

Elements in Review Criteria

• Potential of proposed activity to (a) advance knowledge of (b) benefit society or advance desired societal outcomes

• Extent of proposed activities suggest and explore creative, original, or potentially transformative concepts

• Plan – is it well-reasoned, well-organized, based on sound rationale? Incorporate a mechanism to assess success?

• How well qualified is the PI? (Very important for NSF CAREER proposals.)

• Adequacy of resources available to PI to carry out activities?

Writing an NSF CAREER Proposal

Writing an NSF CAREER Proposal: How to Get Started

• Brainstorm ideas.

• Once you have chosen a topic, make a tree diagram outlining the connections between your topics. This will become the backbone of your proposal.

• I recommend three major subareas, with approximately three major tasks in each.

• Create a summary diagram (of the tree outlining your proposal) and use it in the Introduction to your proposal.

Writing an NSF CAREER Proposal: Summary Diagram

Title

S1

T1 T2 T3

S2

T4 T5 T6S3

T7 T8 T9

Writing an NSF CAREER Proposal: Proposal Outline (CISE/ACI Example)

Project Summary:• First paragraph: What do you propose to do (e.g., computation and

application)? What is the state-of-the-art for the application?

• Second paragraph: What is the current state-of-the-art for the computation? What are your contributions to the computation?

• Third paragraph: Address intellectual merits in bulleted format.

• Fourth and fifth paragraphs: What will the outcome be? How will it be evaluated? What fields will you advance?

• Sixth and seventh paragraphs: What are the broader impacts of your research? What are the broader impacts of your education/outreach program?

Note: All of the computational techniques that are proposed must betightly wound around the application.

Writing an NSF CAREER Proposal: Proposal Outline (CISE/ACI Example)

Project Description:

Page 1: Overview of proposed research. Expand on paragraphs 1-2 in proposal summary. Figures help!

Page 2: Research focus. Evaluation. Broader impacts. Expand on paragraphs 3-7 in proposal summary. Qualifications. Why should YOU be given an NSF CAREER Award?

Pages 3-4: Background. Background on computation (and theory when relevant).

Pages 5-13: Research plan. Overview of research plan – organize into research areas and tasks. Include research roadmap figure. For each research area: overview the area. For each research task: give a justification for the task, describe your preliminary work, and describe your proposed work. Include a task for the cyberinfrastructure. Do not blur the lines between your preliminary work and your proposed work.

Note: All of the computational techniques that are proposed must be tightly wound around the application.

Writing an NSF CAREER Proposal: Proposal Outline (CISE/ACI Example)

Project Description:

Page 13: Evaluation. How will you know when you are successful?

Page 13-13.25: Work plan. What tasks will you work on each year? What are the major milestones for your project on the research side?

Page 13.25-13.5: Miscellaneous topics as relevant (e.g., Human Subjects (IRB) or Animals (IACUC)).

Page 13.5-14.75: Education and Outreach. Prior educational accomplishments. Educational and Outreach Plan.

Page 14.75-15: Results of Prior NSF Support.

References – For research and education!

Note: All of the computational techniques that are proposed must be tightly wound around the application.

Writing an NSF CAREER Proposal: Letters of Support

Letters of support are important.• Department head endorsement letter (required)• Letters of collaboration• Do not forget to get letters for facilities being used, outreach events, etc.

• My letters: department head letter, doctor collaborator, mesh generation collaborator, institute director (facilities), SIAM VLP program letter, summer program director

Writing an NSF CAREER Proposal:Additional Advice

• Do propose research that is highly novel and is interesting to you. You will be working on it for five years.

• Do not focus on the fact that your academic career may depend on receiving an NSF CAREER Award (not relevant at MSU).

• Attend an NSF Proposal Writing Workshop if NSF has one in your area. It will be very helpful for you.

My Process

My Process: Choosing the Right ProblemWhy work on parallel dynamic meshing techniques for simulation-assisted medical interventions?

• Good match for my interdisciplinary research interests in computer science, applied mathematics, and biomedical engineering

• Will make a real impact upon completion – algorithms and toolkit for parallel dynamic meshing, for use with medical interventions as well as other topics

• Builds well upon my prior work (both publications and preliminary data) in mesh generation algorithms, parallel computing, and biomedical engineering

• Have the right collaborators and facilities to be successful• Launches my career in the right direction• Novelty of the topic• Plenty of room to work on this topic for five years

My Process: Integration of Research and Education

How did I plan my educational component?• Education - new curriculum - determined what new courses I

could teach that were related to my NSF CAREER research - Modeling/Simulation/Visualization (UG) - Meshing Techniques (G)

Benefit: This is a way to train the students in the areas most relevant to your project.

Note: Staff at Mississippi State helped out with use of the CAVE (it was my first time!) and with use of center facilities, e.g., use of the supercomputer.

My Process: Integration of Research and Education

How did I plan my educational component?

• Outreach – computational biomedical science workshop – piggy-backed off of summer program at Penn State which enrolled underrepresented students entering as freshmen. Expanded the workshop by teaming up with the Artificial Heart Lab and Visualization Laboratory at Penn State.

• Outreach – computational science talks – to expose high school/undergraduate students to computational science research and to use as a recruiting tool. Builds off of my SIAM Visiting Lecturer status.

My Process: Using a Mentor• In my experience, it’s crucial to use a mentor when writing

your NSF CAREER proposal.

• The best NSF CAREER proposals have been written and re-written numerous times.

• My mentor was a computer scientist who is outside my research area. He advised me how to improve the writing of my NSF proposal, how to better “sell” my ideas, and how to balance the application vs. algorithms vs. theory.

• Be sure to thank your mentor afterwards!

My Process: Proposal TimelineNSF CAREER proposals are due in late July.

When did I start writing mine? - Typically in early June right after the IMR (major conference in mesh generation) paper deadline - I am able to focus more intensely on one

major deadline at a time.- This strategy will not work for everyone.

My Process: Obtaining Examples of Successful NSF CAREER Proposals

• It is very helpful to see examples of successful NSF CAREER proposals. Particularly from individuals who are in your area and/or good writers.

• Good examples show you how to organize your proposal and how to write such a proposal.

• I obtained several examples of successful CISE proposals and proposals from related areas from other NSF CAREER Awardees at Penn State.

• I also wrote to individuals in my network.

• There were no examples of successful OCI proposals to obtain at that time.

My Process: Finding the Right Match• Due to the interdisciplinary nature of my NSF CAREER proposal, I discussed

the proposal with numerous program directors in CISE, Math, Engineering, and (eventually) in OCI. I talked to up to ~10 program directors in a given year.

• First submission: To CISE/CCF hoping that it would go to the Numerical Algorithms panel. It was assigned to the Geometric Computing panel with experts in mesh generation and computational geometry. Ratings: Good to Very Good.

• Second submission: To CISE/CCF hoping that it would go to the Numerical Algorithms panel. It was assigned to a mixed panel with experts in computational geometry and complexity theory experts. I work in neither area. Ratings: Fair to Very Good. Comment: It is fundable, but not by us.

• Third submission: To OCI (the first time OCI accepted CAREER proposals). Ratings: Very Good to Excellent. Funded! PECASE Award!

My Process: Panel Composition• OCI panel composition: Panels in OCI are not

simply composed of computer scientists! Rather they are often composed of computer scientists, as well as mathematicians, engineers, and scientists who are cyberinfrastructure researchers.

• In addition, some OCI panels have education

experts on the panel.

My Process: Revision of the Proposal Based on Reviewer Comments

How much weight did I give to reviews from my initial submissions?

• First submission: The comments were somewhat useful. I improved my proposal based on the ideas of the comments (such as how to better organize the proposal, how to better emphasize the novelty, and to publish more). I ignored a comment which indicated I did not publish in computational geometry (not my field!) conferences.

• Second submission: I paid very little attention to the comments, as the majority of the panelists were not experts in my field.

My Results: Launching My Career

How did receiving an NSF CAREER proposal help further my career?• NSF PECASE Award• Invitation to Co-Chair of NSF CyberBridges Workshop • Invitation to serve on numerous new program committees and panels• Invitations to present at new international conferences and an NSF workshop• Invitation to be Associate Editor in Medicine for book series • Helped with promotion

Senior people know who I am (including in other areas of computational science)!

Questions?