Gabor Szekely and Nandini Kannan, NSF Statistics Program Directors
The Division of Mathematical Sciences (DMS) at the National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced several funding opportunities directly relevant to the statistics community. In addition to the core statistics program, there are programs that involve big data, modeling, and sustainability issues. Members of the statistics community are encouraged to submit innovative proposals that address some of these critical challenges.
One opportunity is a new program called Computational and Data-Enabled Science and Engineering in Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (CDS&E-MSS). Proposals focusing on the development of mathematical and statistical tools to address the challenges of large-scale data are of interest to this program. Potential principal investigators (PIs) should go through the program synopsis and contact the program officers for details. The proposal submission window is January 9–23.
Those interested in multidisciplinary research also may be interested in Secure and Trustworthy Computing (SaTC) or a software institute. Visit the CREATIVE site for more information.
DMS also provides support for several institutes, including Statistical and Applied Mathematical Sciences Institute (SAMSI) and the Institute for Computational and Experimental Research in Mathematics (ICERM). These institutes offer a variety of research programs, including short courses and workshops. In 2011–2012, SAMSI has a program on uncertainty quantification and is organizing workshops in January and February. ICERM will offer a workshop on Bayesian nonparametrics in September. The institutes offer programs for graduate students, post-doctoral associates, and junior and senior faculty.
In addition to these funding opportunities, DMS is investing in several work force programs. The long-range goal of the DMS work force program is to increase the number of well-prepared U.S. citizens, nationals, and permanent residents who successfully pursue careers in the mathematical sciences and other NSF-supported disciplines. The workforce program in the mathematical sciences has several solicitations such as Research Training Groups (RTG), Research Experiences for Undergraduate Sites (REU), and Mentoring through Critical Transition Points in the Mathematical Sciences (MCTP). In particular, proposals that seek to broaden participation in the mathematical sciences are of interest. Many of the programs provide funding for undergraduate and graduate students. Unsolicited proposals with novel ideas for work force development also are welcomed. REU sites in statistics can not only enhance an interest in graduate education, but also strengthen applications to graduate research fellowships.
The NSF also supports students through graduate research fellowships (GRFs) and mathematical sciences postdoctoral research fellowships (MSPRFs). Fields of study for the GRFs include biostatistics, computational and data-enabled science, computational statistics, probability, and statistics.
The focused research groups in the mathematical sciences (FRG) provide an opportunity for a team of researchers to submit a proposal that addresses current scientific opportunities. The CAREER awards are NSF’s most prestigious awards in support of junior faculty. Even though the deadlines for these programs have passed, it is never too early to start planning for next year.
Faculty and graduate students are encouraged to visit the NSF DMS website or one of the links below for details. Some of the upcoming solicitations include the following:
- Computational and Data-Enabled Science and Engineering in Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (CDS&E-MSS)
- Science, Engineering, and Education for Sustainability NSF-Wide Investment (SEES)
- Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship Program (IGERT)
The statistics program within DMS has four program officers who are available by email or phone to answer questions about specific solicitations or more general questions related to research and education. For more information, contact Gabor Szekely at gszekely@nsf.gov, Haiyan Cai at hcai@nsf.gov, Nandini Kannan at nkannan@nsf.gov, or Jia Li at jli@nsf.gov .
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