1 / 19

What I learned From nsf conference

What I learned From nsf conference. Wenjin Zhou, Ph.D. Computer Science and Engineering. disclaimer. Merely my personal take-home message Everyone’s opinion is different Discussions and questions. Three suggestions. Talk to Program Director Talk to Program Director

hamish
Download Presentation

What I learned From nsf conference

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. What I learnedFrom nsf conference Wenjin Zhou, Ph.D. Computer Science and Engineering

  2. disclaimer • Merely my personal take-home message • Everyone’s opinion is different • Discussions and questions

  3. Three suggestions • Talk to Program Director • Talk to Program Director • Talk to Program Director [SayeefSalahuddin, NSF CAREER WORKSHOP 2013]

  4. Faculty Field Trip

  5. How to talk to PD? • Contact SOON • Avoid busy spring panel season (April - June) • Good time: Jan – Feb • How? • Pitch your idea • 1 page proposal abstract • Mention to talk on the phone soon • 2-3 slides if meeting in person • Email one PD and CC all, DO NOT send separate emails

  6. The Power of PD

  7. Proposal Reviewers • DO suggest reviewers • Help the program officers, ease their job • Higher chances that your proposal is reviewed by proper experts • DO exclude reviewers that have “conflict of interest” with you • Names only • No reasons needed

  8. “Disease” • Very sensitive to NSF, especially NSF BIO • NSF do not fund any disease related research • NIH does • Focus on clarifying that the interest is not for the “disease”, but the fundamental understanding of biology

  9. budget • Budget justification is VERY important • Too high: 3-year proposal vs. 5-year • Too low: PI don’t know what they are actually getting into • Ex. If you are proposing a massive project but asking for only 3 Ph.D. students, reviewers will think that you don’t know what you are doing. • Don’t get points for low budget • Aim for REALISTIC budget

  10. Compete with R1 institutes • What helps? • Teaching release • “Does the PI have time to do this?” • Smaller institutes often lose the competition by over-commitment to teaching • Waived overhead • Graduate support • Matching fund • Important: Should NOT go into budget, violating “cost sharing” • Put into “facilities, equipment, and others” • Considered as “volunteering uncommitted cost-sharing”

  11. Letters/supplementary documents • Reviewers are not required to read these • DO NOT put any information related to merits • Letter of support from Chair/Dean are not needed AND not preferred • Story: PI gets asked the question by PD • Except for NSF CAREER, chair letter required, not the dean

  12. Become a reviewer! • Introduce yourself and your research experience • Express that you want to become a reviewer for their program • Ask them when the next panel will be held • Offer to send 2-page CV with current contact info • Stay in touch if you don’t hear right back.

  13. NSF CAREER • NSF encourage transformative proposals • BUT, in reality, it is hard for a transformative proposal to get funded! • Risk factor too high • Most people don’t believe it • Most people will argue about it • REALITY: NSF CAREER closer to be a career achievement award you need to build up a body of work before writing the CAREER [SayeefSalahuddin, UC Berkeley, CAREER 2012]

  14. NSF CAREER • What’s really different? • Comprehensive education/outreach plan • Go beyond what is expected from any Assistant Professor in your field • Must NOT eat up all the research time • Don’t be naïve! • Change something in high school education system? • Big turn down, unless you have already done so • Must have assessment plans • Use data to show current involvements and results

  15. NSF CAREER • Keep trying! • SayeefSalahuddin, UC Berkely • 2 submissions (2 years apart) • Nate Foster, Cornell University • 1 submissions (actual 3 trials. 1 last-min, 1 withdraw, 3 years apart) • AniHsieh, Drexel University • 3 submissions (4 years apart) • TommasoMelodia, SUNY Buffalo • 3 submissions (4 years apart)

  16. Resources • Award Search • see what has been funded and who was the program officers • Research.gov • many useful information, outcome report • PAPPG • Proposal and award policies and procedures guide • GPG • NSF Grant Proposal Guide • Program solicitations • especially important b/c they include instructions to follow; collaborative funding opportunities • Dear colleague letter • Notifications of opportunities or special competitions for supplements to existing NSF awards

  17. Ask early, ask often! Good luck!!! 

More Related