The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced the selection of 76 scientists from across the nation — including 26 from the DOE’s national laboratories and 50 from U.S. universities — to receive significant funding for research as part of the DOE Office of Science’s Early Career Research Program. The effort, now in its 11th year, is designed to bolster the nation’s scientific workforce by providing support to exceptional researchers during crucial early career years, when many scientists do their most formative work.
Under the program, university-based researchers will receive grants for at least US$150,000 per year, and researchers based at DOE national laboratories will receive grants for at least US$500,000 per year. The research grants are planned for five years and will cover salary and research expenses.
“Supporting talented researchers early in their career is key to fostering scientific creativity and ingenuity within the national research community,” said Undersecretary for Science Paul Dabbar. “Dedicating resources to these focused projects led by well-deserved investigators helps maintain and grow America’s scientific skill set for generations to come.”
To be eligible for the DOE award, a researcher must be an untenured, tenure-track assistant, or associate professor at a U.S. academic institution or a full-time employee at a DOE national laboratory, who received a PhD within the past 10 years. Research topics are required to fall within one of the DOE Office of Science’s six major program offices:
- Advanced Scientific Computing Research
- Basic Energy Sciences
- Biological and Environmental Research
- Fusion Energy Sciences
- High Energy Physics
- Nuclear Physics
Awardees were selected from a large pool of university and national laboratory-based applicants. Selection was based on peer review by outside scientific experts.
Projects announced recently are selections for negotiation of financial awards. The final details for each project award are subject to final grant and contract negotiations between the DOE and the awardees.
A list of the 76 awardees, their institutions, and titles of research projects is available here.
