NASA ROSES New Investigators Program in Earth Sciences

Note to PIs: The following program summary is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It does not replace the sponsor’s actual funding opportunity announcement. Always review the most recent version of the sponsor’s full announcement to verify that the deadline has not changed and to identify the most current program requirements.

About the program

The New (Early Career) Investigator Program (NIP) in Earth Science is designed to support outstanding scientific research and career development of scientists and engineers at the early stage of their professional careers. The program aims to encourage innovative research initiatives and cultivate scientific leadership in Earth system science. The Earth Science Division (ESD) places particular emphasis on the investigators' ability to promote and increase the use of space-based remote sensing through the proposed research.

The NIP supports all aspects of scientific and technological research aimed to advance NASA’s mission in Earth system science (http://science.nasa.gov/about-us/science-strategy/). In research and analysis, the focus areas are:

  • Carbon Cycle and Ecosystems,
  • Climate Variability and Change,
  • Water and Energy Cycle,
  • Atmospheric Composition,
  • Weather, and
  • Earth Surface and Interior.

In Applied Sciences, the ESD encourages efforts to discover and demonstrate practical uses of NASA Earth science data, knowledge, and technology (see http://appliedsciences.nasa.gov). In technological research, the ESD aims to foster the creation and infusion of new technologies into space missions in order to enable new scientific observations of the Earth system or reduce the cost of current observations (see http://esto.nasa.gov). The ESD also promotes innovative development in computing and information science and engineering of direct relevance to ESD.

Eligibility

A NIP proposal PI must be a U.S. citizen or have lawful status of permanent residency (i.e., holder of a U.S. Permanent Resident Card, also referred to as the Green Card)1. He/she must be a recent Ph.D. recipient, defined as having graduated on or after January 1 of the year that is no more than five years before the issuance date of this ROSES NASA Research Announcement (NRA) (i.e., after January 1, 2012; but see also third bullet below).

To be eligible for an NIP award, proposed PIs must meet the following requirements:

  1. Be employed at an institution in the U.S., its territories, or possessions, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, which awards a baccalaureate or advanced degree in a field supporting the objectives of NASA Earth system studies, or be employed at any nonprofit research institution or other nonprofit organization that performs a significant amount of work in fields of research supporting the objectives of NASA’s Earth Science Program. Such organizations could include museums, observatories, Government or nonprofit research laboratories, as well as nonprofit entities in the private sector.
  2. Be in tenure- or nontenure-track positions in either teaching or research or both, as long as the employing institution assumes the responsibility of submitting the proposal with the individual as the proposed PI.
  3. Despite being more than five years beyond the receipt of their Ph.D. degrees, individuals who have interrupted their careers for reasons such as family leave or serious health problems may also be eligible. These applicants should make a written request for prior concurrence from NASA before the due date for Notices of Intent to propose. NASA will provide a written response within three weeks. Such exception is not intended for individuals who have had successful employment in technical fields in science and engineering, even though the employment is not a direct continuation of their Ph.D. research, nor is it intended for individuals with a recent Ph.D. degree after having already established a successful career in Earth system science and related disciplines.
  4. Not hold or have held tenure (or equivalent) on or before the submission deadline of this program.
  5. Not be a current or former recipient of the NIP or Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) (see further below) award.

Award amount and award period

The anticipated average award is $80-90K per year for a period of up to three years, subject to satisfactory progress and availability of funds.

Application deadline

The New Investigator Program (NIP) in Earth Science will not be competed in 2019. NIP is moving to a 3-year cycle and is scheduled to solicit proposals next in ROSES-2020. Eligibility will be extended to six years after award of PhD in order that potential proposers continue to have two opportunities to propose.

Learn more

Visit https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/viewrepositorydocument/cmdocumentid=669383/solicitationId=%7BABB576B8-F844-25E0-AD23-9E94AAC04AE1%7D/viewSolicitationDocument=1/FULL%20ROSES%202019_amend25.pdf

Last updated: August 1, 2019.