A Message from the NSF Assistant Director for Engineering

Dear Engineering Community,

As we enter the warmer months, much of the country readies for natural disasters. The Gulf and East coasts prepare for hurricanes, the Midwest prepares for tornadoes and states across the U.S. watch out for wildfires. Engineers have a key role in keeping our homes, businesses and key services safe and strong. The U.S. National Science Foundation Directorate for Engineering (NSF ENG) is committed to supporting critical research to make American communities and infrastructure safer, more resilient and better equipped to recover from natural and man-made disasters.

A cornerstone of that investment is the NSF Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NSF NHERI), available to researchers across the nation. NSF NHERI facilities, tools and data allow researchers to investigate the effects of earthquakes, wind and coastal hazards and test groundbreaking concepts to protect individuals, communities and critical infrastructure. 

To enhance national security, NSF ENG core programs support disaster resilience research through standard awards and Rapid Response Research awards (to collect perishable data). Our programs also support cybersecurity, sustainability and civil infrastructure research.

Be sure to bring us your great ideas for engineering research that ultimately will benefit people, grow our economy and strengthen our communities. 

Susan Margulies, Ph.D.
NSF Assistant Director for Engineering

Funding for early-career researchers

The NSF Engineering Directorate proudly supports early-career engineers as they chart the course of their future.  Keep an eye out for upcoming webinars and deadlines.

NSF Engineering Research Initiation (ERI) (NSF 24-590). The NSF ERI program provides up to $200,000 over 24 months to support faculty who are not affiliated with "very high research activity" R1 institutions, including community colleges, who lack significant federal funding. Proposals are due Sept. 16, 2025.

NSF Faculty Early Career Development Program (NSF CAREER) (NSF 22-586). NSF CAREER awards provide $500,000 or more over five years to help recipients build a foundation for leadership in integrating education and research. Proposals are due July 23, 2025.

Engineering news

Cold-formed steel for seismic resilience? It's on the table. Cold-formed steel (CFS) is strong, lightweight, durable, cost-effective and 100% recyclable — yet it is not widely used as an earthquake-resistant building material. This summer, earthquake engineers will test the performance of a 10-story CFS building on the NHERI shake table at UC San Diego. Learn more about the research from UC San Diego and Johns Hopkins.

Predicting lab earthquakes with physics-informed artificial intelligence.  Penn State researchers have developed a physics-informed neural network to study — and even predict — simulated earthquakes in the lab. Their work could eventually lead to AI-driven earthquake forecasts, buying people precious time to seek shelter.

WIFIRE program provides real-time information to wildfire responders. WIFIRE's predictive software integrates data sources from weather forecasts and ground sensors to satellite imagery and historical fire data. The NSF-supported data and computing infrastructure WIFIRE, developed with fire agency partners, can now deliver maps within minutes of ignition.

Get more Engineering news

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