Dear Colleagues,

The U.S. National Science Foundation serves the American public as an engine of our nation's research enterprise. NSF's mission is the same today as it was in 1950: to advance the progress of science and enable better quality of life, greater economic opportunities and stronger national security.

Today, NSF is continuing to invest in bold research and innovation in service to the American people.

To help keep America at the forefront of science, engineering and technology, NSF is making changes to our organizational structure and merit review processes. These changes are designed to increase our agency's efficiency and effectiveness by reducing administrative burdens both inside the agency and externally, while maintaining our strong commitment to scientific rigor.

Rest assured that the NSF Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (NSF MPS) will continue to support research in astronomical sciences, chemistry, materials research, mathematical sciences and physics. The five divisions previously within NSF MPS have been realigned into sections grouped according to those scientific areas.

NSF MPS will continue to support interdisciplinary efforts, including quantum information science, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, microelectronics and other national priorities. The reorganization will empower our staff to seize emergent opportunities and enable more rapid engagement with both the U.S. research community and NSF leadership.

The changes to NSF's proposal review processes maintain our existing merit review criteria while providing our program officers with new flexibilities to help them support and respond to the specific needs of their scientific disciplines. The goal is to reduce the workload of our program staff and increase our responsiveness agency-wide — so researchers can spend more time on research and collaboration and less on compliance and paperwork.  

In the coming months, additional information will be communicated and posted on NSF's website as these organizational changes and processes take effect.

America's science and technology ecosystem is built on a remarkably successful partnership among government, academia, industry and nonprofits. Together, we will continue to foster discoveries, support the next generation of researchers and deliver innovations that benefit all Americans.

📰 Results from NSF MPS awardees

Caltech/Lance Hayashida

The largest qubit array ever assembled

Researchers set a record with 6,100 neutral-atom qubits trapped in a grid by lasers. Previous arrays of this kind contained only hundreds of qubits.

MIT/courtesy of the researchers

Self-assembling material could be the key to recyclable EV batteries

Researchers design an electrolyte that can break apart at the end of a battery's life, allowing for easier recycling of components.

NSF NOIRLab/M. Garlick

Longest gamma-ray burst ever observed

Data acquired with multiple NSF NOIRLab facilities indicate a gamma-ray burst lasting over seven hours resides in a massive, dusty galaxy.

Cornell University/Ulrich Wiesner group

Porous materials that filter molecules by their chemical makeup

Machine learning helps researchers make membranes capable of filtering molecules of identical size and weight but different chemistry.

USC/Created with AI

'Neglected' particles that could advance quantum computing

A new mathematical framework reveals a potential method for universal quantum computation using braiding.

Opinions, findings or recommendations of NSF awardees or their institutions do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. National Science Foundation.

📢 OSTP seeks public input

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) requests public input on federal policy updates that aim to accelerate the American scientific enterprise, enable groundbreaking discoveries and ensure that scientific progress and technological innovation benefit all Americans. OSTP seeks input from academia, private sector organizations, industry groups, state, local, and tribal governments and other stakeholders.

Deadline for comments is Dec. 26, 2025.

Science that creates the future

The NSF Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (NSF MPS) is one of the preeminent federal forces behind over 75 years of major scientific breakthroughs and innovations. NSF MPS enhances America's national security, economic growth and quality of life by advancing human understanding of the fundamental nature of the universe at all scales.

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