Dear colleagues,

As we begin the new year, we want to extend our appreciation to the NSF CISE research community for its continued engagement and partnership in advancing computer and information science and engineering in service to our nation.

The U.S. National Science Foundation has served the American public as an engine of our research enterprise for decades. NSF’s mission is the same today as it was in 1950: to advance the progress of science, advance the national health, prosperity and welfare, and secure the national defense. NSF will continue to invest in bold research and innovation in service of the American people, including transformational investments in areas such as artificial intelligence, quantum information science and biotechnology.

As announced on December 15, 2025, NSF is changing how the agency is structured to create a more efficient organization that is responsive to our staff, the scientific research community, and a rapidly evolving science and technology environment. By reducing organizational layers, NSF is enabling faster engagement, more efficient review and award process and greater flexibility to seize emerging opportunities, all while maintaining our strong commitment to scientific rigor.

As part of this agency-wide restructuring, NSF CISE reorganized its internal structure. While the divisional structure you may have been familiar with has changed, CISE’s focus on supporting world-class computer and information science and engineering research remains the same, and you will find your familiar programs in their logical location. NSF CISE is now organized across the following thematic sections:

• Human-Centered Computing and Education
• Cyber, Physical and Intelligent Systems
• Computing and AI Foundations
• Software and Systems Foundations
• Center Scale and Testbeds
• Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure

In the coming months, additional information will be communicated and posted on NSF's website as these organizational changes and processes take effect. In the meantime, we will host a webinar on Jan 22 to provide updates to our community and answer questions you might have. We strongly encourage you to join us.

Changes to the NSF’s Merit Review process are also part of this comprehensive approach to streamlining work and reducing administrative burden. Program officers now have greater discretion in determining the number of reviews required before making funding decisions, helping reduce staff workloads and demands on the external community, and increasing agency-wide responsiveness.

America's innovation ecosystem is built on a unique partnership among government, academia, industry and nonprofit research institutions. NSF CISE is committed to focusing its research investments to catalyze this ecosystem to make deep and meaningful impacts to the lives of the American people.

We thank the NSF CISE research community for its continued contributions, resilience and commitment to advancing bold ideas that will shape our nation’s scientific and technological future.

Ellen Zegura
NSF Acting Assistant Director

NSF Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering 

Irina Dolinskaya
NSF Directorate Head

NSF Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering 

News and updates

NSF-supported researchers create world’s smallest programable, autonomous robots. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Michigan have developed the world’s smallest fully programmable, autonomous robots—microscopic, light-powered machines smaller than a grain of salt.

Precision technology, machine learning lead to early diagnosis of calf pneumonia. Researchers funded in part by NSF found that IoT-enabled wearable sensors and automatic feeders, paired with machine learning, can detect bovine respiratory disease in dairy calves several days earlier than traditional clinical exams.

Students Gain Hands-On Cybersecurity and AI Experience at Stevens Institute of Technology. York College students spent the summer at Stevens Institute of Technology through a CISE-funded research project, gaining hands-on experience in AI, AIoT and cybersecurity.

Innovative AI Tool for Cancer Research Powered by Indiana University’s Jetstream2. Indiana University’s Jetstream2 supercomputing system, supported through NSF’s ACCESS program, enabled researchers to develop DrBioRight 2.0—an AI-powered chatbot for cancer bioinformatics data.

New AI Language-Vision Models Transform Traffic Video Analysis to Improve Road Safety. Researchers supported in part by NSF developed SeeUnsafe, an AI system that scans traffic-camera footage to identify crashes and near-misses, explain what happened and help cities spot dangerous intersections before serious accidents occur.

New app alerts homeowners to rising indoor heat. A team of Iowa State researchers supported by NSF developed CommHEAT, a new smartphone app that predicts when a home’s indoor temperature could reach dangerous levels.

Events

NSF CISE Updates Office Hour. Join NSF CISE leadership for an Office Hour focused on recent organizational updates, including changes related to CISE’s internal reorganization and updates to NSF’s Merit Review process. The goal of this event is to help researchers understand how these changes may affect proposals development and review, and answer questions from the research community. Jan 22, 2026. 1 p.m. ET.

CISE Units

Division of Computer and Network Systems (CNS)
Supports research and education in computer systems and networks, hardware and software systems, future-generation computing and communication systems, cyber-physical systems, and secure and trustworthy cyberspace.

Division of Computing and Communication Foundations (CCF)
Supports research and education in mathematical, scientific and technological foundations of computing communication, hardware, software, and emerging technologies.