Opportunities in Mathematical Biology at NSF

1. Opportunities in Mathematical Biology at NSF Tanya Kostova Vassilevska, Program Director Computational Mathematics, Mathematical Biology

2. N S F Directorate Division DMS Program Algebra / Number Theory / Combinatorics / Foundations ENG Analysis PHY Applied Math MPS CHE DMS Computational Math GEO AST BIO Geometric Analysis / Topology DMR CISE Mathematical Biology SBE Statistics & Probability EHR Infrastructure . . . Workforce

3. 2009 STIMULUS FUNDING • $3B ARRA (stimulus) funding for NSF • $2.0B for Research & Related Activities account • $0.5B for Education and Human Resources • $0.5B for facilities and infrastructure • Context: ~$100M for DMS Spent almost entirely on existing proposals

4. How were ARRA funds spent? Majority of the $2 billion Research and Related Activities funds for proposals that wee already in house were reviewed and/or awarded prior to Sept. 30, 2009. Resulted in a higher funding rate in FY09-FY11 All ARRA awards were standard grants up to five years Funding of new PIs and high-risk, high-return research: a top priority.

5. Average DMS Funding Rate

6. Other programs in DMS and across NSF (especially BIO) like to fund mathematical applications in biology • Math Bio program actively looks for co-funding with other programs • Computational mathematics program funds or co-funds math bio proposals with strong computational component

7. How are proposals reviewed? Panel review (most of the proposals) Volunteer to be a panelist! Ad hoc mail review (rarely is a proposal reviewed only by mail review) Math Bio proposals are OFTEN co-reviewed with other programs: DMS statistics, DMS Comp Math DMS Applied Math NSF/Bio/DEB, NSF/Bio/DBI/ NSF/CISE HINT: When in doubt where to submit, submit to more than one program!

8. How to learn about new solicitations? DMS announces new funding opportunities via two automated e-mail lists. To subscribe, send a blank e-mail message to join-mathdept@lists.nsf.gov for the MATHDEPT list or to join-statdept@lists.nsf.gov for the STATDEPT list. (Information on how to cancel a subscription is included in each mailing.)

9. Standard NSF Evaluation Criteria • INTELLECTUAL MERIT • How important is the proposed activity to advancing knowledge and understanding within its own field or across fields? • To what extent does the proposal suggest and explore creative, original,orpotentially transformative concepts? • What will be the significant contribution of the project to the research and knowledge base of the field? • How well conceived and organized is the proposed activity? • Is there sufficient access to resources (equipment, facilities, etc.)? • How well qualified is the team (the PI, co-PIs, sub-contracts, etc.) to conduct the proposed activity?

10. Standard NSF Evaluation Criteria • BROADER IMPACTS • How well does the activity advance discovery and understanding while promoting teaching, training, and learning? • How well does the proposed activity broaden the participation of underrepresented groups (e.g., gender, ethnicity, disability, geographic, etc.)? • To what extent will it enhance the infrastructure for research and education, such as facilities, instrumentation, networks, and partnerships? • Will the results be disseminated broadly to enhance scientific and technological understanding? • What may be the benefits of the proposed activity to society?

11. General Guidelines on DMS Unsolicited Proposals Dates: “Windows of opportunity” Math Bio: December 18- January 13 Computational Math: December 1-15 Statistics October 23 - November 7 Applied math: Nov 1-15 http://www.nsf.gov/div/index.jsp?div=DMS

12. Mathematical Biology Program Looking for innovation in mathematics (this is a DMS program!) with a strong application to biology. Collaboration with a biologist is strongly encouraged but not required for a successful proposal. However, panels tend to prefer collaborations! IMPORTANT: Upon submission, research the Biology programs: http://www.nsf.gov/dir/index.jsp?org=BIO Biological Infrastructure (DBI) Environmental Biology (DEB) Emerging Frontiers (EF) Integrative Organismal Systems (IOS) Molecular and Cellular Biosciences (MCB) Contact the BIO program officers and let them know you submitted to Math Bio. And vice versa!

13. Computational Mathematics Program Supports mathematical research in areas of science where computing plays a central and essential role, emphasizing algorithms design, numerical methods and their analysis, and symbolic methods.  The prominence of computation in the research is a hallmark of the program.  Computational biology proposals are accepted and funded by this program

14. Some new and continuing DMS solicitationshttp://www.nsf.gov/div/index.jsp?div=DMS • Cyber-Enabled Discovery & Innovation(CDI) – NSF wide • Joint DMS/NIGMS Initiative to Support Research in the Area of Mathematical Biology October 1 • Building Engineered Complex Systems (BECS) Program solicitation NSF 09-610 Submission Window Dates: December 14, 2009 - January 19, 2010 • DTRA-DMS Initiative on Next Generation Algorithms for the Detection of Chemical and Biological Materials – look forward for a solicitation including the mathematics of genomic sequencing

15. Cyber-Enabled Discovery & Innovation (CDI) Five-year initiative (FY2008-12) All directorates, programmatic offices involved To create revolutionary science and engineering research outcomes Emphasis on bold, multidisciplinary activities Radical, paradigm-changing science and engineering outcomes through computational thinking

16. Cyber-Enabled Discovery & Innovation (CDI) • “Business as usual” need not apply • “Projects that make straightforward use of existing computational concepts, methods, models, algorithms and tools to significantly advance only one discipline should be submitted to an appropriate program in that field instead of to CDI.” • No place for incremental research • Untraditional approaches and collaborations welcome • Potential for extraordinary outcomes, such as revolutionizing entire disciplines, creating entirely new fields, or disrupting accepted theories and perspectives • … as a result of taking a fresh, multi-disciplinary approach.

17. Three CDI Themes: • From Data to Knowledge:enhancing human cognition and generating new knowledge from a wealth of heterogeneous digital data; • Understanding Complexity in Natural, Built, and Social Systems:deriving fundamentalinsights onsystems comprising multiple interacting elements; • Building Virtual Organizations:enhancing discovery and innovation bybringing people and resources together across institutional, geographical and cultural boundaries

18. CDI FY10 No application date announced yet Dear Colleague Letter http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2009/nsf09067/nsf09067.pdf Note: Progress required in two disciplines – these could be any two – i.e. Mathematics and Biology (not necessarily computer science) The Math Bio / Comp Bio community has been rather under-represented in this competition! • Contacts • CDI Co-chairs Mary Lou Maher (CISE), Tom Russell (OIA), Eduardo Misawa (ENG) or members of the team listed in the solicitation cdi@nsf.gov ; (703) 292-8080 http://www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/cdi/

19. DTRA-DMS Initiative on Next Generation Algorithms for Detection of Chem & Bio Materials Dear Colleague letter http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2009/nsf09010/nsf09010.pdf Next generation of mathematical and statistical algorithms and methodologies in sensor systems for the detection of chemical and biological materials within the Computational Mathematics program FY 2010: Stay tuned. A solicitation on the mathematics of gene sequencing expected. CONTACT: Dr. Leland Jameson, ljameson@nsf.gov

20. Joint DMS/NIGMS Initiative to Support Research in the Area of Mathematical Biology Next deadline for submissions: October 01, 2009 Innovative mathematics or statistics to solve an important biological problem. Some proposals funded by NSF, some by NIH. Standard mathematics or statistics to solve biological problems is not appropriate Proposals designed to create new software tools based on existing models and methods not accepted

21. Joint DMS/NIGMS Initiative to Support Research in the Area of Mathematical Biology A broad variety of topics: Evolutionary theory and practice arising from genomic advances; Statistical and other approaches to the discovery of genes contributing to complex behavior, and their environmental interactions; Explanatory and predictive models of the cellular state; Growth, motility, cell division, membrane trafficking, and other cellular behavior Metabolic circuitry and dynamics; Population dynamics; Signal transduction; Development of new algorithms for phylogenetic analysis; Design principles and dynamics of pattern formation in development and differentiation; New approaches to the prediction of molecular structure; Improved algorithms for structure determination by x-ray crystallography, NMR and electron microscopy; Simulations of the human systemic responses to burn, trauma and other injury; New approaches to understanding system-wide effects of pharmacological agents and anesthetics, and their genetic and environmental modifiers

22. Joint DMS/NIGMS Initiative to Support Research in the Area of Mathematical Biology Strong mathematics/statistics coupled with a strong bio application that lies within the interests of NIGMS are the key Successful proposals are usually truly collaborative DMS contacts: NIGMS contact: Mary Ann Horn, mhorn@nsf.gov John Whitmarsh, David Stoffer, dstoffer@nsf.govwhitmarj@nigms.nih.edu Junping Wang, jwang@nsf.gov Grace Yang, yawang@nsf.gov Tanya Vassilevska, tvassile@nsf.gov

23. Building Engineered Complex Systems (BECS) NSF 09-610 • Submission: December 14, 2009 - January 19, 2010 • Understand the basic principles of complexity and emergence • Broad range of applications, including atmospheric sciences, biology,chemical systems, communication and power systems, economics, enterprise systems, environmental systems, finance, fluid mechanics, nanoscience, oceanography, transportation systems, solid mechanics, social sciences, etc. • Principal Investigators (PI) must be at the faculty level as determined by the submitting organization. At least one co-PI must be an engineer and at least one co-PI must be a mathematical scientist (a mathematician or statistician).

24. Training Programs

25. Non DMS Opportunities • DEB Division of Environmental Biology DMS Math Bio often co-funds with DEB! • MCB Molecular and Cellular Biology Interested in mathematical methods • DBI Division of Biological Infrastructure Mostly bioinformatics but also interested in various algorithms • CISE Computer Science Directorate Collaborative Research in Computational Neuroscience  (CRCNS) “Biocomputing” proposals are of interest – contact program director Mitra Basu

26. Check this: http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=nsf08078 The most competitive proposals will integrate questions and approaches across disciplines; e.g., in two or more divisions in the Biological Sciences or one division in the Biological Sciences and a division in another NSF Directorate.