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This document has been archived. For current NSF funding opportunities, see
http://www.nsf.gov/funding/browse_all_funding.jsp
Directorate
for Mathematical and Physical Sciences
Division of Chemistry
The Division of Chemistry (CHE) supports
research and the development of research infrastructure in the principal
subdisciplines of chemistry. The field of chemistry is very diverse,
and NSF support for chemistry research goes beyond the CHE Division.
Other NSF divisions supporting chemistry research include Astronomical
Sciences, Atmospheric Sciences, Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, Chemical
and Transport Systems, Earth Sciences, Advanced Computational Research,
Physics, and Materials Research. Support for the development of infrastructure
in chemistry is also provided by appropriate divisions in the Directorates
for Education and Human Resources (EHR) and Biosciences (BIO) through
the Division of Biological Infrastructure.
Molecular science plays a central role in many areas of science and
engineering. Because of this, much of the research supported by the CHE
Division will also further the advancement of research in other disciplines,
such as biology and chemical engineering, and in various multidisciplinary
or interdisciplinary areas, such as environmental science and materials
science.
1. Analytical and Surface Chemistry
Supports fundamental chemical
research directed toward the characterization and analysis of all forms
of matter.
Studies of elemental and molecular composition and of the microstructure
of both bulk and surface domains are included. The program supports projects
that develop the fundamentals of measurement science, new sensors and new
instruments, and innovative approaches to data processing and interpretation.
Investigations designed to probe the chemical structure and reactivity
of the interface between different forms of matter also are supported. The
program is linked to several other chemistry research programs within NSF,
including Solid State Chemistry (Materials Research Division, MPS Directorate);
Biochemistry and Biophysics (Molecular and Cellular Biosciences Division,
BIO Directorate); and Chemical Reaction Processes and Interfacial, Transport,
and Separation Processes (Chemical and Transport Systems Division, ENG Directorate).
2. Inorganic, Bioinorganic, and Organometallic Chemistry
Supports
research on the synthesis, properties, and reaction mechanisms of molecules
composed of metals, metalloids, and nonmetals with elements covering the
entire periodic table. Included are fundamental studies that underscore
(1) bioinorganic reactions, (2) homogeneous catalysis and organometallic
reactions,
(3) photochemical and charge transfer processes, and (4) studies aimed at
the rational synthesis of new inorganic molecular substances, self-assemblies,
and nano-sized materials with predictable chemical, physical, and biological
properties. Objectives are to provide the basis for understanding (1) the
function of metal ions in biological systems, (2) the behavior of new inorganic
materials and new industrial catalysts, and (3) the systematic chemistry
and behavior of most of the elements and compounds in the environment. The
program has links to other programs within NSF that support chemistry research,
including Solid State Chemistry and Polymers (Materials Research Division,
MPS Directorate); Chemical Reaction Processes (Chemical and Transport Systems
Division, ENG Directorate); Biochemistry and Biophysics (Molecular and Cellular
Biosciences Division, BIO Directorate); and Geochemistry (Earth Sciences
Division, GEO Directorate).
3. Organic Chemical Dynamics
Supports research that will advance
the knowledge of carbon-based molecules, metallo-organic systems, and organized
molecular assemblies. Experimental, computational, and theoretical projects
that illuminate chemical structures, reactivity, and properties and that
provide organic mechanistic, structural, and kinetic foundations for the
understanding of biological processes are all considered. The program has
links to other programs within NSF that support chemistry research, including
Solid State Chemistry and Polymers (Materials Research Division, MPS Directorate);
Chemical Reaction Processes (Chemical and Transport Systems Division, ENG
Directorate); Biochemistry and Biophysics (Molecular and Cellular Biosciences
Division, BIO Directorate); and Atmospheric Chemistry (Atmospheric Sciences
Division, GEO Directorate).
4. Organic Synthesis
Supports research on the synthesis of carbon-based
molecules, organometallic systems, and organized molecular assemblies. Research
includes the development of new reagents and methods for organic synthesis
and characterization, and the investigation of natural products and new
organic materials. Such research provides the basis for designed syntheses
of new
materials and natural products important to the chemical and pharmaceutical
industries. The research has links to other programs within NSF that support
chemistry research, including Biochemistry (Molecular and Cellular Biosciences
Division, BIO Directorate) and Polymers (Materials Research Division, MPS
Directorate).
5. Experimental Physical Chemistry
Supports experimental research
directed at understanding the physical properties of chemical systems at
a molecular level. Chemical systems include solids, liquids, interfaces,
clusters, and isolated molecules or ions in gas or condensed phases. Chemical
properties of interest include solute/solvent interactions in liquids and
in clusters; chemical dynamics of bimolecular and unimolecular chemical
processes; time-resolved internal energy redistribution; and molecular structure
and
the shape of the ground and excited electronic-state potential energy surfaces.
Experimental methodologies include frequency domain and time domain spectroscopic
techniques covering the entire range of the electromagnetic spectrum; time-resolved
dynamical studies, including state-selected and mass-selected systems; reactive
scattering; and single-molecule studies.
The program has links to other programs within NSF that support chemistry
research, including Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics (Physics Division,
MPS Directorate); Biophysics (Molecular and Cellular Biosciences Division,
BIO Directorate); Atmospheric Chemistry (Atmospheric Sciences Division, GEO
Directorate); Galactic Astronomy (Astronomical Sciences Division, MPS Directorate);
Chemical and Transport Systems (ENG Directorate); and various programs in
the Materials Research Division (MPS Directorate).
6. Theoretical and Computational Chemistry
Supports theoretical and
computational research in areas of electronic structure, statistical mechanics,
computer simulations, and chemical dynamics. The program also supports some
areas of experimental thermodynamics and condensed phase dynamics of chemical
systems that rely heavily on theoretical interpretation of experimental
data. Areas of application span the full range of chemical systems, from
small
molecules to macromolecules, and degrees of aggregation from clusters to
macroscopic systems. The goal of projects supported in this program is to
provide a molecular-level interpretation for chemical properties and reactivity.
The program has links to other programs within NSF that support chemistry
research, including Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics (Physics Division,
MPS Directorate); Materials Theory (Materials Research Division, MPS Directorate);
Biophysics (Molecular and Cellular Biosciences Division, BIO Directorate);
and Advanced Computational Research (Advanced Computational Infrastructure
and Research Division, CISE Directorate).
7. Office of Special Projects
Supports or coordinates the support
for most of the infrastructure programs and activities in which the CHE
Division is involved. Examples include the Research Experiences for Undergraduates
and the Faculty Early Career Development Programs, pilots for undergraduate
research centers, and a postdoctoral discovery corps, as well as various
special-purpose grants in education, outreach, diversity, and graduate training.
The office also coordinates the division's involvement in large-scale projects,
such as the Environmental Molecular Science Institutes and the Science and
Technology Centers. The office manages the Collaborative Research in Chemistry
Program, whose purpose is to enable groups of researchers to respond to
recognized
scientific needs; take advantage of current scientific opportunities; or
prepare the groundwork for anticipated and significant scientific developments
in chemistry, broadly defined. Further information on the research centers
and groups supported by the CHE Division is available at http://www.nsf.gov/div/index.jsp?div=CHE.
8. Chemistry Research Instrumentation and Facilities (CRIF)
Supports
the purchase or upgrade of departmental multiuser instrumentation, instrumentation
development, and chemistry research facilities. The first of these topics
focuses on departmental development and is intended to facilitate research
by grantees and potential grantees that are being supported by the CHE Division.
Instrumentation development is intended to implement, test, and introduce
new concepts for chemical measurement to be used on a wider scale. Chemistry
research facilities provide unique, state-of-the-art instrumentation and
expertise to users from the chemical sciences community. Only a few facilities
are supported at any time. Individuals interested in submitting a facilities
proposal must first contact the appropriate staff person in the CHE Division.
CRIF interfaces with the following cross-directorate programs and activities:
Major Research Instrumentation, Small Business Innovation Research, Small
Business Technology Transfer, and instrumentation programs in the Materials
Research Division (MPS Directorate), the Division of Undergraduate Education
(EHR Directorate), the Office of Cross-Disciplinary Activities (CISE Directorate),
and the Division of Biological Infrastructure (BIO Directorate). For a description
of the facilities currently supported by the CHE Division, see http://www.nsf.gov/div/index.jsp?div=CHE.
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