With alternative methods for sharing information with the research community available, we are retiring this blog. To keep up-to-date on Division of Environmental Biology news, please visit/bookmark https://www.nsf.gov/bio/deb  and https://www.nsf.gov/bio. You can also sign up for email alerts from BIO and the rest of NSF on those pages by entering your email in the box under the page menu and clicking “Go.”

Information on future virtual office hour sessions or other events will be available in the NSF events calendar at https://www.nsf.gov/events.

The Division of Environmental Biology (DEB) held its latest Virtual Office Hour on January 13, 2025. DEB and IOS Program Officers focused on updates to the Partnership to Advance Conservation Science and Practice (PACSP) funding opportunity.

We host these office hours 1-2 pm EST on the 2nd Monday of every-other-month. There is a designated theme each time, but attendees are welcome to ask about other NSF-related topics. Program Officers (POs) from different research areas are present at each Virtual Office Hour, so a wide range of scientific perspectives is represented.

A recap and a recording are available at https://new.nsf.gov/events/deb-virtual-office-hour-partnership-advance-conservation

The question-and-answer portion starts at time stamp 25:00.

If you have questions about PACSP please reach out to the team at PACSP@nsf.gov.

Please reach out to a PO if you have any questions about the proposal submission and review process in DEB programs. You can review  5 tips on working with Program Officers as part of the NSF 101 series on our Science Matters blog to prepare.

Check out the upcoming office hour topics below and be sure to check back here or on the NSF Events Page for information on how to register.

Join us Monday, January 13^th, 1 – 2pm ET for DEB’s next Virtual Office Hour: Partnership to Advance Conservation Science and Practice. DEB and IOS Program Officers will focus on updates to the Partnership to Advance Conservation Science and Practice (PACSP) funding opportunity. Upcoming DEB Virtual Office Hours are announced ahead of time on DEBrief, so we suggest you also sign up for blog notifications.   

REGISTER HERE TO PARTICIPATE

If you can’t make it to this or any future office hours, don’t worry! Come back to the blog afterwards, as we post recaps and the presentation slides of all office hour sessions. Alternatively, visit our Office Hours homepage for slideshows and recaps of past topics.    

Virtual Office Hours are on the second Monday of every other month from 1 – 2pm ET. 

Upcoming Office Hours and Topics:             

March 10: How to craft an effective and compliant budget

May 12: The CAREER solicitation

Aug 11: You have an idea for a proposal, now what?

Oct 20: Exploring the panel proposal review experience

Dec 8: Your proposal got reviewed, now what?

Virtual Office Hour on the Mid-Career Advancement program MCA, NSF 22-603.

Program Officers from the Directorates supporting MCA proposals will present information about eligibility, suitable research questions, budgets etc., Bring your questions!

Please register using the following link:

DATE:  WEDNESDAY 8 January at 2-3 p.m. (join 15 minutes early)

REGISTRATION for your colleagues and for sending on listservs, etc.: https://nsf.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_o96VJl6eREaLxDiUaOWI-A#/registration

Note – the Webinar will be recorded and made available for those who cannot attend, and a transcript of questions and answers will be created.

Wishing you a year full of new (funding) opportunities. Happy 2025!

The US National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation are continuing their partnership to support this program, with the newest solicitation out now. There have been revisions since the last solicitation so be sure to read the important information and revision notes.

The objective of the PACSP Program is to support U.S.-based conservation research that investigates organismal biology, ecology, and/or evolution and is designed to contribute to the development and implementation of evidence-based activities and/or technology solutions to advance biodiversity conservation. We seek proposals that involve the implementation of conservation activities based on conservation science principles via academic-conservation organization partnerships.

Full proposals are due March 17, 2025. Be sure and check past awardees here and make plans to attend the upcoming webinar on January 13, 2025 1-2pm ET to learn more about the program and ask Program Officers questions.

Our friends over in IOS hosted a Virtual Office Hour on November 21st: Updated Solicitations: Synthetic Communities and ORRC (incl. the new MMORCC track) and their recap is now available. If you missed out on attending, check out their slides, highlights, and select questions & answers.

The Directorate for Biological Sciences at the US National Science Foundation is seeking a Deputy Division Director (DDD) for the Division of Environmental Biology (DEB). This is a Senior Executive Service (SES) position within the Federal government as described at https://www.usajobs.gov/job/823439300.

The DDD plays a key role in DEB’s senior management, contributing to science planning, management, and program budget allocation and commitment for the Division. The DDD advises and aids the Division Director and is a member of the broader senior management team in the Directorate for Biological Sciences.

DEB supports research and training on evolutionary and ecological processes acting at the level of populations, species, communities, and ecosystems. You can read more about DEB’s structure and mission at https://www.nsf.gov/bio/deb/about.jsp. Applications are due February 5, 2025.

The power of Artificial Intelligence (AI)/Machine Learning (ML) has been seen across STEM, and the NSF Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO) is releasing a new Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) encouraging proposals that advance biological research through the use of AI/ML or development of AI/ML methods

The DCL “Advancing Research at the Intersection of Biology and Artificial Intelligence (AI)/Machine Learning (ML)” (NSF 24-131) highlights the role AI/ML can and does play in answering questions, including grand challenges, across the biological sciences by analyzing, synthesizing, and integrating large and complex datasets, developing predictive models, and designing and deploying bio-inspired innovations. It also highlights how increased understanding of the ways biological systems process information can inform and inspire new AI/ML developments. Furthermore, the complexity of biological data presents opportunities to train and advance AI/ML systems for use across STEM.

Responding to the DCL
This is not a special competition or new program. Relevant proposals should be submitted to an existing BIO program, according to that program’s solicitation and submission guidelines. Proposal titles should begin with “BIO-AI:” followed by any other relevant prefixes and the project name. 

Proposals must advance one or more goals represented by NSF biological sciences programs through incorporating or developing AI/ML approaches. Proposers are encouraged to include partnerships between biologists and experts in AI/ML from academia, industry, or other organizations.

Areas in which AI/ML approaches may be used include, but are not limited to:

• Implementing existing AI/ML methods to solve pressing questions in biology
• Developing new AI/ML models to derive biological insights
• Validating and/or comparing results from AI/ML methods against results from traditional analytical methods, theoretical models, and/or experimental approaches

Proposals that advance both biological discovery and development of novel AI/ML research are especially encouraged. Proposals solely aimed at generating new data are not encouraged in response to this DCL

NSF offers access to computing resources through the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) Pilot for the research community to request access to a set of computing, models, platform, and educational resources for projects related to advancing AI research.

Before submission, PIs are encouraged to contact cognizant program directors in the program(s) within the Divisions of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, Integrative Organismal Systems, Environmental Biology, or Biological Infrastructure that are most relevant to their projects to discuss the appropriate mechanism for submission.

For more information on how to submit and proposal evaluation, please see the full DCL.

General questions about this DCL may be submitted to bio-ai@nsf.gov.