The Office of Research Development (ORD) presents an annual series about the National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) program to support pre-tenure faculty in strengthening their CAREER proposals.

This year, ORD is providing a three-part series of workshops to support NSF CAREER applicants:

  • Introduction to the NSF CAREER Award - Tuesday, January 28 from 2 - 3 p.m. ET (virtual) – Register below to join ORD for an overview of the NSF CAREER program and what resources are available at UMass Lowell (UML) to help you prepare a CAREER proposal.

  • Short Course: How to Win an NSF CAREER Grant – Tuesdays from 2 - 3:30 p.m. ET, February 25 – March 25 (virtual) – Apply via InfoReady by Wednesday, February 5 to participate in a small group training on key strategies for assembling a successful CAREER proposal. Sessions will be held weekly and hosted by Maureen Bonnefin, lead grants consultant at Affinity Grants Insights LLC. Session topics include:
    • Setting the Stage: Components Required to Win a CAREER Grant (Tuesday, February 25, 2 - 3:30 p.m. ET)
    • Going Deeper: Motivation and Narrative Arc (Tuesday, March 4, 2 - 3:30 p.m. ET)
    • Critical Details: The Integrated Components of the Project Narrative (Tuesday, March 18, 2 - 3:30 p.m. ET)
    • Wrapping it Up: Small Items that Make a Difference (Tuesday, March 25, 2 - 3:30 p.m. ET)
    • Learn more about each short course session and apply to participate via InfoReady.

  • Insights from NSF CAREER Awardees and the Office of Sponsored Programs – Thursday, April 4 from 2 - 4 p.m. ET (in-person) - Register below to join ORD for questions and answers (Q&A) with prior CAREER winners and a guest presentation from the Office of Sponsored Programs on the CAREER proposal submission process at UML.

Note additional resources are available to help you prepare an NSF CAREER award:

  • UMass Lowell CAREER Resource Library - ORD maintains a collection of example proposals from past UML CAREER awardees, template outlines for several common CAREER proposal documents, recordings and materials from our office's previous CAREER-focused events, and other CAREER resources. Access with your UML log-in credentials.
  • Proposal reviews – As bandwidth permits, ORD offers reviews of NSF CAREER proposals by internal or external grant consultants. Review time is prioritized for faculty that reach out far ahead of the CAREER deadline. Email: RD@uml.edu as early as possible in your CAREER preparation process to discuss scheduling a review.

  • CAREER preparation course – All UML faculty can access a self-guided online course walking through the development of a competitive CAREER proposal, including hands-on tutorials, examples of winning proposals, annotated applications, and insights from past NSF reviewers and program officers. Please email: RD@uml.edu for the referral code to access the Grants Learning Center.

  • NSF Directorate-specific CAREER assistance – Some NSF directorates offer specialized CAREER preparation events each spring. For example, NSF’s Engineering and STEM Education directorates both offered half or full-day CAREER workshops in previous years, and other directorates offered CAREER-specific office hours with program directors. Visit NSF’s CAREER page to see upcoming programming.