The National Science Foundation’s (NSF) directorates for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) and Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS) have issued a joint solicitation for a CISE-MPS Interdisciplinary Faculty Program in Quantum Information Science. The program seeks to “promote research in the area of Quantum Information Science (QIS) by providing resources [that] allow QIS researchers and researchers from the CISE or MPS disciplines to actively engage in joint research efforts.” A specific goal is to encourage long-term visits by faculty to a host institution.

From the solicitation (following the link):

The goal of the CISE-MPS Interdisciplinary Faculty Program in Quantum Information Science is to bring together QIS researchers and researchers from the CISE or MPS disciplines to:

 

1. Address cross-disciplinary research questions in QIS that explore the power of quantum computation and its impact on computer science, advance knowledge on the fundamental limits of quantum computation and systems, and explore advances in physical realization of quantum systems, as well as
2. Increase the number of US researchers actively working in QIS and train the future generation of QIS scientists.

 

The awards provide support for faculty with demonstrated success in MPS or CISE research fields to actively engage in new interdisciplinary research with QIS scientists.

 

The PI (referred to as the scholar) must be in a tenured faculty position in his or her US home institution and must be prepared to spend a minimum of one contiguous semester with the host’s group. Scholar and host must be from substantially different intellectual backgrounds, such that the collaborative activity represents a broadening of experience and a bone fide change in the scholar’s research direction. Scholar and host must also be based in different institutions, so that the interaction with the host research group represents a full immersion and not a part-time activity. Requests from scholars wishing to visit well-established research groups and centers in Quantum Information Science are particularly welcome.

 

Upon successful completion of the project, the NSF will entertain a request for supplemental funding up to $50,000 per award, not to exceed 20% of the value of the original award, to allow the scholar to support a graduate student upon returning to the home institution and initiating research in QIS or continuing a collaboration with the host institution.

 

Awardees (scholar and at least one representative from the host institution) are expected to attend a PI meeting.

 

While the primary intent of the program is to foster connections between scientists within the US, proposals from scholars to visit institutions with outstanding QIS activities abroad will also be considered. In such cases the application should include as part of the Project Description what the host institution will provide and a plan of how the activity will foster the development of QIS research and education within the US.

Awards are limited in size to a maximum of $250,000. Full proposal deadlines are June 1 and December 4, 2012, and June 3 and December 3, 2013. Three to four awards are anticipated following each deadline.

To learn more, check out the full solicitation.

(Contributed by Erwin Gianchandani, CCC Director)