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Date: August 21, 2013

Dear Colleague:

Achieving a sustainable future in the face of both gradual and abrupt global change is one of the most significant challenges facing humanity. National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Science, Engineering, and Education for Sustainability (SEES) activities support interdisciplinary research and education needed to overcome the barriers to sustainable human well-being.

The purpose of this Dear Colleague Letter is to alert social, behavioral, and economic scientists of an opportunity to broaden their core expertise through residence at a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) facility.  This Fellowship provides a unique opportunity for interdisciplinary research collaboration between Social, Behavioral and Economic (SBE) scientists and NOAA scientists and decision makers.

NOAA has indicated it would welcome SBE scientists to be based in any of their program offices, centers and laboratories through the NSF Program on Science, Engineering, and Education for Sustainability Fellows (SEES Fellows: https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=504673).

This solicitation requires that applicants develop a plan for a research partnership. NSF and NOAA believe that NOAA program offices, centers, and laboratories, which are based throughout the country, provide an opportunity for such partnerships between SBE scientists and NOAA staff.  Although there is no set-aside, as proposals to reside at NOAA facilities must compete with all the other proposals, the willingness of NOAA administrators to work with SBE scientists should enable SBE scholars to develop strong proposals. This opportunity is open to early-career scholars. Awards provide salary support, research expenses and travel support for a maximum of 3 years. Proposals are due November 21, 2013.

Potentially interested applicants are urged to first review the NSF solicitation on Science, Engineering and Education for Sustainability Fellows (SEES Fellows: https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=504673) and then to consult Dr. Leah Bunce Karrer, NOAA Deputy Chief Economist (leah.karrer@noaa.gov) at NOAA in order to identify potential opportunities at NOAA. Proposals will ultimately be submitted by the scholar to the SEES Fellows competition at the NSF. Questions about this Dear Colleague Letter or other NSF-specific issues can be addressed to Dr. Robert O’Connor (roconnor@nsf.gov).

Sincerely,

Dr. Joanne Tornow
Acting Assistant Director
Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences
National Science Foundation