Application deadline: 25 October 2023
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Experimental Physics Investigators: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I apply for the investigator award?
We have an application portal where you can complete your pre-proposal. You can also find the link and more information on moore.org under the Experimental Physics Investigators Initiative. Any additional questions can be directed to epi@moore.org.
Visit application portal.
When is the deadline to apply?
The deadline to submit the 2024 cohort pre-proposal is Wednesday, 25 October 2023 at noon PT.
Will it be an open application or a nomination process?
It will be an open application process.
Who is eligible to apply?
Individuals conducting experimental physics research, who have earned tenure (or equivalent) at their U.S. institution, and are within five years of that tenure appointment at the time of submission of their preproposal. For the 2024 application deadline, this means applicants must have earned tenure after 25 October 2018.
I had a life event (childbirth in my case) following tenure which slowed progress in my research. Are there any allowances for this?
Yes, in the application you have the option to request a 1-year extension to the eligibility criteria (receiving tenure within the past five years) owing to life events such as childbirth or caring for a family member since earning tenure. For the 2024 application deadline, this means applicants must request extensions if they earned tenure between 25 October 2017 and 25 October 2018.
Please note that extensions due to the pandemic will not be considered (we extended our eligibility window for everyone to account for disruptions owing to the pandemic). The pre-proposal does provide an opportunity to describe anything else which may have impacted your professional advancement.
What research areas are you supporting?
The fields we are primarily considering include atomic/molecular/optical physics, biophysics, chemical physics, condensed matter, fluid dynamics, geophysics, laser physics, materials, polymer physics, plasma physics, precision measurements, quantum information, and soft matter physics.
Why are you limiting the subfields within experimental physics?
These awards are focused on supporting the pursuit of research ideas of an individual investigator rather than work done as a part of larger collaboration. Our aim is to not only support experimental physicists but also to provide opportunities to spur collaboration in and among our investigators. We will host an annual gathering of investigators to further this goal and, consequently, are limiting the sub-fields to those that are aligned closely enough to enable cross-fertilization of new ideas or advance new collaborative projects.
What research are you not supporting?
This program is specifically designed to support individual experimental physics researchers and their teams. What we do not support:
- Theoretical and computational work unless part of larger experimental research efforts.
- Education research or public engagement.
- Ongoing work of large collaborations (e.g., astrophysics/astronomy, exotic matter searches, fusion, gravitational physics, high energy physics, nuclear physics).
- Observational astronomy.
Can researchers at liberal arts colleges apply?
Yes. Our goal is to support researchers who are proposing to do great research in inclusive communities. It is up to the applicant to indicate that they have sufficient time and resources to complete the proposed research. Some teaching buyout is allowed, but we expect investigators will teach and mentor students and postdocs while carrying out their research plan.
I work at a national laboratory. Am I eligible?
Maybe. The EPI program is designed to support investigators who are transitioning from an early to a mid-career stage (e.g., immediately post tenure at most universities). If you are in this mid-career stage at your lab, you are potentially eligible. Complete a pre-proposal and explain your career stage in the appropriate section. Keep in mind that indirect cost rates are very small compared to typical rates required at national labs and we recommend you consult with lab leadership to make sure you can accept funds with the limits we place on indirect costs.
I am based at a company. Am I eligible?
No. The grants will be made to the nonprofit or public university or research institutions where the investigator is based. We will not make grants to for-profit organizations.
I’m in an electrical engineering department. Am I eligible?
The home department of the investigator is not considered in the review. The essential requirement is that the proposed research is experimental physics.
I work closely with another person. Can we apply as a team?
No. Each award will be made to a single institution, with one principal investigator. You can discuss the collaborative nature of the work in your application. A sub-award can be made to another institution to support the collaborator's efforts. Partnerships with national labs are allowed.
Can I work with a theoretical or computational scientist?
Yes, but the focus of the project must be on the work of the investigators. Minimal support can be provided for the collaborator.
How will investigators be selected?
Selection of experimental physics investigators uses a two-stage process. In the first stage, we encourage individuals from U.S. institutions to submit pre-proposals. An external committee of physicists will review pre-proposals and provide recommendations to the Experimental Physics Investigators team.
A subset of applicants will be invited to submit additional information as a part of the second stage to collect full proposals. The research project sections of these full proposals will be reviewed by multiple experts in the field and the advisory committee will then review all applications and the expert reviews. They will then provide recommendations to the Experimental Physics Investigators team who make final funding decisions.
We have taken steps to reduce work required to apply in each stage and to encourage broad participation while still providing sufficient information to effectively evaluate applications. We are using ORCID to collect professional background information for each applicant. Additional contributed components will be brief.
Applicants will be considered solely on the merits of their proposal documents and awards will be made regardless of age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, race, national origin, religion, or disability.
What information will be asked for in the application?
The preproposal has 4 sections: Research Idea:
- Brief description of a research direction you’d like to pursue.
- Professional background: Two brief descriptions of previous contributions to science and typical CV information (imported from ORCID).
- Research team members: Basic information about your research team members.
- Personal information: Demographics and other background.
We encourage you to log in and start your application early so that you can see the details related to each of these sections in context and plan accordingly.
What if I do not have an ORCID profile?
All applicants must have an ORCID profile as it will simplify completing the application and updating professional background details in subsequent phases of the process.
What steps are you taking to reduce bias in the selection process?
Demographic information is not provided to any reviewers, and we ask that all narrative entries be written in ways to minimize the likelihood that reviewers will identify the applicant from that content alone. As much as possible, identifying information in the professional background will not be shared with the reviewers and we are using ORCID as a data source to ensure that these details are presented consistently for all applicants. While we are taking steps to reduce bias, you should understand that limiting identifying information is not a guarantee of anonymity (e.g., in smaller sub-fields there are a limited number of people working in a specific area).
When will I know if I’ve been invited to submit a full proposal?
We aim to inform all candidates of our decisions by mid-December 2023. We will provide at least four weeks between notification and the deadline for submission of full proposals.
How many investigators will be selected this year?
Our intent is to support the work of roughly 20 new principal investigators each year.
Are existing Moore Foundation grantees eligible?
Yes, subject to specific eligibility requirements of this initiative.
What is the amount awarded to each investigator?
Each grant will provide $1,250,000 over five years with additional funds available for research equipment. This amount includes a 12.5% overhead allowance on eligible expenses. The grant will be made to the applicant’s public or private non-profit university or research institution.
If I am selected, when can I expect the grant to be finalized?
We anticipate final approval of funds by late summer 2024.
There is an individual in the community who is trying to unfairly discredit my work. Can I be sure that this person will not review my application?
We provide an opportunity to suggest both recommended reviewers and individuals whom you feel should not review your work. In addition, the foundation is committed to ensuring that individuals with conflicts of interest do not provide reviews.
I am traveling overseas on 25 October, can I submit my materials on 26 October?
No. Applications will not be accepted after the deadline. Please plan accordingly.
Will I get feedback on my preproposal so that my full proposal (or resubmission) can address that feedback?
No. Unfortunately, we do not have sufficient staffing to provide feedback on pre-proposals. If you are selected to submit a full proposal, it is our intent to provide technical reviewer comments to all applicants by September 2024.
If I apply this year and am not funded, can I apply next year?
At this time, there are no limits on the number of times a researcher can apply as long as they meet eligibility requirements. We may, however, limit the number of times an individual can apply in the future.
I submitted an application in a previous year. Will this year’s reviewers have information from my previous submission?
No. All applications stand on their own, previous applications and reviewer feedback are not considered when reviewing and making decisions for the current program.
I collaborate with researchers at other institutions. Can I make subawards to those collaborators?
Yes, but in writing the proposal, please remember that the focus of the research description is on the science. In order to reduce bias during reviewing, please do not identify yourself or your collaborators or the institutions involved in the research initiative.
Where can I learn more about what has been funded in the past?
Visit the EPI Learn More page and scroll down to see the investigators from our past cohorts. Click on their images to learn more about their research efforts.
Last modified: 7 September 2023
Experimental Physics Investigator: 2024 Application Guide
Application portal
The Experimental Physics Investigators Initiative application portal is new this year. This tool was chosen because it is generally easy to use for applicants and allows for consistently formatted, deidentified information to be displayed to the reviewers to minimize bias during the review process. It also allows us to request revisions from applicants immediately following submission, if identifying information is included or details are missing. Unfortunately, the process for importing professional activity information from ORCID into the application is a multistep process that is not totally intuitive. While we are working to improve this for next year, we ask your patience with the interface we are currently using. As you enter information for your application, we ask that you read the onscreen instructions that provide guidance for how to navigate the system. We will also hold several technical support sessions to answer questions related to the portal on 19 September 2023 and 07 October 2023. Additional details about these sessions will be posted on the portal.
Eligibility
All applicants are asked to complete a short eligibility questionnaire. To receive funding applicants must be conducting experimental physics research and have earned tenure (or equivalent) at their U.S. institution after 25 October 2018. There is also an option to request a 1-year extension to the eligibility criteria (receiving tenure within the past five years) owing to significant life events such as childbirth or caring for a family member since earning tenure. For the 2024 application deadline, this means applicants may request an extension if they earned tenure between 25 October 2017 and 25 October 2018. Extensions due to the pandemic will not be considered (we extended our eligibility window for everyone to account for disruptions owing to the pandemic). In addition, the pre-proposal provides a textbox in which to describe anything else which may have impacted the applicant’s professional advancement.
Preproposal
The Experimental Physics Investigators (EPI) pre-proposal has four sections. All information may be input directly into the application form while some can be imported from ORCID. File uploads are unavailable. The four sections of the pre-proposal are:
- Research idea: In this section, applicants will share a brief text-only description of the research idea they would like to pursue if they receive an Experimental Physics Investigator award. Applicants must also provide five general references related to the research idea and identify the PhySH (Physics Subject Headings) disciplines and concepts which will be used to help us review your submission. In order to reduce bias during the review process, we ask that you do not include personal or institutional identifying information in the description.
- Professional background: To reduce bias during the review process, identifying information from this section of the application will not be shared with external reviewers. In this section, applicants will share information about prior work and activities as listed below.
- Brief descriptions of two of the applicant’s most significant contributions to science, including basic ideas, how they were developed by the applicant and their team, findings or outcomes, and their specific role in the described work.
- Lists of professional activities (similar to a traditional CV) will be imported from ORCID. Applicants are encouraged to check that the following information is in their ORCID profile to simplify including it in the application. This portion of the application does take multiple steps and we encourage you to start early in case you encounter technical difficulties.
- Works (Title, Work type [e.g., journal article, lecture-speech, book chapter], publication title [journal name, conference title or lecture venue], publication date) for the most recent 30 peer reviewed articles (typically journal-articles in ORCID) and most recent 15 presentations (typically lecture-speech or conference-presentations in ORCID). Note: If your presentations or publications have been assigned DOIs, the simplest method for adding these entries to your application is to add a new work and select the “Add DOI” option as this will populate the data fields most cleanly. If they have not been assigned DOIs, it is likely to be simplest to "Add Manually”.
- Funding (Organization, Total amount, Amount allocated to your research group, Title, Start/End years) for the most recent 15 grants/awards for amounts exceeding $5000. Include institutional awards such as startup funds.
- Employment (Organization, Department, Role/Title, Region/State, Country, Start/End years) for all employment since earning a PhD including postdoctoral appointments and separate entries for promotions (e.g., Assistant Professor, Assocaite Professor).
- Education (Organization, Department, Region/State, Country, Start/End dates, Degree) for all post-secondary degrees.
- Distinctions (Organization, Role/Title, Region/State, Country, Distinction/award, Date of recognition)
- Research team: In this section we ask for some basic information about the postdoctoral fellows and students you have supervised.
- Personal information: This section will not be shared with external reviewers. It includes applicant demographics as well as narrative spaces to request eligibility extensions. We also provide here a textbox entry to make us aware of any other considerations you would like to share with the EPI team.
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Last modified: 5 October 2023
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