NSF Division of Chemistry: Disciplinary Research Programs (CHE:DRP)
Posted June 9, 2021
Disciplines: All
CHE supports a large and vibrant research community engaged in fundamental discovery, invention, and innovation in the chemical sciences. The projects supported by CHE explore the frontiers of chemical science, develop the foundations for future technologies and industries that meet changing societal needs, and prepare the next generation of chemical researchers.
Some of the areas supported by CHE include:
- designing, synthesizing and characterizing new molecules, catalysts, surfaces, and nanostructures - especially those with a focus on sustainability;
- increasing our fundamental understanding of chemical species, their structures, and their chemical transformations, kinetics, and thermodynamics;
- developing new tools and novel instrumentation for chemical discovery, including those in data discovery science where increasing volumes and varieties of data are harnessed to advance innovation;
- determining structure-function relationships in biological systems and contributing to our understanding of the fundamental rules of life;
- observing, manipulating, and controlling the behavior of matter and energy in nanometer dimensions such as the quantum regime;
- understanding chemical processes in the environment;
- expanding chemical understanding through data sharing, mining, and repurposing; and expanding state-of-the-art data analytics tools;
- solving complex chemical problems by the development of new theories, computations, models, and tools;
- contributing to industries of the future as relevant to the chemical sciences: quantum information systems, biotechnology, advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence.
