Condensed Matter and Materials Theory
The CMMT grant supports theoretical and computational research in hard and soft materials, utilizing methods like first-principles electronic structure and quantum theories to explore emergent properties and phenomena for transformative advances at the frontiers of materials science.
Funder: National Science Foundation
Due Dates: Proposals accepted anytime (avoid April 15–June 15 if possible)
Funding Amounts: Typical awards: $85,000–$160,000/year for 2–4 years; total program budget ~$15M/year; ~40 awards annually
Summary: Supports fundamental theoretical and computational research to advance understanding of hard and soft materials, including development of analytical, computational, and data-centric techniques.
Key Information: One proposal per PI/co-PI per NSF fiscal year across all DMR Topical Materials Research Programs; see eligibility and submission rules.
Description
This program supports fundamental theoretical and computational research in condensed matter and materials science, spanning hard and soft materials. The focus is on advancing conceptual understanding of materials and materials-related phenomena, developing analytical, computational, and data-centric techniques, and enabling predictive theory, simulation, and modeling. Research may employ methods such as first-principles electronic structure, quantum many-body and field theories, statistical mechanics, Monte Carlo, and molecular dynamics, and can range from workstation-level to high-performance computing.
The program encourages transformative, frontier research, including:
- Emergent properties and phenomena in materials and condensed matter systems
- Materials-specific prediction and understanding of properties, phenomena, and new states of matter
- New computational and data-enabled paradigms, including machine learning and data analytics
- Research at interfaces among subdisciplines within materials research
- Development of new theoretical frameworks (e.g., for active matter, nonequilibrium systems, quantum many-body theory)
Recent areas of interest include strongly correlated electron systems, topological phases, low-dimensional materials, nonequilibrium phenomena, gels, glasses, disordered materials, defects, high-temperature superconductivity, nanostructured and sustainable materials, soft condensed matter, active matter, biologically inspired materials, and materials-biology interfaces.
Projects involving significant cyberinfrastructure/software development for the broader materials community should be submitted through the Computational and Data-Enabled Science and Engineering (CDS&E) program with CMMT as the primary program.
