Operations Engineering
Research grant focusing on advanced analytical methods for improving operations in decision-driven environments across various sectors, emphasizing high-impact engineering applications.
Funder: National Science Foundation
Due Dates: Proposals accepted anytime
Funding Amounts: No specified ceiling; typical NSF engineering research awards range from $200,000–$500,000 over 2–4 years
Summary: Supports fundamental research on advanced analytical methods to improve operations in complex, decision-driven environments, with emphasis on high-impact engineering applications.
Key Information: Proposals must be strongly motivated by high-potential engineering applications; methodological work alone is not sufficient.
Description
The Operations Engineering (OE) program funds fundamental research on advanced analytical methods aimed at improving operations in complex, decision-driven environments. Supported analytical approaches include, but are not limited to:
- Deterministic and stochastic modeling
- Optimization
- Decision and risk analysis
- Data science
- Simulation
The program encourages methodological research, but proposals must be clearly motivated by problems with the potential for significant impact in engineering applications. Application domains of particular interest include:
- Commercial enterprises (e.g., production/manufacturing systems, distribution of goods, service delivery)
- Public sector/government (e.g., public safety, security)
- Public/private partnerships (e.g., health care, environment, energy)
The OE program also welcomes research in new and emerging domains, especially those addressing systemic societal or technological challenges. Cross-disciplinary proposals that combine application-specific expertise with strong quantitative analysis in a decision-making context are particularly valued.
Proposals that focus solely on methodological advances without a strong connection to high-potential engineering applications are not appropriate for this program.
