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New Emerging Investigator Awards to support early career geoscientists

EarthScope Consortium, in conjunction with the NSF National Geophysical Facility (NGF), is excited to announce the launch of the Emerging Investigator Awards, made possible by a generous gift from the Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation. 

The Emerging Investigator Awards will provide funding and technical support to early career researchers conducting innovative investigator-led field projects in geophysics and related disciplines using NSF NGF instrumentation for data collection.

By lowering the barriers to accessing state-of-the-art geophysical instrumentation, these awards aim to broaden the user base of NSF NGF resources and support research projects that serve as a catalyst for future larger research projects or proposals.

This program will issue between five to ten awards of up to $16,000 per awardee to support field-based data collection activities using NSF NGF instrumentation. Awards will be granted for research projects beginning in summer 2027, with projects to be completed within one year. 

Applications for Emerging Investigator Awards will open on December 1, 2026 and are anticipated to close in February 2027. Additional information and application guidelines will be made available online in advance of applications opening.

Early career researchers within 10 years of earning their terminal degree—including postdoctoral researchers, early career faculty, research faculty, and research scientists—are eligible to apply. Applicants must be based at an institution in the U.S. that is eligible for NSF funding. Award costs may be used for: travel to/from and lodging at field sites, instrument transportation and shipping, field supplies, researcher stipend/salary support, and/or student assistance that directly supports data collection activities.

Please reach out to community@earthscope.org with any additional questions on the Emerging Investigator Awards. 

The Emerging Investigator Awards are made possible through a generous gift made to EarthScope Consortium, in cooperation with the NSF NGF, as part of the Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation’s new Earth Science Program.