Talks to focus on National Science Foundation opportunities for researchers

Social science research opportunities available through the National Science Foundation (NSF) will be the subject of two presentations being held on Feb. 22, 3–4:30 p.m.; and Feb. 23, noon–1 p.m., at the Bennett Pierce Living Center, Room 110 Henderson Building, Penn State.

Erica Hill, a program officer of the NSF Arctic Social Sciences Program in the Arctic Sciences Section, will give two talks with Q&A sessions to follow.

During the first talk, Hill will explain to social science faculty the organization of NSF programs, current solicitations, and the review process. She’ll also provide tips on addressing the two NSF Merit Review Criteria: Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts. The presentation will then shift to opportunities from the Arctic Sciences Section, and outline research areas the section is especially interested in supporting, including Arctic security, Indigenous knowledge, and sustainable livelihoods.

The second talk on early career research opportunities at NSF will be beneficial for doctoral students and post-doctoral researchers. Hill will discuss NSF support for dissertation research and post-doctoral fellowship programs in the social sciences as well as how the review process works. The talk will conclude with information on opportunities from the Arctic Social Sciences program, including support for early career researchers new to Alaska and the Arctic.

Additionally, individual meetings with Hill are available. Please contact Emily Christenson, ejc5697@psu.edu, to schedule a meeting.

Hill is an anthropological archaeologist and Arctic researcher who has worked in Alaska, Iceland, Russia, and Latin America. She joined the NSF in 2020 from the University of Alaska Southeast, and currently manages the Arctic Social Sciences Program in the Arctic Sciences Section. Hill has broad training in anthropology, interest in research ethics, and previous work on human-animal interactions, subsistence practices, and material culture. She was a Fulbright-NSF Arctic Scholar in Iceland and is currently working on an edited volume on humans and animals across the Arctic.

The events are being sponsored by Penn State’s Social Science Research Institute, Population Research Institute, and Computational and Spatial Analysis Core.