My NSF CAREER proposal was rejected, and I’m making it publicly available: Micinski CAREER Proposal (PDF).

The proposals scores were VG/G, VG/G, and E/VG. While the proposal was rejected as competitive, my position is that the proposal is nicely written and addresses a serious and important challenge in a credible way. I also notice that the only PIs who have had NSF CAREER proposals funded this year have been in AI / quantum–this is seriously frustrating to see, given that NSF is a crucial research vehicle for the US, and I am quite concerned that NSF is becoming a shell of its former self, having been seriously damaged by top-down control. I still strongly support NSF and will gladly review for it in the future. Given that it is my last chance for the NSF CAREER before tenure, I want to upload it for posterity. To all junior faculty applying to NSF CAREER: best wishes, please feel free to reach out and I am absolutely happy to send the full (unedited) reviews, I elide them here to respect the reviewing process.

While I’m frustrated at the rejection, my feeling is that (a) it was somewhat my fault for not applying earlier (it’s well known that second-attempt applicants often fail) and (b) the proposal was “not AI/quantum enough.” I leave the entire thing here for you to read for yourself, so you can be the judge.

NSF is truly one of the most valuable institutions in the history of the USA and the world generally, long live NSF!

– Kristoper Micinski