The U.S. National Science Foundation is an independent federal agency that supports science and engineering in all 50 states and U.S. territories. NSF was established in 1950 by Congress to promote the progress of science, advance the national health, prosperity and welfare, and secure the national defense.
The Engineering Design and Systems Engineering (EDSE) program is dedicated to supporting fundamental research that enriches the understanding of the basic processes and phenomena underlying engineering design and systems engineering. It focuses on a wide variety of factors, including but not limited to decision-making under uncertainty, problem decomposition, computer-aided design, system performance modeling, design optimization, and advanced computational techniques aimed at enhancing human cognition, decision-making, and collaboration in engineering contexts. The program emphasizes the value of rigorous evaluation of newly developed methods and encourages multidisciplinary collaborations to advance scientific knowledge and application in engineering design and systems engineering. It specifically seeks to foster research that explores innovative design methods driven by performance metrics while accounting for processing and manufacturing considerations, particularly in the context of engineering material systems. However, the EDSE program does not endorse ad-hoc approaches lacking theoretical foundation or projects that do not contribute to the scientific understanding of engineering design or systems engineering principles. Investigators are advised to consult with the Program Director before preparing and submitting proposals.