Programs NSSEFF

Three Primary Programs Nourish Science and Engineering Careers
National Defense Education Program’s purpose is to foster a new generation of scientists, mathematicians, engineers and technologists who will one day discover and problem solve in the nation’s defense laboratories. With nearly 13,000 scientists and engineers expected to retire during the next decade, this national security effort is aimed a preserving American core competence in critical disciplines and maintaining U.S. technological superiority into the future.


		The Department of Defense (DoD), Office of the Director, Defense Research and Engineering (DDR&E) has established the National Security Science and Engineering Faculty Fellowships (NSSEFF) program. The Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) manages the NSSEFF program for DDR&E. The NSSEFF program provides extensive, long-term financial support to distinguished university faculty and staff scientists and engineers to conduct unclassified, basic research... Read More 1 2 3 4

"This is just spectacular," says Chad Mirkin, a world-renowned Northwestern University professor and NSSEFF fellowship awardee whose nanotechnology proposal has implications for harnessing solar energy, chemical conversions and more. "For somebody like me it will have an enormous impact on my career. I can go after a big project without the burden of having to raise a bunch of little grants. It really frees you up to think big."

NSSEFF Fast Facts

Maximum NSSEF Fellowships a year: 10
Maximum financial distribution per year: $850,000
Goals include seeding universities with faculty members who gain an understanding of DoD lab civilian research needs.
Basic research must be crucial to applications such as sensors, surveillance, information security, cyber and force protection, and power projection.
While research will be unclassified, fellows must be able to obtain national security clearances.

NSSEFF Links

NSSEFF Website

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