Fiscal Year 2025 Distinguished Early Career Program

Background
The Distinguished Early Career Program (DECP) is the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy’s (NE) most prestigious award for the most innovative distinguished faculty members beginning their independent careers. The intent of the program is to provide stable support to those faculty to form the impactful research groups, innovative lines of inquiry, educational approaches, and critical new research directions that will drive the next generation of nuclear energy innovation.
NE encourages all eligible applicants to apply, especially women, members of underrepresented minority groups, and persons with disabilities.

Grant Details
This FOA is soliciting distinguished early career applications that provide a clear research and education plan that highlights the applicant’s research and educational strengths; the research and education vision to support the development of the faculty member; and research infrastructure, curriculum, and outcomes that will advance the applicant’s research focus while training the next generation of nuclear energy professionals.
Applications are required to focus on NE mission areas as outlined below. The extraordinary characteristic that places the NE Early Career Award into a Distinguished category is the truly integrated nature of excellence in research, education, and leadership. The applicant must demonstrate excellence in all three categories, including an integrated plan over the course of a career.
Excellence in research can be demonstrated by exceptional publications, presentations, invited seminars, research awards, and prestigious funding.
Excellence in education can be demonstrated by the creation of new courses, curricula, national presentations, innovative teaching methods and engagement.
Excellence in leadership can be demonstrated by extraordinary efforts to break new ground in interactions with industry, national laboratories, universities, international entities, professional groups, community groups, and startup companies.

Eligibility Requirements
Eligible applicants include untenured assistant professors at U.S. academic institutions on the tenure track who are no more than seven years beyond the date their doctorate was awarded as of January 2025.
Applicants from underrepresented groups, those with disabilities, and people from all geographic and economic backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

Period of Performance
DOE anticipates making awards with a project period of 5 years.

Grant Value
DOE anticipates that a total of $3,200,000 in current fiscal year (FY) funds will be used to support awards under this FOA.
Awards are fully funded in the first project year.
The maximum award size for a single award is $800,000 over five years.

Place of Performance
The activities to be supported under this FOA are authorized under § 951 (a) of the Energy Policy Act of 2005.