Materials Research is defined by the broad intersection of many disciplines with materials science & engineering (MS&E), including physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, and other engineering disciplines that naturally converge in the pursuit of understanding the properties of materials and the phenomena they host. Materials are abundant and pervasive, serving as critical building blocks in technology and innovation. This research impacts life and society, as it shapes our understanding of the world and enables significant advances in electronics, communications, transportation, and health-related fields. The development and deployment of advanced materials are major drivers of U.S. economic growth.
DMR invests in the discovery, prediction, and design of new materials and the explanation of materials phenomena, as well as in the development of the next generation of materials scientists, which includes increasing the pathways for participation by underrepresented minorities. DMR supports fundamental experimental and theoretical materials research and education via programs focused on condensed matter physics, solid-state and materials chemistry, and the science of materials that are ceramic, metallic, polymeric, nanostructured, biological, electronic, photonic, and multifunctional. This enterprise is dependent on investments across scales, including single investigators, teams, and centers; singularly focused research and areas requiring interdisciplinarity; and infrastructure ranging from small instruments to large-scale facilities. DMR supports materials-relevant instrumentation and technique development broadly in x-ray and neutron science as well as in nanofabrication. Specifically, DMR investments have contributed to U.S. leadership in high-field magnet science and further aims at democratizing national access to high-magnetic fields.
Program Higlights: https://www.nsf.gov/mps/dmr/highlights/highlights2020/20start.jsp