Mathematical Sciences Infrastructure Program

Mathematical Sciences Infrastructure Program is sponsored by National Science Foundation (NSF) Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences. This program aims to strengthen research infrastructure across the mathematical sciences community and supports training projects that complement existing opportunities.

A **. gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

* Research Experiences for Undergraduates * For Early-Career Researchers * For Postdoctoral Fellows * * Preparing Your Proposal * Submitting Your Proposal * Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) * How We Make Funding Decisions * Request a Change to Your Award * Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) * NSF Public Access Repository * Who to Contact With Questions * Artificial Intelligence * Explore All Focus Areas * Facilities and Infrastructure * Updates on NSF Priorities * Our Directorates & Offices * Biological Sciences (BIO) * Computer & Information Science & Engineering (CISE) * Integrative Activities (OIA) * International Science & Engineering (OISE) * Mathematical & Physical Sciences (MPS) * Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences (SBE) * Technology, Innovation & Partnerships (TIP) * National Center for Science & Engineering Statistics (NCSES) * National Science Board (NSB) # Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS) View image credit & caption 2.

Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS) ## Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS) * MPS Facilities, Centers and Institutes * Physical Sciences Research Facilities * AI Institutes in the Physical Sciences * Centers for Chemical Innovation * Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers * Mathematical Sciences Research Institutes * Physics Frontiers Centers * Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes * Information for Visitors The U.S. National Science Foundation Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (NSF MPS) is one of the preeminent federal forces behind over 75 years of major scientific breakthroughs and innovations — from the discovery of new properties of energy and matter to the creation of entirely new fields of mathematics.

NSF MPS supports fundamental research in astronomical sciences, chemistry, materials, mathematical sciences and physics. MPS also manages ambitious, multidisciplinary research centers and institutes focused on major scientific challenges. The directorate supports fundamental science and research infrastructure that advances scientific knowledge and enhances the nation's economic growth, security and quality of life.

MPS investments are also building the scientific workforce of the future by providing specialized training, education and mentorship opportunities in labs across the U.S. * ### IPA program director job opportunities at NSF MPS * ### NSF-supported researchers expand storage capabilities of DNA * ### New leadership roles and appointments in NSF MPS * ### A message from NSF MPS leadership on reorganization and merit review changes * ### Tiny crystals, huge impact — NSF launches new nanocrystals research center ### Podcast: New security and communications materials ### NSF launches Project Triad to advance quantum technology for real-world applications ### NSF selects five additional teams in National Quantum Virtual Laboratory design competition Friday, August 14, 2026, 3:00 p.

m. – 4:00 p. m.

### MPS Chemistry Quarterly Office Hours Q&As and information sessions NSF MPS holds quarterly office hours to share information with chemistry researchers, administrators and others in the U.S. chemistry research community. Friday, November 13, 2026, 3:00 p. m.

– 4:00 p. m. ### MPS Chemistry Quarterly Office Hours Q&As and information sessions NSF MPS holds quarterly office hours to share information with chemistry researchers, administrators and others in the U.S. chemistry research community.

### Unlocking Dataset Value for AI-Enabled Scientific Discovery (AI Datasets) Next Required Due Date: November 4, 2026 ### Gravitational Physics (GP) ### Advancing Artificial Intelligence (AI) Agent Ecosystems through the National Science Foundation Pathways to Enable Secure Open-Source Ecosystems (NSF PESOSE) Program Next Required Due Date: See letter for details ### Pathways to Enable Secure Open-Source Ecosystems (PESOSE) Next Required Due Date: September 1, 2026 View all MPS opportunities ### Astronomical sciences MPS supports the ground-based exploration of space.

From asteroids to black holes, this work enables the discovery and understanding of objects and phenomena within our solar system, the Milky Way galaxy and other galaxies, and the entire universe. MPS supports fundamental discovery, invention and innovation in the chemical sciences.

This work creates a strong scientific foundation for future technologies and the chemical industry, which is central to the U.S. economy and our daily lives. MPS supports fundamental understanding of materials, their properties and their potential applications. Materials research provides critical building blocks for technology and innovation, from new types of electronics and batteries to medical devices and body armor.

### Mathematical sciences MPS supports multiple research programs at the frontiers of discovery in theoretical and applied mathematical sciences. Mathematical sciences play an essential role in all fields of science and technology and underpin many aspects of society and security, from weather forecasting to cryptography.

MPS supports physics research that enables human understanding of the fundamental aspects of nature at all scales, from quantum-scale effects inside atoms to the dark energy that spans the entire universe. Breakthroughs in physics have led to technologies including GPS, MRI and quantum computers.

### Research infrastructure NSF supports research facilities that provide scientists with unique instruments and capabilities to explore the physical universe, including multiple astronomy observatories, the NSF National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, particle detectors at the Large Hadron Collider, and others.

Image credits & captions on this page Five images depicting different areas of research in the mathematical and physical sciences. Credit: From left: Di Wang & Dmitri Talapin/University of Chicago; David Esquivel/UCLA; EHT Collaboration; Gorodenkoff/Adobe Stock; Peter Allen/University of Chicago This image combines 678 separate images taken by NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory in just over seven hours of observing time.

Combining many images in this way clearly reveals otherwise faint or invisible details, such as the clouds of gas and dust that comprise the Trifid nebula (top right) and the Lagoon nebula, which are several thousand light-years away from Earth. Credit: NSF-DOE Vera C.

Rubin Observatory An artistic illustration of an innovative new process for artificial photosynthesis that is more productive than previous artificial systems by an order of magnitude. Researchers introduced a new class of artificial enzymes based on monolayered metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with tunable functional components.

They demonstrate the potential of these monolayered MOFs by performing artificial photosynthesis with carbon dioxide, water and sunlight. Credit: Illustration by Peter Allen/University of Chicago A black and white scanning electron microscope image of tiny, finely-layered structures known as MXenes (pronounced “max-eens”), which are of interest to scientists for new devices and electronics.

These were grown with a new, easier and less toxic method invented by chemists with the University of Chicago. Credit: Di Wang and Dmitri Talapin/University of Chicago This visualization depicts state variables, the variables used to describe the physical states of a dynamical system, discovered by artificial intelligence and colored by their corresponding physical variables.

Credit: Boyuan Chen/Columbia Engineering A highly transparent, flourine-rich crystal in which a thorium-229 atom is trapped. Researchers bombarded the crystal with lasers, successfully getting the atom's nucleus to absorb and emit photons and raising its energy state.

Credit: David Esquivel/UCLA The record-breaking 32 Tesla Superconducting Magnet at the National MagLab is a technological marvel that’s paving the way for superconducting technologies of the future. Credit: National MagLab, Caleb Ward * Our Directorates & Offices * Budget, Performance & Financial Reporting Let us know how we're doing, and how we can make NSF. gov better for you.

This survey is for feedback on the **NSF website experience only**. If you have questions or comments about NSF's programs, offices, staff or publications, please visit our Contact Us page. A red asterisk (*) indicates a required field.

Thank you for your valuable feedback. How can we improve this page? 2500 characters allowed The NSF website design team may want to learn more about your experience.

If it is okay for us to contact you, please provide your email. Your email address is used solely to communicate with you about your feedback in order to improve the NSF website. NSF does not use it for any other purpose or provide it to any third parties.

_A federal agency may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number; the number for this is 3145-0215. _ Privacy Act Statement for Design Research An official form of the United States government. Provided by Touchpoints OMB Approval #3145-0215 · Expiration Date 08/31/2026