The Ralph O’Connor Sustainable Energy Institute (ROSEI) recently hosted a discussion led by Jonah Erlebacher, a professor of materials science and engineering who is also a core ROSEI researcher, for junior faculty and postdoctoral fellows about the US Department of Energy (DOE).

The goal of the event was to introduce the structure of DOE to aspiring or early-stage faculty, with an eye toward navigating the complex structure of this agency.

“I’ve worked with most of the funding units within the agency for a couple of decades, so I thought my observations and experiences could be of use to those who haven’t gone through it,” Erlebacher said. “It turned into a great discussion. The conversation was lively, and the attendees were engaged. Hopefully this leads to more involvement between ROSEI and the agency.”

Topics covered during the discussion included:

• The structure of divisions within DOE that fund University Research
• What are the elements of a DOE grant, especially as they differ between BES, EERE, ARPA-E, FECM, etc.
• Single PI vs. Team Projects vs. Centers
• How DOE Program Managers interact with university researchers, and what does reporting look like?
• Some trends in DOE funding that will be increasingly useful (e.g., life-cycle analysis, technoeconomic analysis) and resources that you can use as you develop your proposals

ROSEI hopes to host more events like this in the future. The institute is passionate about supporting junior faculty in their career pursuits and wants to be as much of a resource for them as possible.

“One of ROSEI’s primary objectives is to cultivate and grow the Hopkins energy community. We view supporting junior faculty members as being a vital part of that process,” said Ben Schafer, ROSEI’s Director. “I’m really excited Jonah presented these insights, and am already trying to think of other ways we can do similar events about different topics.”