The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is pleased to announce a new Open Call for Letters of Inquiry: 

Early-Career Faculty Support for Interdisciplinary Energy System Research

Submission Deadline: Tuesday, March 17, 2026

Grants of $150,000 - $250,000 available for early-career faculty focusing on interdisciplinary social science research on energy system decarbonization in the United States

Overview

The Energy and Environment program at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation supports research, training, networking, and dissemination efforts to inform the societal transition toward low-carbon energy systems in the United States by investigating economic, environmental, technological, and distributional issues. The program is inviting Letters of Inquiry from early-career faculty at the outset of their academic careers who are focusing on undertaking innovative interdisciplinary social science research related to the transition to a low-carbon economy in the United States. This Call for Letters of Inquiry is deliberately framed broadly to encourage submissions from a range of scholars drawn from different backgrounds and disciplines. It is expected that approximately 6-8 grants will be awarded from the Call, with grant amounts between $150,000 to $250,000 over a 2-3 year period. 

Eligible investigators must be a current or incoming Assistant Professor or Assistant Research Professor based at a university or college in the United States, with their first faculty appointment at their current or any previous institution having a start date of August 1, 2022, or later. 

Context

Many of the questions and considerations for advancing low-carbon energy systems in the United States are complex and multifaceted, requiring approaches that weave together insights from multiple disciplines and fields of study. Interdisciplinary social science scholarship is needed to bridge silos across fields, foster meaningful collaborations, and analyze important questions from new and unique perspectives. For instance, interdisciplinary scholarship can help advance our understanding of new technologies and how best to deploy them across different contexts and geographies; of the drivers and dynamics of decision-making within different institutions and organizations and how these decisions affect outcomes for the energy system; of the varied barriers, opportunities, and needs for energy workforce training and development; of emerging issues arising from a growing overlap between the energy system and new sectors of the economy; and of community preferences for, and impacts due to, the implementation of different policy levers aimed at facilitating low-carbon transitions. 

At the same time, much of the research ecosystem and funding landscape remains siloed, with fewer opportunities for researchers to advance the novel interdisciplinary research efforts that are needed to address these challenging questions. This is particularly true for early-career faculty who are seeking support for their initial, foundational projects that often help establish and develop longer-term research directions. Greater support for early-career faculty working in this area can help broaden participation in interdisciplinary energy system decarbonization research and expand the range of ideas, approaches, and solutions available. 

Therefore, the intent of this Open Call is to support early-career faculty who wish to focus their scholarly agendas on emerging interdisciplinary energy systems decarbonization research questions and who are in the early stages of planning for or undertaking their initial research efforts. Compelling submissions will be expected to identify under-explored questions in these areas and result in generating scholarship, training students, strengthening researcher or practitioner networks, and disseminating knowledge to inform decision-making. Proposed efforts are encouraged to address questions that have been overlooked in decision-making related to energy system decarbonization and, where relevant, to substantially engage these communities in the research process. Proposed efforts are expected to combine approaches, methods, and frameworks from multiple disciplines, emphasize the training of graduate students, and develop or leverage meaningful collaborations with practitioners, policymakers, community-based organizations, and other stakeholders. Competitive submissions are expected to describe how the proposed efforts will help catalyze and develop the proposer’s future goals and research agenda.

Sample Topics and Research Questions

The program looks to support research in the following selected topic areas. Particular emphasis is placed on advancing scholarship on novel and unique research questions related to these themes, given that the focus of this Open Call is on helping early-career faculty advance their long-term research agendas. Prioritization will be given to submissions that approach these topics in new and creative ways: 

• Energy system resilience and adaptation: Recent extreme weather and other events have shown that energy systems face numerous vulnerabilities that impact operations and overall resilience. Research is needed that examines how these impacts are affecting different components of energy infrastructure, energy system operations, and consumer behavior. Research is also needed that studies how energy systems may need to be redesigned to mitigate against potential future impacts. 
• Energy markets and policy analysis: This topic reflects the program’s ongoing and longstanding interest in supporting scholarship that examines issues related to how energy markets function, assessing the impact of energy policies implemented at various levels of government, and thinking about the design, functionality, and affordability of key interventions or institutional mechanisms across the energy system. We are also looking to advance research on questions related to the economics of load growth patterns, regional and local economic development, and trade and macroeconomics. 
• Low-carbon innovation and next generation energy technologies: Many recent analyses have suggested that the development and deployment of next generation energy technologies and low-carbon innovation needs to be scaled-up quickly and dramatically. The program looks to advance research that examines institutional design features, implementation considerations, and evaluation methods across different levels of governance—including state, local, and federal—for next generation energy technologies.
• Place-based energy transitions: There is a need for place-based, locally oriented research that explores how changes in the energy system might have differing impacts across a broad array of populations, regions, and communities. The program looks to support research that illuminates how the energy system might be better designed to address community needs across a variety of geographies in a more comprehensive manner.
• Transportation and mobility: The program looks to support scholarship aimed at understanding howtransportation and mobility systems are changing. Potential activities could explore a range of topics related to emerging low-carbon transportation advances, with a particular focus on under-explored questions related to heavy-duty transport, mode-switching, commercial shipping, and the movement of freight. 
• Industrial decarbonization: There is a growing need for scholarship that examines a range of emerging economic, social, policy, and technological developments related to industrial decarbonization and is able to inform how this often overlooked component of the energy transition might be accelerated. Research is needed that explores the drivers, mechanisms, and multifaceted impacts of the transition towards electrified and low-carbon industrial processes. 

Sample Project Characteristics 

Submissions will be expected to combine a compelling research topic, a well-defined project structure, and a discussion of how the proposed effort will contribute to advancing the scholarly trajectory of the early-career faculty, with particular attention paid to the following characteristics:

• Topic and Scope: Submissions are expected to clearly define the project research questions and contextualize their potential impact. Submissions will also be expected to articulate how the proposed research effort will fit into and help catalyze the researcher’s long-term research agenda and set them up for ongoing success. 
• Student Training: Submissions are expected to include substantive student participation and training opportunities. Submissions are also encouraged to discuss student training, mentorship, and professional development plans.
• Networking and Convening: Submissions are encouraged to consider opportunities for engaging and convening wider audiences, including webinars, workshops, conference tracks or panels, policymaker briefings, and community events. Submissions should discuss how these events and outlets will help support the early-career scholar’s research goals. 
• Additional Funding Sources and Opportunities: Submissions are encouraged to consider and describe what sources of funding might be most relevant to pursue for scaling or advancing future research efforts as the researcher’s agenda progresses long-term. 

Expected Project Structure 

Competitive projects are expected to demonstrate the following characteristics:

• Projects are expected to be highly interdisciplinary across fields, involving a range of research methodologies and approaches. 
• Relevant disciplines and fields could include but are not limited to: economics, finance, political science, public policy, sociology, anthropology, geography, industrial ecology, and energy system modeling, among others. 
• Projects are expected to emphasize student training, involving graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, or undergraduates, and with attention to broadening participation among students and trainees across multiple dimensions of particular importance.
• Projects are expected to undertake original empirical data collection and analysis, or to combine and analyze existing datasets in new, innovative ways.
• Projects are expected to link research to practice by engaging a wide range of stakeholders in either the conduct of research or in dissemination efforts used to inform decision-making. This includes potential collaboration with government, industry, non-governmental organizations, or other stakeholder organizations as appropriate.

Expected Team Structure and Eligibility 

• Eligible investigators must be a current or incoming Assistant Professor or Assistant Research Professor based at a university or college in the United States, with their first faculty appointment at their current or any previous institution having a start date of August 1, 2022, or later. 
• Priority will be given to researchers who have not previously received funding from the Sloan Foundation’s Energy and Environment program.
• Submissions that involve the participation of a project advisory board drawing from senior researchers, practitioners, decisionmakers, community organization representatives, or industrial stakeholders are strongly encouraged, but not required. 
• Submissions should feature and describe participation from one or multiple graduate students, and priority will be given to submissions that feature strong graduate student participation.
• Researchers are allowed one submission as the lead investigator.

Projects Out of Scope

Projects with the following characteristics or research focus are considered out of scope and not eligible for consideration:

• Projects involving advocacy or lobbying activities. 
• Projects that have public health or biomedical research components. 
• Projects that solely involve research in engineering or physical sciences.
• Projects that solely have an international focus or that do not relate to the United States.

Submission Deadline and Informational Webinar

Submissions are due by Tuesday, March 17, 2026, at 5:00pm Eastern. Submission materials should be uploaded directly to the application portal at https://apply.sloan.org/prog/early_career_call. Application portal accounts should be registered under the name and email of the project’s lead principal investigator (PI). Any questions related to the application process, portal, or investigator eligibility can be sent to [email protected]. 

Updated 2/9/26: We held an informational webinar to discuss the required submission components and structure, with a focus on providing information on the broad guidelines of the Open Call and sharing insights for early-career faculty beginning to establish their interdisciplinary energy system decarbonization research agendas. Feedback on individual submissions or research questions will not be provided. 

Updated 2/9/26: The webinar was held on Tuesday February 3, 2026, from 1:00-2:00pm EST. If you missed it, please find a recording here: https://sloan.zoom.us/rec/share/IpbB1VI4TaoLb6LUktPEpf54DZCenxNOsRXiLFzaKVxF2DEiZ3P1bo3RXm40T7if.gRMt1BtajX2sZGgG?pwd=DJ6Rq4-59vlGTOGcwwAAIAAAAOA86hAm7LmJMU23SCT3_-l5SRonUrCd4cBHA-u4ZTk3PsMExUh_Mi14h8XGWw9n3TAwMDAwNA. We have also compiled a list of FAQs that we encourage all to take a look at: https://sloan.org/programs/research/energy-and-environment/early-career-energy-system-research-call/faq-early-career. 

Submission Components

Complete submission packets should include the following 6 components in the following order:

1. Sloan Foundation Proposal Cover Sheet, 1-page in length, summarizing key project details. Projects should have a proposed start date of December 1, 2026, or later. The Proposal Cover Sheet document is available at: http://sloan.org/proposal-cover-sheet.
2. Letter of Inquiry, 3-4 pages in length, excluding budget table and other supplemental material, in 11-point font. Submissions should address the following questions, with each question serving as a section heading and attention paid to the balance between sections: 
   • What is the core research question(s) and why is it important?
   • What are the current knowledge gaps that this research will address?
   • What are the proposed research methodologies, and what is the workplan?
   • Who are the key members of the research team, including postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and/or undergraduate students? 
   • What will be the outputs from the project, and how will they be disseminated among stakeholders?
   • How would this effort contribute to the faculty member’s long-term research goals? What other sources of support might be pursued to scale or expand on the proposed project going forward? 
3. Budget Table, with funding requests between $150,000 to $250,000 over a 2-3 year period. Sub-awards to collaborating institutions provided as needed. The Budget Table is available at: https://sloan.org/grants/apply#tab-grant-forms. Allowable expenses include:
   • For faculty: up to two months of summer salary per investigator per year, plus benefits, capped at $35,000 per investigator per year, based on project time commitment.
   • For graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, or undergraduate students: salary/stipend, plus benefits, based on project time commitment. 
   • Tuition reimbursement: Requests for graduate student tuition reimbursement are allowed up to a maximum of $16,000 per student per academic year, with justification provided.
   • For project-related administrative and research staff: salary, plus benefits.
   • Research implementation expenses: data acquisition, surveys, interviews, conducting experiments, computation needs, advisory committee honoraria, and other relevant direct research expenses.
   • Dissemination and workshop expenses: travel, meals, lodging, conference fees, room rentals, speaker stipends, audio-visual equipment, and other relevant dissemination expenses.
   • Indirect overhead expenses: Capped at 20% of direct costs, with overhead expenses not allowed on tuition reimbursement. 
4. References or Bibliography List up to 2 pages.
5. Brief CVs of key project leads and personnel, including postdoctoral fellows and graduate students, no more than 2 pages per person.
6. Optional: Letters of Support from research partners, data providers, key stakeholders, community organizations, or other collaborators.

Submission Review Process

We recognize that academic careers may deviate for a multitude of worthy reasons, and the eligibility guidelines included here are intended to be broadly inclusive of a range of considerations. Given the large number of expected submissions, in general we will be unable to respond to substantive questions for additional information related to this Call for Letters of Inquiry, except those related to eligibility. Questions related to investigator eligibility can be sent to [email protected]. 

A Review Committee will be assembled to assess submitted Letters of Inquiry. A small number of selected submissions will be invited to prepare full proposals for funding consideration. Invited full proposals will then be reviewed by subject matter experts, and proposers will be asked to prepare a response to reviews based on feedback provided. It is expected that 6-8 grants will be awarded from the Call, with award decisions expected in November 2026.

About the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is a nonpartisan not-for-profit, grantmaking institution dedicated to improving the welfare of all through the advancement of scientific knowledge. Established in 1934 by Alfred Pritchard Sloan Jr., then-President and Chief Executive Officer of the General Motors Corporation, the Foundation makes grants in four broad areas: direct support of research in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and economics; initiatives to increase the quality and diversity of scientific institutions and the science workforce; projects to develop or leverage technology to empower research; and efforts to enhance and deepen public engagement with science and scientists.

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