Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences: Investigator-initiated research projects

The Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences (MCB) supports fundamental research and related activities designed to promote understanding of complex living systems at the molecular, subcellular, and cellular levels. The Division is soliciting proposals for hypothesis-driven and discovery research and related activities in four core clusters:Biomolecular dynamics, structure, and functionCellular processesGenetic mechanismsNetworks and regulation The Division supports research using a range of experimental approaches--including in vivo, in vitro and in silico strategies--and a broad spectrum of model and non-model organisms, especially microbes and plants. Typical research in areas supported by MCB integrates theory and experimentation. The Division gives high priority to research projects that use theory, methods, and technologies from physical sciences, mathematics, computational sciences, and engineering to address basic biological questions. Projects that address the emerging areas of single molecule or single cell studies, molecular dynamics, small RNA and chromatin biology, predictive modeling of complexity at molecular and cellular levels, and synthetic biology are particularly welcome. The Division is also interested in projects aimed at understanding and predicting the molecular and cellular underpinnings of phenotypic variation and adaptation to environmental change. Highest funding priority is given to applications that are outstanding in both intellectual merit and broader impacts. The Division supports both hypothesis-driven research and discovery-based, large-scale biology research. Proposals that are motivated by relevance of the proposed research to human health or proposals that address the molecular basis of human diseases and treatment are not appropriate for the Division and will be returned without review.