Transport Phenomena (TP)

The Transport Phenomena (TP) program is administered by the National Science Foundation, a federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across science and engineering disciplines in the United States. This program falls under the Directorate for Engineering, specifically within the Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental and Transport Systems. It is designed to advance foundational knowledge related to the transport of mass, momentum, energy, and species across multiple physical scales. The program emphasizes contributions to national priorities such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, manufacturing, energy systems, and quantum science. The primary purpose of the TP program is to support fundamental research that enhances understanding, modeling, and control of transport processes. Projects funded under this opportunity typically integrate experimental work, theoretical development, and computational modeling. While the program prioritizes fundamental science, it also expects investigators to articulate how their findings may translate into practical engineering applications. The scope includes both single-phase and multiphase systems and encourages innovation in analytical techniques and cross-scale understanding. The program supports a wide range of research topics including fluid dynamics phenomena such as turbulence transition, drag reduction, cavitation, and reactive flows. It also focuses on the relationship between microscale dynamics and macroscale properties of materials and flows. Eligible research may involve diverse fluid systems such as gases, liquids, suspensions, emulsions, biological fluids, and granular materials. Additionally, the program supports studies of physicochemical interactions at interfaces, including adsorption, wetting, electrokinetics, and particle self-assembly. Thermal transport and thermodynamics are also central to the program’s objectives. Research areas include conduction, convection, radiation, diffusion, and phase transitions, with applications spanning microelectronics, biological systems, and complex materials. Emerging topics such as phonon transport and quantum thermal phenomena are explicitly encouraged, reflecting the program’s alignment with cutting-edge scientific developments. The TP program further supports research in combustion processes involving solid, liquid, and gaseous fuels. Topics include chemical kinetics, turbulence-chemistry interactions, plasma-assisted combustion, and pollutant mitigation. The program also includes research on wildland fire behavior, with the goal of improving prediction, prevention, and mitigation strategies, particularly in areas where urban and wildland environments intersect. Eligibility for this opportunity is unrestricted, meaning that a wide range of entities including academic institutions, nonprofits, private sector organizations, and individuals may apply, subject to NSF’s general proposal guidelines. Proposals must be submitted through Research.gov or Grants.gov in accordance with the NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide. There are no specified deadlines, as proposals are accepted on a rolling basis. Applications are evaluated based on intellectual merit and broader impacts, consistent with NSF review criteria. For assistance, applicants may contact the NSF TP Program Team via the provided program email. Awards are made following NSF’s standard review and decision timelines, and project durations typically align with NSF research grant norms.

Ensure strong alignment between fundamental research and practical engineering applications; emphasize innovation and cross-scale impact