Frequently Asked Questions
Following the original vision of the founder, the Institute intends to concentrate on fulfilling its research mission with the lowest possible overhead. Therefore, minimizing the number of submissions to be reviewed becomes essential.
Candidates must be members of the AAU (Association of American Universities) and are ranked by peer review in physics and chemistry.
No.
The Applicant must be a member of either the physics or chemistry department.
If the Applicant is a member of the chemistry department, the primary interest must be in the area of fundamental chemistry. If in the physics department, the interest must be in either condensed matter or atomic physics.
The Brown Investigator Awards program is interested in supporting high quality curiosity-driven basic research. The early days after tenure are often a critical opportunity for scientists to frame a new bold problem. However, their accomplishments before tenure can lock them into a less risky research path, for which they are more likely to secure continued funding from government agencies. The Brown Investigator Awards are designed to enable them to pursue the roads less traveled and hopefully result in new scientific understanding.
Tenure refers to the date of first receipt by the Applicant of a commitment to tenure at a major research university (it need not be at the Invitee). July 1st of the year of the first Award year cannot be greater than 10 years after that commitment date.
If the Applicant is a theorist, the maximum grant is $1,250,000 and, if an experimentalist, $2,000,000. The maximum time span is 5 years. It can be shorter.
The subject matter of the proposed research will unlikely be totally new or novel. The Applicant will likely have been thinking about the question for some time and never had the time or resources to pursue it. Nevertheless, the Institute will be careful in funding an extension of major efforts on behalf of the Applicant if it just reflects an extension of prior pursuits.
Sufficient background diligence needs to be demonstrated to guard against a re-invention of the wheel or perpetual motion syndrome. This is particularly true when reaching across inter-disciplinary lines. Applications should address these concerns directly.