Call for Proposals: February 1 (Annually)
Proposal Deadline: March 1 (Annually)
Selections will be announced the week following spring break.
For questions regarding this program, please contact Maria Stanzione.
Moncrief Grand Challenge Faculty Awards
The W. A. “Tex” Moncrief Grand Challenge Awards provide resources to give faculty time to focus on Oden Institute research and academic programs related to the grand challenges in computational engineering and sciences.
Each year, several awards are given to faculty based on their highly compelling research proposals that seek to enhance the competitiveness and international standing of the nation. The awards provide a stipend of up to $75,000 per award to cover salary and other expenses. Acceptance of an award requires the approval of the individual’s home department chair, the relevant dean, and the Oden Institute Director.
The scope of research appropriate for submission under this program is very broad. It includes application-driven grand challenge problems across engineering, the sciences, and medicine, as well as mathematical, statistical and computational foundations that advance the solution of grand challenge problems.
The number of awards made each year will vary depending on the proceeds of the endowment.
Recipients are expected to prepare a final report summarizing their accomplishments. In addition, opportunities will be available to present research accomplishments in the Oden Institute Seminar Series.
FY 2025 Awardees
Real Time Bayesian Inference and Prediction of Hazards and Threats
Faculty: Omar Ghattas
Real-Time 3D Inversion of Deep-Sensing Borehole Electromagnetic Measurements for Reactive Well Navigation Across Spatially Complex Rocks: Applications to Subsurface Water/Energy Production, CO2 Sequestration, Hydrogen Storage, and Geothermal Systems
Faculty: Carlos Torres-Verdin
FY 2024 Awardees
Deep Generative Physical Modeling for Blind Imaging Inverse Problems
Faculty: Jon Tamir
Development of a Novel Non-invasive Computational Method for Cerebral Aneurysm Mechanical Behaviors for Pre-operative Diagnostics
Faculty: Michael S. Sacks
Digging on the Moon with Differentiable Programming: A Pathway to Advanced Lunar Robotic Construction
Faculty: Krishna Kumar
FY 2023 Awardees
Quantum Design of Materials for Energy-efficient Information and Communication Technology
Faculty: Feliciano Giustino
Domain Splitting for Cislunar Orbit Uncertainty Propagation
Faculty: Brandon A. Jones
FY 2022 Awardees
A practical computational framework for n = 1 clinical trials
Faculty: Tom Yankeelov
Robust and accelerated randomized algorithms for scientific machine learning
Faculty: Rachel Ward
Randomized algorithms for solving linear systems
Faculty: Per-Gunnar Martinsson
Exascale computing methods for the design of new battery materials and catalysts
Faculty: Graeme Henkelman
Aquifer Characterization from Spaceborne Imaging Radar Data
Faculty: Ann Chen