News
Staff Scientist Positions in Bioinformatics, Applied Statistics, and Machine Learning at NSF-NCEMS (Penn State)
The U.S. National Science Foundation National Synthesis Center for Emergence in the Molecular and Cellular Sciences (NCEMS), in partnership with the Institute for Computational and Data Sciences (ICDS) at Penn State, is recruiting for three Staff Scientist positions in bioinformatics, applied statistics, and machine learning to support the Center.
Announcing the 2nd cohort of NCEMS Working Groups
The National Synthesis Center for Emergence in the Molecular and Cellular Sciences (NCEMS) is excited to announce the selection of 6 new Working Groups that will start receiving support in 2026.
$10,000 Prize in NCEMS Kaggle Competition
Scientific progress is increasingly limited not by computational power, but by the vast amount of experimental detail locked in unstructured scientific text, where critical metadata needed for reuse and integration is buried in natural language rather than captured in standardized formats like SDRF.
Open Call for Synthesis Brainstorming Sessions at NCEMS Annual Summit 2026
NCEMS invites the scientific community to submit one-page proposals by Monday, March 2nd, to lead Focus Area Sessions at the NSF NCEMS Annual Summit, held August 3–7, 2026 in Pittsburgh, PA. Selected proposers will serve as Session Leads with travel, lodging, and meals fully covered.
For certain life-essential proteins in E. coli, repair is more likely
Scientists at the U.S. NSF National Synthesis Center for Emergence in the Molecular and Cellular Sciences (NCEMS) at Penn State University have discovered that proteins essential for the survival of E. coli are more likely to be repaired when they misfold, revealing a previously unrecognized evolutionary strategy for maintaining cellular
NCEMS Working Group Application Call is now Closed
The NCEMS Working Group call is now closed and in review. Please refer to the timeline above regarding review and response time. If you have any questions, please reach out to NCEMS@psu.edu
Collaborative Postdoctoral Scholar Opportunity: Computational Biologist/Bioinformatician at NSF-NCEMS
The U.S. National Science Foundation National Synthesis Center for Emergence in the Molecular and Cellular Sciences (NCEMS) seeks an outstanding scientist to fill a Collaborative Postdoctoral Scholar position dedicated to advancing the collaborative research of the Center’s Working Groups.
NCEMS Concludes Second Annual Summit and Launches Open Call for Working Group Applications
The second NCEMS Annual Summit was held at Pennsylvania State University, University Park on August 5-8, 2025. With its conclusion, the Working Group application call is now open!
NCEMS Launches 10 Working Groups to Advance Synthesis Research
NCEMS is excited to announce the launch of 10 interdisciplinary Working Groups (WGs) throughout 2025, marking a major step forward in synthesis research. These groups will tackle complex challenges in molecular and cellular sciences, leveraging NCEMS’s cutting-edge infrastructure and computational resources. With staggered start dates, each WG will receive dedicated
NCEMS Is Hiring
The NSF National Synthesis Center for Emergence in Cellular and Molecular Sciences (NCEMS) supported by The Institute for Computational and Data Sciences (ICDS) at Penn State is seeking a Bioinformatician or Computational Biologist for their Research Innovations with Scientists and Engineers (RISE) Engagement team. You will be an integral contributor
NCEMS Virtual Office Hours – November 6, 2024, at 2 PM
Join us for the NCEMS webinar on November 6, 2024, at 2 PM to learn more about NCEMS call for applications to form Working Groups and postdoctoral scholar applications. A Q&A session will be held at the end. This month’s focus: “Opportunities at the National Synthesis Center for Emergence in the
NSF Office Hour Webinar
Join us on October 16, 2024 2-3PM for MCB’s Virtual Office Hours. Program Directors will share information on the topic of the month, followed by an open question and answer session. Everyone is welcome! The session presented will be on “Opportunities at the National Synthesis Center for Emergence in the
Now Accepting Proposals For The Formation of Working Groups and Applications for Postdoctoral Fellowship
The National Synthesis Center for Emergence in the Molecular and Cellular Sciences (NCEMS) is pleased to announce that we are now accepting proposals for the formation of Working Groups (application deadline is January 15th, 2025) and applications for Postdoctoral Fellows (application deadline is March 9th, 2025).
$20M NSF grant will support center to study how complex biological processes arise
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A $20 million grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) will support the establishment and operation of the National Synthesis Center for Emergence in the Molecular and Cellular Sciences (NCEMS) at Penn State. The center will enable research that uses existing, publicly available data to