Propose Scientific Research with Confidence
Independent review and strategic counsel from a former program manager at a federal scientific research funding agency who has managed almost $300M in scientific computing research.
The program manager's perspective your proposal needs.
Most researchers submit to federal funding agencies without knowing how program managers evaluate what lands on their desk. Dr. Bill Spotz spent eight years on the other side at the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, co-leading the applied mathematics program at ASCR. He now applies that insider knowledge to your proposals, whether you are applying to the DOE Early Career Research Program, NSF CAREER, a DOE SBIR competition, or any other scientific research funding program.
Consulting across the full proposal lifecycle.
Support at every stage — from training your staff and shaping strategy before a solicitation is posted, through review and the peer-review debrief afterward.
Staff Training
If you manage scientific researchers, let's provide your entire staff with the insights they need to fund their ideas.
Learn moreStrategic Planning
Even before a funding opportunity is posted, there are strategic decisions to be made: which funding agencies are most appropriate, how do they differ, and why?
Learn morePreproposal Review
For popular funding opportunities, preproposals are used to down-select who can submit a full proposal. Spotz Scientific can help individuals submit better pre-proposals, and institutions meet the caps on the maximum they can submit.
Learn moreProposal Review
From one-on-one discussions on the best ways to approach writing a proposal to feedback on how a proposal draft addresses the posted review criteria.
Learn moreManagement Advisory
Confidential advice for those who manage scientific staff regarding how their researchers' proposals might be received within a funding agency.
Learn morePeer Review Debrief
Help with decoding the sometimes cryptic review comments that often require reading "between the lines."
Learn moreTypes of proposal consulting.
Guidance tuned to the specific program you are targeting, from AI-involved research and early-career awards to SBIR and the broader Office of Science.
AI in Research
If your scientific research proposal involves AI, Dr. Spotz's ASCR background in scientific machine learning, HPC, and data analysis is particularly relevant.
Learn moreEarly Career Proposals
The DOE Early Career Research Program and the NSF CAREER program are both highly competitive and highly prestigious, but early career researchers are most likely to misunderstand the funding landscape.
Learn moreScientific Computing Proposals
As a former Advanced Scientific Computing Research program manager, Dr. Spotz can provide specific help with ASCR funding opportunities.
Learn moreOffice of Science Proposals
ASCR collaborated with all of its Office of Science sister offices, so Dr. Spotz's insight naturally extends to those programs as well.
Learn moreGeneral Scientific Research Proposals
Many of Dr. Spotz's insights and approaches apply to any scientific research proposal.
Learn moreSmall Business Innovation Research
Dr. Spotz was an SBIR program manager as well, and can help guide small businesses through the program, especially the one at DOE.
Learn moreThirty years in the field. Eight years deciding which proposals should and should not be funded.
Bill Spotz earned his Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin in 1995, focusing on computational fluid dynamics. He spent five years at the National Center for Atmospheric Research studying global atmosphere models before joining Sandia National Laboratories, where his most significant achievement was building the institution's climate modeling program from the ground up.
As a program manager at DOE's Advanced Scientific Computing Research office, Dr. Spotz co-led the applied mathematics program, managing almost $300M in research spanning high-performance computing, scientific machine learning, and data analysis. He brings that program manager's lens directly to your proposals.
Full biography
Ready to strengthen your next proposal?
Dr. Spotz provides red-team review, strategic guidance, and program manager perspective. Reach out to discuss your funding opportunity.