Partnerships and Innovation Directorate, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
Letter of Research Interest (LOI)
Title: Comparative Digital Archaeological Studies
The Partnerships and Innovation Directorate, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) is interested in a comparative digital archaeological studies program related to U.S. military losses in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and other matters related to military personnel lost in those conflicts. This effort will provide for conducting and overseeing systematic, interdisciplinary studies relating to unresolved casualty cases, battles, and other conflict-related events as identified by DPAA staff.
Efforts undertaken for this program will include, but are not necessarily limited to, digital organization, archival research, digitization and data characterization projects, geospatial/GIS analyses, and any other pertinent (e.g., computer-based) assessments designed to advance DPAA’s mission to achieve the fullest possible accounting for the nation’s missing personnel from past-conflicts. The primary desired output is a demonstrated capability to comprehensively interrogate past and future archaeological reporting in order to answer comparative research questions related to locations associated with missing personnel, to include exemplar studies based on that capability.
DPAA’s mission is to search for, recover and identify remains of missing personnel from World War II (WWII), the Korean War, the Cold War, the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf War, the Iraq Campaign, and other conflicts designated by the Secretary of Defense. DPAA’s cases are based on information received from historical reports, families of missing personnel, interdisciplinary research, information from local residents in the area where the conflicts occurred, and field investigations.
Personnel working on this effort will have the necessary experience and expertise to conduct postdoctoral-level interdisciplinary historically-based research on U.S. military casualties from conflicts such as: World War II, the Korean War, the Cold War, the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf War, the Iraq Campaign, and other conflicts designated by the Secretary of Defense.
Nature of Work Required
Nature of the Work to be Performed
DPAA will provide research questions and associated data to develop needed comparative digital archaeological studies. In addition to conducting this research with internal resources, possible external researchers/organizations may be identified and proposed to DPAA. Only work with external researchers/organizations that have been approved by DPAA is authorized.
Pursuant to his program, information will be gathered from a variety of sources (e.g., historical reports, other university personnel, interested external researchers, or other organizations such as veterans’ groups, and military historical entities). Gathered information and data will be assesses for accuracy and completeness, and forwarded to DPAA. Any questions, to include those from the originating source, about the research provided, the extent of a question asked, or the proposed approach on a given issue, will be first directed to the organization conducting the research and analysis under this program, and then resolved by DPAA if required.
Personnel conducing the needed historical research and analysis will be managed and monitored on a daily basis, and these personnel, in turn, will monitor and administer the research conducted by other university faculty, students and any DPAA-approve external researchers/organizations.
Responses to this LOI should identify the specific capabilities within the university that will allow them to address the needs of the project, including identification of the relevant departments, faculty, students, and resources that will be involved in the project. Response to this LOI should also outline the approach to the project envisioned by the Principal Investigator, along with a proposed budget outline that supports the research approach.
LOI Response Timeframe
Deadline for responding to this letter of interest is Friday, September 24, 2021.
Project Principal Investigator Requirements
The research will be directed and overseen by a Principal Investigator (PI). The PI should have the necessary experience and expertise to conduct postdoctoral-level comparative digital archaeological studies on U.S. military casualties from conflicts such as: World War II, the Korean War, the Cold War, the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf War, the Iraq Campaign, and other conflicts designated by the Secretary of Defense.
Products
The products from this project will include reports at set intervals during the period of performance such as a weekly report of all activities pertaining to this effort using a template to be provided by DPAA, and quarterly reports of all activities pertaining to this PWS using a template to be provided by DPAA.
A detailed report describing the entire activity conducted under this effort at the end of the period of performance will be submitted to DPAA no later than 30 days following the conclusion of the period of performance.
Funds Available
Project funds available are approximately $160,000.00 . The funding includes an overhead rate of 17.5 percent.
The project will be funded by DPAA within the CESU network are eligible to apply. This project is not a grant, and will be administered as a Federal Financial Assistance research project through the CESU network.
Letters of Interest
Letters of Interest (LOI) should be sent to the address located in the “contact” section. LOI’s will be reviewed by DPAA and the top candidate(s) will be asked to provide and submit a full proposal responsive to a Scope of Work/Performance Work Statement. That proposal will detail the work to be conducted, providing and describing the methodology and research design, and outlining a schedule for the project.
The LOI should describe your research interest(s) in the projects, past projects that are similar in topic and/or form, and any relevant experience in completing comparative digital archaeological studies, along with a copy of a resume or vita for the Principal Investigator. Please include your name, affiliated organization(s), and contact information. Please try and limit LOI’s to 4 pages.
Contact
Responses of interest should be directed before the closing date to Michael Dolski, PhD.
Michael R. Dolski, Ph.D.
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA)
590 Moffet Street, Bldg 4077
Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. HI 96853
571-243-4241