Dean's Award for Graduate Research Excellence

Background

The Dean’s Awards for Graduate Research Excellence recognize graduate students’ outstanding achievements in research, scholarship, or creative practice prior to graduation from the program. This award is designed to celebrate a range of outstanding achievements, which could include:

Being the first author of a leading publication in a top-ranked journal
Winning a conference prize at a premier meeting for a presentation
Leading a research or creative practice initiative (on campus, for a regional or national organization, or abroad) that yields new conversations and possibilities for the student and the student’s field
Producing public-facing research that has garnered or has the potential to garner significant visibility
Conducting innovative convergent research with colleagues across fields or leading research activity that bridges the academy and industry

This list is not meant to be comprehensive. Each department/program can underscore what constitutes excellence in research, scholarship, or creative practice in their field.

Nomination Guidelines

Departments nominate eligible graduate students for this award.

To be eligible for nomination, the student must:

Be enrolled as a full-time graduate student in A&S in a terminal degree program (e.g., PhD, MFA) for at least one full semester during the 2026-2027 academic year.
Be in good academic standing and making timely progress toward the degree. As part of the nomination process, departments must certify that the nominee will complete their degree within program length
Have earned their research achievement during the previous 1-2 years (i.e., the date of the award, publication, or performance should be between September 2024 – August 2026).
Be endorsed by the Department Chair and the DGS.

This award is intended to distinguish students as among the top 5% of all graduate students educated and trained in your department or program. Competitive nominations (1) demonstrate why the student’s achievement is considered exemplary within the discipline/broader area of scholarship (which may include a comparison to put this achievement into context) and (2) explain what this achievement means for excellence in your department/program and for the future of research in this area.

Selection Process

All nominated students will be asked to submit a 3-minute recorded presentation of their research. Semifinalists will be determined based on their ability to effectively communicate their research work and its significance to a broad audience. Final awardees will be selected on the basis of their research excellence, as showcased in departmental nominations, as well as on their ability to communicate their research to a broad audience, as demonstrated in their recorded presentation. Awardees will present their work to a group of university leaders in late October and receive a monetary award and certificate of recognition.