Recognizing outstanding scientific contributions by Department of Neuroscience trainees and research staff at distinct stages of their scientific careers.
Nomination Deadline: October 15, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. CT
Purpose
The Scientific Achievement Award recognizes outstanding scientific contributions by Department of Neuroscience trainees and research staff and celebrates excellence in science at different stages of scientific development.
One award may be presented in each of the following categories:
PhD Student • Postdoctoral Research Associate • Research Staff
Eligibility
PhD Student – Nominees must be officially affiliated with a Department of Neuroscience laboratory and be in good standing in their graduate program.
Postdoctoral Research Associate – Nominees must be within five years of receiving their doctoral degree at the time of nomination.
Research Staff – Nominees must hold a postdoctoral-like research position and be at least five years beyond receipt of their doctoral degree.
Unless otherwise specified for an individual award:
- Nominees must be current Department of Neuroscience faculty, research or administrative staff, postdoctoral fellows, or graduate students at the time of nomination and award conferral.
- Nominees must have been affiliated with the Department for at least one full fiscal year at the time of nomination.
- Contributions being recognized must have occurred during the nominee’s affiliation with the Department.
- Current voting members of the Social & Recognition Committee are not eligible for nomination during their term of service.
- Individuals may not receive the same award more than once within a three-year period but remain eligible for other award categories.
Publication Eligibility
- The nominee must have a first-author or co-first-author paper published or accepted in a peer-reviewed journal in the last year.
- The qualifying work must have been primarily conducted in a Department of Neuroscience laboratory.
- The nominee must remain a Department member at the time the award is conferred.
- Preprints alone, submitted manuscripts, and manuscripts still under revision do not qualify.
Criteria
Nominees are evaluated in the following areas:
- Scientific Significance and Originality — The importance, innovation, and potential impact of the scientific work.
- Intellectual Contribution — The nominee’s intellectual and scientific contribution to the work.
- Stage-Appropriate Excellence — The significance of the achievement considered in the context of the nominee’s career stage.
Evaluation note: The quality and significance of the scientific contribution are considered independently of the profile or prestige of the journal in which the work appears.
Nomination Requirements
A complete nomination includes:
- Completed nomination form
- DOI for one qualifying first-author or co-first-author paper
- Nomination statement of no more than 500 words describing the scientific significance of the paper and the nominee’s specific contribution
- Letter from the nominee’s PI or supervisor; for graduate students, a Thesis Committee member may provide the letter
- PhD Student nominations only: Letter from the graduate program director confirming good standing
- Self-nominations are not accepted.
- Nominations must be submitted by a current Department of Neuroscience member.
- Nominees will not be informed that they have been nominated.
- Late or incomplete nominations will not be reviewed.
Submit a Nomination
Complete the form below to nominate a Department of Neuroscience member for a Scientific Achievement Award.