Background

The NSM Junior Faculty Award for Excellence in Research targets faculty at the rank of Assistant Professor who have demonstrated great potential in research and/or scholarship by virtue of the exceptional quality of their contributions. One award is given each year by the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. The award comes with a $5,000 check and a plaque.

Previous Recipients

Call for Nominations

The process starts with a call for nominations which is emailed to NSM department chairs. Nominations should be limited to those individuals who are clearly exceptional. Eligible tenure-track faculty must have at least two (2) years of service at the University of Houston at the time of nomination.

Nominations are limited to one per department in NSM. The nominator must be the chair of the department or the chair of the department's awards committee.

Required Elements for Nomination

1. Nomination letter: The nominator should describe the nominee’s impact on her/his department with emphasis on evidence of the nominee’s accomplishments and potential for achieving research and/or scholarly pre-eminence (800 words maximum).
2. Nominee's complete curriculum vita.
3. Three letters of support from "arm's length" respected individuals outside the University and in the nominee’s field, along with an abbreviated vita of the individual writing the letter. These letters are valid for three years from the date submitted (unless the applicant and/or nominator wishes to update them).

All nomination elements must be submitted by email to the NSM Office of Research, (nsm_research@uh.edu). Nominations are typically due in late January/early February.

Review of Material

The material is reviewed by an ad-hoc committee comprised of one faculty member from each department in NSM selected by the respective department chairs. The committee makes a recommendation for award to the Dean, who makes the final decision. The awardee is notified by the Associate Dean for Research.