Deadline

Final nominations must be submitted online to the Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost by February 10 (or the next business day). Review college deadlines.

Awards available:

ISU Award for Early Achievement in Research

Purpose: To recognize a faculty member who has demonstrated outstanding accomplishments in research and/or creative activity unusually early in their professional career.

Eligibility: Tenured or tenure-track faculty who have had independent academic careers of less than six (6) years and a minimum of two (2) academic years of appointment as an Iowa State faculty member at the time of nomination. An independent academic career is defined as the start of a tenure-track position. Recipients must be Iowa State employees at the time of the University Awards Ceremony. 

Nature of the award: $2,500 one-time stipend

Number of awards: Two (2)

Criteria: Documented evidence of exemplary research/creative accomplishments as evaluated by peers and experts in their field; national and/or international recognition in the academic community; evidence of a positive impact of their research/creative activity on their discipline. The candidates will be judged by the body of their work produced since the start of their independent academic career.

ISU Award for Mid-Career Achievement in Research

Purpose: To recognize faculty members who have demonstrated outstanding accomplishments in research and/or creative activity at the mid-career stage.

Eligibility: Tenured or tenure-track faculty who have had independent academic careers of six (6)-thirteen (13) years and at least three (3) years of employment at Iowa State at the time of nomination. An independent academic career is defined as the start of a tenure-track faculty position. Distinguished Professors are not eligible for this award. Recipients must be Iowa State employees at the time of the University Awards Ceremony. 

Nature of the award: $2,500 one-time stipend

Number of awards: Two (2)

Criteria: Documented evidence of exemplary research/creative accomplishments and impact of their work on their discipline as evaluated by peers and experts in their field; significant national and international recognition in the academic community; evidence of a positive impact of their mentorship and/or teaching on undergraduate students, graduate students, and/or postdoctoral associates. The candidates will be judged by the body of their work since the start of their independent academic career.

ISU Award for Outstanding Achievement in Research

Purpose: To recognize faculty members for outstanding career achievements in research and/or creative activity.

Eligibility: Tenured faculty who have had independent academic careers of more than thirteen (13) years and who have been employed by Iowa State for a minimum of five (5) years at the time of nomination. An independent academic career is defined as the start of a tenure-track faculty position. Distinguished Professors are not eligible for this award. Recipients must be Iowa State employees at the time of the University Awards Ceremony. 

Nature of the award: $2,500 one-time stipend

Number of awards: Two (2)

Criteria: Documented evidence of outstanding research/creative accomplishments and impact of their work on their discipline as evaluated by peers and experts in their field; outstanding national and international recognition in the academic community; evidence of a substantial positive impact of their mentorship and/or teaching on undergraduate students, graduate students, and/or postdoctoral associates. The candidates will be judged by the body of their work since the start of their independent academic career.

Guidelines for submitting nominations for Faculty Research Awards

The following guidelines apply to the early achievement, mid-career achievement, and outstanding career achievement research awards for faculty. They are derived from experience in reviewing nominations in previous years, and are intended to help departments/schools and colleges make their nominations as strong as possible.

  1. Completed nomination cover page for faculty: 
    • Faculty university award nomination cover page [PDF | DOC]
  2. Nomination statement of no more than three (3) pages that includes the following:
    • How the nominee's qualifications relate to the award criteria and why the nominee is deserving of the award
    • Specific examples of relevant accomplishments including publications, patents, citations, and scholarly recognitions and awards as appropriate to the discipline since the start of the nominee's independent career
    • For nominees who have spent considerable time in non-academic positions prior to joining the academy, please describe their responsibilities and relevant accomplishments and recognition while in those positions
    • Evidence of nominee's impact on undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral associates (This is especially important for mid-career and outstanding achievement)
    • Explanation of the norms in the field for numbers and types of publications expected; discuss the quality of journals in which the nominee has published and include a list of two (2) or three (3) most prestigious journals or publication venues
    • Explanation of the nominee's success in grantsmanship with sources and amounts and explain the norms in the nominee's field
    • A brief summary of the nominee's teaching and service activities
  3. Updated curriculum vita of no more than twenty-five (25) pages
  4. Three (3) letters of support from experts external to Iowa State; include a 100-word biography of the expert and explain their relationship to the nominee
  5. When the file is prepared, nominators must submit their nominations to their college by the college deadline; when the college is ready to submit their nominations, the college awards coordinator must upload the nominations to the appropriate college folder on CyBox; if you do not have access to your college's folder on CyBox, please contact Kirsten Abel, kabel@iastate.edu.

Nominations are reviewed by the college before submission to the Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost. Award recipients and their nominator, department chair/school director, dean, or supervisor are notified by May 1. Colleges receive feedback on unsuccessful nominations by July 1.

For questions or more information about award eligibility, contact:

For questions or more information about award submission, contact: