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Outstanding Researcher Award criteria

Award summary

Two distinct Outstanding Researcher Awards are awarded annually based upon a distinguished record in research, scholarly or creative activities over the faculty member’s academic career.

The awards will recognize one STEM researcher (ie. science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields) and one SACS researcher (ie. social science, arts, culture and society fields).

Nominees will be evaluated on their quality of work over their academic career, and this evaluation will be based on the records and the supporting materials the faculty members are asked to supply. Faculty members must have contributed a meaningful amount of their work while a member of our University.

The awards will be bestowed upon the recipients at the Honor the Best Ceremony and the recipients will each receive an award amount of $5,000.

View a list of Outstanding Researcher award recipients

Selection committee and timeline

Nominees will be evaluated by a selection committee composed of five past recipients of the Outstanding Researcher Award.

Research & Innovation will send out a campus announcement calling for nominations at the end of the fall semester. The deadline for nomination is February 16, 2026. The recipient will be notified in early April and receive the award in early May.

Nominee eligibility

Only one faculty member may be nominated from each department. Nominees must have at least five years of service at the University by the date of the nomination and must have a standing of full professor. Nominees may be re-nominated for up to four times.

Who can nominate

Nominations may be submitted by any member of the faculty at the University. However, since only one nominee from each department is accepted into the pool, department chairs will have the final determination as to which faculty member from their department will be nominated each year.

How to nominate/re-nominate

Nomination materials need to be submitted to Research & Innovation by February 16, 2026.

Each nomination must contain the following:

  1. A formal letter of nomination containing the following information:
    • The nomination letter must indicate the significance (the nominee’s contribution to and impact upon their field of study), volume, and quality of the nominee's research, scholarly, or creative activity in such a way as to clarify the nominee's activities for individuals from other disciplines.
    • The letter must show that a substantial amount of work has been accomplished with recognition given to the University. This work could include, but is not limited to, peer-reviewed publications, books, public presentations at major institutions nationally and internationally, major museum exhibits, and concert hall or theatrical performances. The letter should indicate an ongoing, stellar rise in notable accomplishments.
    • The letter must demonstrate clear evidence of the national or international stature of the nominee's research, scholarly or creative activity. The evidence should reflect recognized evaluations in the form of critically reviewed papers, presentations, books, exhibitions, performances, monographs, and other forms of scholarly and creative activity or recognition (e.g., invited presentations, awards, honors). A complete listing of these should be provided in the nominee's curriculum vitae, which must be attached to the letter of nomination.
    • In areas where research, scholarly, or creative activity grants and contracts are an important part of the research effort, there must be clear evidence that the nominee has been competitive for such grants at the national and/or international level.If possible, the importance of the grant and/or award should be stated.
  2. A copy of the nominee's complete curriculum vitae. It should list all the nominee's accomplishments including, but not limited to, publications, lectures, broadcasts, and performances that clearly highlight the extent of peer reviewed work; a list of grants and contracts received, indicating the project title, name of grantor, amount of grant, beginning and termination dates, and the nature of the competition for the grant; and a list of students and post-doctoral fellows who worked with the nominee on research projects indicate if the student was a post-doctoral fellow or a student pursuing a doctoral, masters, or undergraduate degree.
  3. Two to three letters of support from persons external to the University who are knowledgeable of the nominee's qualifications. The letters should be from persons who are independent of the nominee (e.g., they should not be their students or mentors), and should evaluate the nominee’s contribution to, and impact upon, their field of study.

Re-nomination:

Nominees may be re-nominated for up to four times. If re-nominating, an updated nomination letter and CV must be submitted. Letters of support from previous nominations may be re-submitted with the re-nomination.

Submissions

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Additional information

If you have further questions or need additional information, please contact Research & Innovation at (775) 327-2365 or email Freddie Welch at freddie@unr.edu.