Early Career Scientist Award

The purpose of the Early Career Scientist Award (ECSA) is to recognize a faculty member from a SURA member institution who has generated a sufficient volume of scholarship of high quality and is emerging in their field as a leader and acknowledged as such by their peers. This award is for early career scientists at the faculty level of Assistant Professor, or who have held the rank of Associate Professor for less than three years at the time of the nomination. Adjunct and visiting faculty are not eligible.

The nomination and selection process for the ECSA will follow the same steps as the Distinguished Scientist Award. However, only a single ECSA will be made. This award will be presented at the Annual Membership Meeting in Washington D.C. in July and will include a $3,000 honorarium.

SURA is accepting applications for the 2025 Early Career Scientist Award. 

Eligibility

The qualifications for the Early Career Award are different than for the Distinguished Service Award. Nominees must be less than 10 years beyond receipt of the Ph.D. or M.S. degree, by the date of submission. Nomination packages should demonstrate the candidate’s outstanding accomplishments in research and/or creative activity unusually early in their professional career with documented evidence of exemplary research/creative accomplishments as evaluated by peers and experts in their field as well as scholarly achievements and recognition (publications, professional awards, funded research etc.) and the significance of their contributions to the discipline.

Submission Process

The SURA welcomes nominations from all SURA member institutions for the Early Career Scientist Award. Responsive nomination packages should include:
• a concise letter of nomination including the qualifications of the nominee, an award citation from the institution’s President, as well as contact information for the nominee,
• a comprehensive and up-to-date curriculum vitæ or biographical sketch of the nominee, and
• up to three (3) letters of endorsement (limited to two (2) pages each) sent on behalf of the nominee. Letters from outside the nominee’s institution are particularly desirable.

Nominations should be submitted by the SURA member institution representatives in electronic form to Scott Heefner, SURA’s Chief Growth Officer at award@sura.org. Only one nomination per institution will be accepted. The nomination period will close on December 31, 2024 at 5 p.m. EST to ensure adequate time for committee deliberation and advance notification of the recipient.