SURA Early Career Scientist Award

The Early Career Scientist Award recognizes a faculty member from a SURA member institution who produced a sufficient volume of high-quality scholarship and is emerging as a leader in their field, as acknowledged by their peers.

The award will be presented at the SURA Annual Membership Meeting in Washington D.C. and includes a $3,000 honorarium.

For questions, please contact SURA Director of Business Development, Dr. Elizabeth Kocs at ekocs@sura.org.

Eligibility

Nominees must be within 10 years of receiving a terminal degree as of the submission date.

Nomination materials should demonstrate the candidate’s exceptional accomplishments in research and/or creative activity unusually early in their career. Evidence should include: 

• Documented research or creative accomplishments evaluated by experts and peers and experts in the field
• Scholarly recognition such as publications, professional awards, and funded research
• The significance of the nominee’s contributions to their discipline

Submission Process

The nomination and selection process follows the same steps as the Distinguished Scientist Award. Only one Early Career Scientist Award is awarded each year.

SURA welcomes nominations from all SURA member institutions for the Early Career Scientist Award. A complete nomination package must include:

• A concise letter of nomination describing the nominee’s qualifications, an award citation from the institution’s President, and full contact information for the nominee
• A comprehensive and current curriculum vitæ or biographical sketch of the nominee
• Up to three (3) letters of endorsement (maximum two pages each). Letters from outside the nominee’s institution are particularly encouraged.

Only one nomination per institution will be accepted. The 2026 nomination period will close on February 9, 2026, at 5 p.m. EST. Nominations must be submitted electronically by the SURA member institution representative to Elizabeth Kocs at ekocs@sura.org.

Past Awardees

Spring 2025: 2025 SURA Early Career Scientist Award Goes to Dr. Daniel Becker of the University of Oklahoma

Spring 2024: SURA Presents Early Career Scientist Award to Dr. Avik Dutt of the University of Maryland, College Park