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Summary of Awards

There are three awards given annually for researchers. One is given to a faculty member in recognition of a distinguished career in research. Another goes to a faculty member in recognition of mid-career accomplishments in research. A third award is given annually to a faculty member in recognition of achievement in research in humanities and social science fields.  These honors carry a $5,000 stipend each.

Faculty from all NSHE institutions are eligible for consideration. Although each award is intended for an individual, groups who by their collaboration have made major advances may be recognized as well. The intent is to select one individual (or group) for recognition each year for distinguished, mid-career and humanities researchers. However, the Selection Committee may choose to send forward more than one recommendation under exceptional circumstances. The NSHE selection committee will make a recommendation to the Academic and Student Affairs Committee for final selection/approval and the recipient is announced in February/March. A campus wide call for nominations will be sent from the Provost's Office.

Submission, Campus Selection Process & Timeline

The Office of the Provost will send out a campus announcement calling for nominations. Nominations are due electronically from the deans’ offices by September 12, 2025. Nominations should be sent to Research & Innovation at ri-registration@unr.edu. A selection committee composed by the Vice President for Research and Innovation will review the nominees to select one to send forward to NSHE. The nomination will be forwarded to NSHE in October.

Who Can Nominate?

Any NSHE employee or student can nominate for the campus selection process. To nominate a faculty member, send a formal letter of nomination through the candidate’s dean addressing how the candidate has accomplished a distinguished record in research.

Nominee Eligibility

Distinguished-Career Researcher

Nominee must have at least ten years of cumulative service in NSHE by the date of nomination in order to be considered for the award. In addition, candidates must have overall career/service of at least 20 years in research.

Mid-Career Researcher

Nominee must have at least five years of cumulative service in the NSHE by the date of nomination in order to be considered for the award. In addition, candidates must have career/service of at least five years but less than 20 years in research.

Humanities and Social Sciences Researcher

Nominee must have at least five years of cumulative service in NSHE by the date of nomination, in order to be considered for the award.  In addition, candidates must have career/service of at least 5 years in research.

Nomination Materials

Each nomination MUST contain the following information ONLY, and be submitted electronically.

1. Formal letter of nomination from an NSHE employee or student, adhering to the following guidelines:
   1. The nomination letter must indicate the significance, volume, and quality of the candidate’s research in such a way as to clarify the nominee’s activities for individuals from other disciplines.
   2. The letter must address how the candidate’s research or scholarly work brings recognition to NSHE.
   3. The letter must address clear evidence of the national or international stature of the candidate's research. This evidence should reflect recognized evaluation in the form of critically reviewed papers, presentations, books, monographs, and other forms of scholarly activity or recognition (e.g., invited presentation, awards, honors, etc.). A more in-depth listing of these should be provided in the candidate’s curriculum vitae, which must be attached to the letter of nomination.
   4. In those disciplines where research grants and contracts are recognized as an important part of career achievement, there must be clear evidence provided in the letter of nomination that the candidate has been competitive for such grants at the national and/or international level.
   5. The letter of nomination must address the candidate’s continuous record of long-term research.
2. Curriculum vitae containing a listing of grants funded, presentations made at national and/or international research meetings, awards/honors, published articles, monographs, or books
3. Supplemental materials that nominees will be asked to provide are as follows:
   1. No more than three examples (reprints or copies) of significant published works that the candidate feels are representative of his or her research accomplishments
   2. 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
   3. No more than three reviews, adjudications, or testimonials conferred by persons who audited the original work
   4. No more than three letters of support from persons knowledgeable of the nominee’s qualifications
   5. One half page biography of the nominee

Additional Information

Additional information can be found in the , or by contacting Research & Innovation at (775) 327-2363.

Award Summary

An award is given annually to one NSHE faculty member with a distinguished record in creative activity. Faculty from all NSHE institutions, except DRI, are eligible for consideration. Although this award is intended for individuals, groups who by their collaboration have made major advances may be recognized as well. The intent is to select one individual (or group) for recognition each year. However, the Selection Committee may choose to send forward more than one recommendation under exception circumstances. The NSHE selection committee will make a recommendation to the Academic and Student Affairs Committee for final selection/approval. The recipient will receive an award amount of $5,000, and the recipient is announced in February/March. A campus wide call for nominations will be sent from the Provost's Office.

Submission, Campus Selection Process & Timeline

The Office of the Provost will send out a campus announcement calling for nominations. Nominations are due electronically from the deans’ offices by September 12, 2025. Nominations should be sent to Research & Innovation at ri-registration@unr.edu. A selection committee composed by the Vice President for Research and Innovation will review the nominees and select one to send forward to NSHE. The nomination will be forwarded to NSHE in October.

Who Can Nominate?

Any NSHE employee or student can nominate for the campus selection process. To nominate a faculty member, send a formal letter of nomination through the candidate’s dean addressing how the candidate has accomplished a significant record in creative activity.

Nominee Eligibility

Nominee must have at least five years of cumulative service in NSHE by the date of nomination in order to be considered for the award.

Nomination Materials

Each nomination MUST contain the following information ONLY, and be submitted electronically.

1. Formal letter of nomination from an NSHE employee or student, adhering to the following guidelines:
   1. The nomination letter must indicate the significance, volume, and quality of the candidate’s creative activity in such a way as to clarify the nominee’s activities for individuals from other disciplines
   2. The letter must address clear evidence of the national or international stature of the candidate’s creative activity. This evidence should reflect recognized evaluation in the form of critically reviewed presentations, books, and other forms of recognition (e.g. invited presentations, juried exhibitions, awards, honors, etc.). A more in-depth listing of these should be provided in the nominee’s curriculum vitae, which must be attached to the letter of nomination
   3. The letter of nomination must address the candidate’s continuous record of long-term creative activity
2. Curriculum vitae containing a list of presentations, awards, and honors
3. Supplemental materials that nominees will be asked to provide are as follows:
   
   1. No more than three examples of a scholarly, creative product (e.g., music CD, art slides, videotape, audiotape, work of fiction or non-fiction, piece of artwork, etc.)
   2. No more than three reviews, adjudications, or testimonials conferred by persons who audited the original work
   3. No more than three letters of support from persons knowledgeable of the nominee’s qualifications
   4. Names, addresses, and phone numbers of up to five persons outside NSHE whom the Selection Committee may contact about the candidate’s creative achievements.

Additional Information

Additional information can be found in the , or by contacting Research & Innovation at (775) 327-2363. 

Award Summary

Awards are given annually to three NSHE faculty members (one from each research institution: À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ, Reno; À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ, Las Vegas; and Desert Research Institute) based on early-career accomplishments and potential for future advancement and recognition in research. The À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ, Reno will award at least one outstanding Rising Researcher in each of the following two categories. Nominees will self-identify either category:

1. Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM)
2. Social Science, Arts, Culture, Society (SACS) (includes humanities)

The selection process is managed on each campus and the recommendations are forwarded to the Academic Student Affairs Committee for final approval. The recipients are announced in February/March and will receive an award amount of $2,000 each. A campus wide call for nominations will be sent from the Provost's Office.

Submission, Campus Selection Process & Timeline

The Office of the Provost will send out a campus announcement calling for nominations. Nominations are due electronically from the deans’ offices by September 29, 2025. Departments may nominate only one person at a time in each category. Nominations should be sent to Research & Innovation at ri-registration@unr.edu. A selection committee composed by the Vice President for Research and Innovation will review the nominees and select up to two to send forward to NSHE. The nomination will be forwarded to NSHE in December.

Who Can Nominate?

Any NSHE employee or student can nominate for the campus selection process, but must include a formal nomination letter from the nominee's dean or chair. To nominate a faculty member, send a formal letter of nomination through the candidate’s dean addressing candidate’s early-career accomplishments and potential for future advancement and recognition in research.

Nominee Eligibility

Nominees shall:

1. Be in an assistant professor position at the time of nomination;
2. Have a strong beginning record of accomplishment during the time of employment within NSHE; and
3. Have a record of outstanding research accomplishment that is demonstrable through:
   1. publications, patents and intellectual property, grants and contracts, or
   2. academically rigorous (or publicly recognized) artistic, creative, or intellectual work

Nomination Materials

1. Formal nomination letter from chair or dean that clearly articulates the following points. This letter should explain what counts as excellence of achievement and promise of achievement within the discipline, and how the nominee is in the process of establishing a national reputation for excellence.
   1. Scholarly impact of the person's research
   2. Contributions to the department/college
   3. Promising excellence in te field/future trajectory
2. Up to two-page candidate statement that contextualizes the research within their field or discipline. The candidate statement should clearly articulate the following:
   1. An explanation of which category your research falls in:
      1. Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM)
      2. Social Science, Arts, Culture, Society (SACS) (includes humanities)
   2. The broader impacts of your work to date. This might include:
      1. Your main achievements and the importance of your grants. Do not simply reiterate dollar values. Instead, describe why the grants are important to society, to solving complex scientific or social problems, etc.
      2. The impact or importance of the venues in which your publications appear.
      3. The scope/scale of your collaborative research across and outside the University.
      4. The scope and impact of your interdisciplinary work.
      5. The scope and impact of your student/trainee involvement in research.
      6. How the impact of your work might extend outside the discipline.
      7. How your work is advancing the field.
      8. Your leadership in the field
      9. Public-facing impact of your scholarship
   3. Your future trajectory:
      1. Where is your research going from these past achievements?
      2. What are your next steps to advance your impact on your field?
3. CV – no page limit.
   1. CV must include metrics of success that are relevant to the nominee’s discipline.
4. Half-page nominee biography

Additional Information

Additional information can be found in the , or by contacting Research & Innovation at (775) 327-2363.