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Summary of Awards

There are three awards given annually for researchers in the following categories:

• Distinguished Researcher
• Mid-Career Researcher
• Humanities and Social Sciences Researcher

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 NSHE selection committee will make a recommendation to the Academic, Research and Student Affairs Committee for final selection/approval and recipients will be announced in the first quarterly Board of Regents meeting of the calendar year.

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 Sept. 11, 2026. Nominations can be submitted at the following links:

A selection committee composed by the Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation will review the University’s nominees to select one from each category to send forward to NSHE in October.

Who Can Nominate?

Any NSHE employee or student can nominate a researcher for the campus selection process by sending a formal letter of nomination through the candidate’s dean.

Nominee Eligibility

Distinguished-Career Researcher

Nominee must have at least ten years of cumulative service in NSHE and an overall career of at least 20 years in research by the date of nomination.

Mid-Career Researcher

Nominee must have at least five years of cumulative service in NSHE by the date of nomination to be considered for the award and an overall career in research of at least five years but less than 20 years.

Humanities and Social Sciences Researcher

Nominee must have at least five years of cumulative service in NSHE by the date of nomination 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 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. Once a nomination has been received, nominees will be contacted to provide the following supplemental materials:
   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. (Not required for Humanities and Social Sciences Researcher nominees).
   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 people 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 Freddie Welch at (775) 327-2365.

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 exceptional circumstances. The NSHE selection committee will make a recommendation to the Academic, Research and Student Affairs Committee for final selection/approval and the recipients will be announced in the first quarterly Board of Regents Meeting of the calendar year. This honor carries a $5,000 stipend.

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 Sept. 11, 2026. Nominations should be Submitted electronically at the following link:

A selection committee composed by the Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation will review the nominees and select one to send forward to NSHE in October.

Who Can Nominate?

Any NSHE employee or student can nominate for the campus selection process by sending a formal letter of nomination through the candidate’s dean addressing the candidate’s accomplishments and significant record in creative activity.

Nominee Eligibility

Nominee must have at least five years of cumulative service in NSHE by the date of nomination.

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. Once a nomination has been received, nominees will be contacted to provide the following supplemental materials:
   
   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 Freddie Welch at (775) 327-2365. 

Award Summary

Awards are given annually to NSHE faculty members from each research institution (·¬ÇÑÊÓƵ; University of Nevada, Las Vegas; and Desert Research Institute) based on early-career accomplishments and potential for future advancement and recognition in research.

The ·¬ÇÑÊÓƵ 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. Humanities and Social Sciences

These honors carry a $2,000 stipend each.

The selection process is managed on each campus and the recommendations are forwarded to the Academic, Research and Student Affairs Committee for final approval. Recipients are announced at the first quarterly Board of Regents meeting of the calendar year.

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 Sept. 29, 2026. Departments may nominate only one person at a time in each category. Nominations can be submitted at the following link:

A selection committee composed of the University Research Council will review the nominees and select up to three to send forward to NSHE in December.

Who Can Nominate?

Any NSHE employee or student can nominate a researcher for the campus selection process by sending a formal letter of nomination through the candidate’s dean.

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 the 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 their research falls in:
      1. Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM)
      2. Humanities and Social Sciences
   2. The broader impacts of their work to date. This might include:
      1. Their main achievements and the importance of their 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 their publications appear.
      3. The scope/scale of their collaborative research across and outside the University.
      4. The scope and impact of their interdisciplinary work.
      5. The scope and impact of their student/trainee involvement in research.
      6. How the impact of their work might extend outside the discipline.
      7. How their work is advancing the field.
      8. Their leadership in the field
      9. Public-facing impact of their scholarship
   3. Your future trajectory:
      1. Where is their research going from these past achievements?
      2. What are their next steps to advance their impact on their 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 Freddie Welch at (775) 327-2365.