KU Research Staff & Postdoctoral Achievement Awards


The KU Research Staff Achievement Award and the KU Research Postdoctoral Achievement Award are intended to recognize the numerous contributions of unclassified professional staff and postdoctoral researchers to the research mission of KU, honoring outstanding individuals who have had a tangible impact in the research labs and projects in which they work.

Examples of recognized contributions include co-authored publications and/or direct participation in externally funded grants and contracts. 

The award recipients — one in each category — will be recognized at a spring semester ceremony and will receive a plaque and $5,000 in funds to be used for approved research or professional development activities.

Nominations are due by Nov. 1 at 11:59 p.m. 

Contact

All internal funding opportunities

Submit a nomination

Recognize a colleague for their research achievements. Nominations due Nov. 1.

Eligibility and nomination process

For both awards, qualifying individuals should have a full-time appointment (≥75% of FTE) in a KU Lawrence Campus academic unit or research center.

The individual’s research should be characterized as having significant influence in their field and/or as representing a productive record of important research that has expanded intellectual or societal insights. A substantial portion of the work for which the award is given must have been done at KU.

Please note these awards for unclassified professional staff complement the existing Steven F. Warren Research Achievement Award, which is limited to full-time unclassified academic staff researchers.

Nominations must be submitted electronically as a single PDF to ovcr@ku.edu. Deadline for nominations is 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 1.

Nominations must include:

  • A two-page letter of recommendation from the head of the unit or close collaborator addressing the following:
     

    • the significance of the challenge/problem/question(s) posed
    • the magnitude of challenge/problem addressed
    • the importance of the contributions from the work conducted to date
    • a very brief explanation of the discipline’s expectations for the particular area/field
    • the form(s) in which the research is communicated and, of these forms, which is the most prestigious or recognized by colleagues.
       
  • A curriculum vita or resume for the nominee.
  • Letters from at least 2 references familiar with the nominee’s work and its significance.

Please note: The letters of support should be written in a manner that is understandable to reviewers who may not be experts in the specific field of research of the nominee.

Once nominated, an individual remains eligible to receive the award for two years; however, an updated CV should be submitted.


Previous award winners

Staff Achievement Award

  • Pegah Naemi Jimenez, School of Social Welfare, 2024
  • Blair Schneider, Kansas Geological Survey, 2023
  • Jinan Wang, Molecular Biosciences, Center for Computational Biology, 2022
  • Shelley Bredin-Oja, KU Fragile X Research Lab, Life Span Institute, 2021
  • Jie Chen, Achievement & Assessment Institute, 2019
  • David Burnham, Biodiversity Institute & Natural History Museum, 2018
Postdoctoral Achievement Award
  • Georgios Konstantinos Krintiras, Physics & Astronomy, 2024
  • Vadim Karatayev, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, 2023
  • Yousef Alhammad, Molecular Biosciences, 2022
  • Anna Wallisch, Juniper Gardens Children’s Project, Life Span Institute, 2021
  • Tom Hill, Molecular Biosciences, Rob Unckless Research Group, 2019
  • Matt Jackson, Chemistry, Steve Soper Research Group, 2018