Statement of intent due June 16
Full nomination due June 30
Nominations are being sought for the 2017 Postdoctoral Performance Awards to recognize outstanding achievement by Postdoctoral Appointees in the areas of applied research, basic research and engineering research.
The awards are sponsored by Interim Laboratory Director Paul Kearns; Deputy Director for Science, Chief Research Officer, and Manager of the Laboratory-Directed Research and Development Program Matt Tirrell; and Interim Deputy Director for Operations and Chief Operations Officer John Quintana. The Postdoctoral Program Office will oversee the selection process.
Nominations will be reviewed by committees of staff members with demonstrated subject matter expertise in each of the three award areas. The selection process will use a fair and impartial blind review in which the committees will receive nomination essays cleared of identifying information, including gender-specific pronouns. Award recipients will receive a monetary award and a plaque to be presented at a reception in their honor in August.
To be eligible, the nominee must be a current divisional postdoctoral appointee at the time of nomination. Argonne Scholars (e.g., Named Fellows, Margaret Butler Fellows and Wilkinson Fellows) are not eligible for these awards. The basis of the nomination is limited to work performed at Argonne during the nominee’s postdoctoral appointment.
Nominators will be asked to submit a nomination essay describing the candidate’s outstanding performance in the following areas:
- Significant intellectual contributions to the nominee’s research field (as reflected in publications, patents, reports, presentations, research highlights, etc.)
- Ingenuity in problem solving (as demonstrated through development of new methods, engineering solutions or research tools with a significant impact on the research community)
- Demonstration of collaborative and leadership ability
- Significant contributions to Argonne and U.S. Department of Energy missions
The Postdoctoral Performance Awards strive to recognize the diverse array of contributions our postdocs make to the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) research enterprise through fundamental discoveries and applied and engineering advancements. For reference, research in each of the award areas may fall into, but is not limited by, the following definitions:
- Applied Research seeks solutions to problems integral to Argonne’s strategic missions through the development of new materials, methods, solutions, and technologies, building upon fundamental knowledge and bridging engineering advances.
- Basic Research encompasses fundamental, theoretical, and discovery science that seeks understanding of systems and the creation of new knowledge.
- Engineering Research takes fundamental knowledge and applied solutions to the next level through application to real-world problems, designing process improvements, and delivering final products.
Individuals who plan to submit a nomination should inform the Postdoctoral Program Lead via email at of the intent to nominate a postdoctoral appointee. The email must include the postdoc’s name, division, area of expertise and the award category (basic, applied or engineering research). The statement of intent must be received by Friday, June 16, 2017. The nominator will then be asked to complete a full nomination form that will include an essay supporting the basis for the nomination. The full nomination will be due Friday, June 30, 2017
Review and selection of award recipients will conclude by Monday, July 31, 2017, and recipients will be notified shortly thereafter.
Last year nine individuals received the Postdoctoral Performance Award. Information on the previous recipients may be found here.
Questions and inquiries may be directed to the Postdoctoral Program Office through Kristina Henne.