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Limited Submission Internal Deadline: Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists in Life Sciences, Physical Sciences & Engineering, and Chemistry
Limited Submissions: Internal Call for Nominations
Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists
in Life Sciences, Physical Sciences & Engineering, and Chemistry
UNC Internal deadline: 11:59PM, Wednesday, September 23, 2020
Dear Chairs, Center/Institute Directors, and Administrators,
The Blavatnik Family Foundation invites UNC-CH to provide nominations for the Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists in Life Sciences, Physical Sciences and Engineering, and Chemistry. UNC may nominate up to three candidates—one each in Life Sciences, Physical Sciences and Engineering, and Chemistry. Below you will find the internal nomination procedure, award information, and eligibility requirements.
Key Dates
UNC Internal deadline: 11:59PM, Wednesday, September 23, 2020
Blavatnik Nominations Deadline: October 28, 2020
Important Information
- The Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists strive for nominee equality and diversity, and strongly encourage the nomination of women and members of other historically underrepresented groups in science and engineering. In support of all scientists’ efforts to increase the diversity of their fields, and in recognition of the many professional service and outreach activities that scientists undertake, starting with the 2021 Award cycle we will require all nominees to submit a Professional Service and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement as part of their nomination materials. Details on this new requirement can be found on the Nomination Materials and Instructions page.
- Applicants must have been born in or after 1979. If a candidate is born before 1979, and is approved by the internal review committee, the candidate must work promptly with UNC officials to request a waiver from the foundation under the age limit policy. Note, these are granted only in exceptional circumstances, and should the waiver not be approved, the next runner up in the internal competition will be selected.
- Number of Nominations: Each institution is invited to nominate up to three outstanding young faculty members, one in each of the three disciplinary categories: Chemistry, Physical Sciences & Engineering, and Life Sciences.
To Apply
Due by 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, September 23, 2020:
Submit the following to the Limited Submissions Team within the Office of Research Development at Limited_Submissions@unc.edu.
- Nomination Form
- Nominee’s: name, title, contact information, and disciplinary category.
- Nominator’s: name, title, and contact information.
- Nominator’s rationale for nomination pertaining to the nominee’s independent faculty career (200-word maximum).
- Nominee’s curriculum vitae. Please use the CV Format Example as a guide to the required elements. This program focuses on the independent faculty career. Please omit publications from graduate and postdoctoral career. Full text publications and patents need not be included in the internal nomination package; faculty can bold and provide hyperlinks to the publications and patents they wish to highlight in the CV.
- Nominee’s research summary: Describe up to five of the nominee’s most significant scientific contributions and research accomplishments from their independent career. Include key results, impact on the nominee’s field of study, and the nominee’s specific role in the described work (especially where the nominee is involved in large collaborations). Exclude information contained in the CV (1,000-word maximum).
- Full-text Publications and/or Patents.
- A Professional Service and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement (1-page maximum). Details on this new requirement can be found on the Nomination Materials and Instructions page.
- Names of three internal (to UNC) experts who could speak knowledgeably about the candidate’s research and potential as part of an internal review panel, in the event of an internal review.
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- Please do not include the names of faculty named on the project, chairs, deans, directors, direct reports or others who have a conflict of interest.
- Please notify all potential internal reviewers before submitting the nomination packet to ORD.
- Names of two letter writers familiar with nominee’s scientific contributions who will provide letters of support. Please notify letter writers before submitting the nomination packet to ORD. Letters of support must discuss the independent career only.
Program Description
The Blavatnik National Awards focus largely on independent faculty career. Now entering its eighth year, the Program recognizes and celebrates America’s most innovative and promising faculty-rank scientists and engineers in three disciplinary categories: Chemistry, Physical Sciences & Engineering, and Life Sciences. Each year, one nominee in each category is awarded $250,000 in unrestricted funding and honored at the Blavatnik National Awards ceremony at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City as a Blavatnik National Awards Laureate.
Click the link to see the list of disciplinary categories: http://blavatnikawards.org/awards/national-awards/disciplines/
Eligibility and Evaluation Criteria
The nominee must:
- Have been born in or after 1979 (42 years of age or younger).
- Hold a doctorate degree (PhD, DPhil, MD, DDS, DVM, etc.).
- Currently hold a tenured or tenure-track academic faculty position (or equivalent) at an invited institution in the United States.
- Currently conduct research as a principal investigator in one of the disciplinary categories in Life Sciences, Physical Sciences & Engineering, or Chemistry.
Age Limit Exceptions
Age limit exceptions will be considered by the Blavatnik Family Foundation in exceptional circumstances upon a detailed written submission from the nominating institution received by the New York Academy of Sciences by Wednesday, October 14, 2020. For more information, please contact us at blavatnikawards@nyas.org. If you are applying internally and want to be considered for an age limit exception, please indicate this on your internal application and the reason for your exception.
Previously nominated individuals who were not selected in past Awards cycles may be nominated again. The Blavatnik Awards welcomes nominations from underrepresented groups in science and engineering.
Nominees and their work as independent investigators will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
- Quality: The extent to which the work is reliable, valid, credible, and scientifically rigorous.
- Impact: The extent to which the work addresses an important problem and is influential in the nominee’s field.
- Novelty: The extent to which the work challenges existing paradigms, employs new methodologies or concepts, and/or pursues an original question.
- Promise: Future prospects in the nominee’s field and potential for further significant contributions to science.
Additional Information
Funds Available and Anticipated Number of Awards: One recipient in each disciplinary category will receive $250,000 in unrestricted funds.
Submissions: Institutional nominations must be submitted by the institution’s President (or equivalent), Provost, or their official designee. Self-nominations are not allowed.
Additional Notes: In addition to the nomination materials required for UNC internal review, nominators must submit up to 4 full-text publications and/or patents representing the nominee’s best work.
Please refer to the updated 2021 Blavatnik National Awards Nomination Guidelines for full details on candidate eligibility and selection criteria.
http://blavatnikawards.org/awards/national-awards/nomination-materials-instructions/
Please do not hesitate to contact the Limited Submissions Team with questions at Limited_Submissions@unc.edu.
Limited Submissions Team
Office of Research Development
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
308 Bynum Hall
Chapel Hill, NC 27599
(919) 962-7503