The ALVSCE Research Office has an approved awards program designed to honor outstanding faculty, staff and teams. Check the award categories below to learn more about how to nominate your colleagues for recognition.
ALVSCE Early Career Research Award
This award honors outstanding achievement in research by an early career faculty member in the Division of Agriculture, Life and Veterinary Sciences and Cooperative Extension (ALVSCE). This award will be given annually along with a plaque and $1,000, presented at an ALVSCE event.
Who can be Nominated?
Any ALVSCE faculty member with a research appointment who is within seven years of their initial faculty appointment date as an assistant professor by the award submission deadline is eligible to receive this award. This award can be received once in a faculty member’s career.
Who can Nominate?
Nominations can be made by any ALVSCE administrative head, faculty, or staff member.
Nomination Materials
Nominating packets must include the following in a single pdf file:
- Nominee's full curriculum vitae
- A nomination letter from the initiator plus a maximum of three supporting letters. Supporting letters can be from UA or external colleagues and should highlight the individual's exceptional research contributions in some or all of the following categories:
- Overall impact of research activities
- Grants/Contracts, publications and/or intellectual property
- Collaborative research
- Undergraduate and/or graduate advising related to research
- Regional/national/international activities and recognition
- Service related to research
Selection Criteria
Nominees will be evaluated based on evidence of outstanding achievement during the initial stage of their career while employed at the University of Arizona, with evidence of increasing impact in some or all of the categories listed above.
Selection Procedure
A committee comprised of a minimum of three faculty and one staff member plus the Associate Vice President for Research serving as chair will review all nominations and select the winner.
Nomination Submission and Deadline
Send nominations in a single pdf file to Zaida Zalbidea at zaidaz@arizona.edu annually on February 28th by 11:59pm*.
*Should February 28th fall on a weekend, the deadline will be automatically moved to the next business day.
ALVSCE Eminent Researcher Award
This award honors outstanding sustained achievement in research by a faculty member in the Division of Agriculture, Life and Veterinary Sciences and Cooperative Extension (ALVSCE). The award will be given annually along with a plaque and $1,000, presented at an ALVSCE event.
Who can be Nominated?
Any ALVSCE faculty member with a research appointment at the rank of Associate or Full Professor is eligible. This award can be received once in a faculty member's career.
Who can Nominate?
Nominations can be made by any ALVSCE administrative head, faculty, or staff member.
Nomination Materials
Nominating packets must include the following in a single pdf file:
- Nominee's full curriculum vitae
- A nomination letter from the initiator plus a maximum of three supporting letters. Supporting letters can be from UA or external colleagues and should highlight the individual's exceptional research contributions in some or all of the following categories:
- Overall impact of research activities
- Grants/Contracts, publications and/or intellectual property
- Collaborative research
- Undergraduate and/or graduate advising related to research
- Regional/national/international activities and recognition
- Service related to research
Selection Criteria
Nominees will be evaluated based on evidence of sustained outstanding achievement with high impact in some or all of the categories listed above.
Selection Procedure
A committee comprised of a minimum of three faculty and one appointed personnel member plus the Associate Vice President for Research serving as chair will review all nominations and select the winner.
Nomination Submission and Deadline
Send nominations in a single pdf file to Zaida Zalbidea at zaidaz@arizona.edu annually on February 28th by 11:59pm*.
*Should February 28th fall on a weekend, the deadline will be automatically moved to the next business day.
ALVSCE Outstanding Research Impact Award
This award recognizes an ALVSCE faculty member who has led a defined research project or made a discovery of unusually high impact and recognition within the past five years while an ALVSCE employee. This award will be made only in years when a faculty member is considered to have met the award criteria. The award will be accompanied by a plaque and $1,000, presented at an ALVSCE event.
Who can be Nominated?
Any ALVSCE faculty member with a research appointment is eligible.
Who can Nominate?
Nominations can be made by any ALVSCE administrative head, faculty, or staff member.
Nomination Materials
Nominating packets must include the following in a single pdf file:
- Nominee's full curriculum vitae
- A nomination letter from the initiator plus a maximum of three supporting letters and supporting documents as appropriate. Supporting letters can be from UA or external colleagues and should describe the research undertaken and its impact based on publications, patent/patent applications, company launches, and/or direct scientific or societal impact.
Selection Criteria
Nominees will be evaluated based on evidence of having led a defined research project of unusual impact and recognition, as reflected by publications, media recognition, scientific impact, intellectual property generation, and/or direct societal impact. The expected defined nature of the project makes this distinct from the Eminent Researcher Award which recognizes sustained achievement in a research career. Intellectual contributions will only be considered made within five years of the award submission date. This includes publications, patents and other forms of scientific reporting.
Selection Procedure
A committee comprised of a minimum of three faculty and one staff member plus the Associate Vice President for Research serving as chair will review nomination(s) and select the winner.
Nomination Submission and Deadline
Send nominations in a single pdf file to Zaida Zalbidea at zaidaz@arizona.edu annually on February 28th by 11:59pm*.
*Should February 28th fall on a weekend, the deadline will be automatically moved to the next business day.
The Outstanding Team in Research Award recognizes outstanding contributions by a research team in the Division of Agriculture, Life and Veterinary Sciences, and Cooperative Extension (ALVSCE) employees. The award is given annually with a plaque and award of $500 to each team member (maximum of $2,500). The award is presented at an ALVSCE event.
Who can be Nominated?
Nominees must be ALVSCE employees of the Division of Agriculture, Life and Veterinary Sciences, and Cooperative Extension. The team can include faculty, academic professionals or classified staff, irrespective of length of service. Students and community members can be members of the team, but will be ineligible to receive the monetary award. Past recipient teams are ineligible for a period of five years.
Who can Nominate?
Nominations can be made by any ALVSCE administrative head, faculty or staff member.
Nomination Materials
Nominating packets must include a nomination letter from the initiator plus a maximum of three supporting letters. The nominator should list all team members at the beginning of their letter. Letters should highlight exceptional team performance in one or more of the following categories:
- Achievements and contributions to the ALVSCE research mission.
- Service and impact to the ALVSCE, Tucson and/or regional communities
- Assistance to students, faculty, visitors, community groups and/or outside agencies
- Improving the effectiveness and efficiency of ALVSCE research and/or operations
Selection Procedure and Criteria
A committee comprised of at least two faculty and two appointed personnel members plus the Associate Vice President for Research serving as chair will review all nominations and select the winner based on the criteria above.
Nomination Submission and Deadline
Send nominations in a single pdf file to Zaida Zalbidea at zaidaz@arizona.edu annually on February 28th by 11:59pm*.
*Should February 28th fall on a weekend, the deadline will be automatically moved to the next business day.
This award recognizes a technical, clerical, farm or administrative staff member who has contributed significantly to the research mission of the Division of Agriculture, Life and Veterinary Sciences, and Cooperative Extension (ALVSCE). The award will be given annually along with a plaque and $1,000, presented at an ALVSCE event.
Who can be Nominated?
Any non-probationary ALSVCE staff member, irrespective of length of service. Recent recipients are ineligible for a period of five years.
Who can Nominate?
Nominations for the Outstanding Staff in Research Award may be made by any ALVSCE administrative head, faculty, or staff member.
Nomination Materials
Nominating packets must include a nomination letter from the initiator plus a maximum of three supporting letters in a single pdf file. Letters should highlight exceptional research contributions in one or more the following categories as applicable.
- achievements and contributions to research
- assistance to students, faculty or visitors to ALVSCE in support of research
- contribution towards the effectiveness and efficiency of ALVSCE research operations
- efforts in staff development and or diversity related to research
- participation in university activities or committees
Selection Procedure and Criteria
A committee comprised of at least two faculty and two appointed personnel members will review all nominations and select the winner based on the criteria above.
Nomination Submission and Deadline
Send nominations in a single pdf file to Zaida Zalbidea at zaidaz@arizona.edu annually on February 28th by 11:59pm*.
*Should February 28th fall on a weekend, the deadline will be automatically moved to the next business day.
This award recognizes researchers who have gone above and beyond to conduct impactful research while
developing the careers of undergraduate and graduate students during the five years immediately prior to
award. This award will be given annually along with a plaque and $1,000.
Eligibility:
- Must hold a faculty or equivalent position with a research FTE assignment
- Must have directly trained undergraduate and/or graduate students through independent studies,
internships, Honors theses, graduate degrees, or other well-justified formal research training activity - Must have published scholarly works with student co-authors who worked directly under their
supervision. All scholarly works will be considered (e.g. authorship credit in conference presentations
and co-authorship in peer-reviewed research articles, invited reviews and book chapters, patents)
Nomination Materials:
- Nomination letter (no more than 2 pages) describing the importance of research achievements and role
played by undergraduate and graduate students (provided by nominator or self-nominating candidate) - A list of students trained, separated by type (undergraduate and graduate) and their achievements
(e.g., scholarly works, presentations, awards and honors received, etc.) - Full list of publications with trainee co-authors clearly marked (must include direct link or doi)
- At least two support letters from previous or current trainees who can describe the following in no more
than 500-words:- the nature of their research training relationship with the nominee
- examples of ways in which the nominee went above and beyond to deliver outstanding research
training - impact of the nominee’s efforts on their subsequent and future career goals
Submission Method and Deadline:
- Anyone can nominate someone for this award
- Self-nominations are strongly encouraged
- Submission Deadline: February 28th at 11:59 PM (or next business day if it falls on a weekend)
- Nomination packets should be submitted as single PDF file via email to zaidaz@arizona.edu
Notification and Award Process:
- Tuesday, March 25th, 2025: CALES ADR notifies winner
- Thursday, April 24th, 2025: Award presented at the ALVSCE Research Showcase’s Discovery and
Innovation Awards Dinner (Student Union Ballroom, 5:00-7:00pm)
Review Criteria:
- Nomination letter: describing the importance of research achievements and role played by
undergraduate and graduate students (provided by nominator or self-nominating candidate); how they
went above and beyond to accomplish outstanding research achievements with students - List of students and achievements: number of undergraduate students trained and quality of
achievements (e.g., associated publications, post-graduation outcomes when applicable - Nomination and Trainee letters: Applicants must have demonstrated research training efforts
that go above and beyond standard practices. Standard research training practices are defined
as providing training for students in their laboratory for a grade. Above and beyond efforts
include but are not limited to activities that substantially contribute to the long term success and
career of their trainees. Priority (higher scores) will be given for achievements that are rare
and/or difficult to achieve at the student career stage- Examples of activities include, but are not limited to:
- Co-authorship in scholarly works (e.g. first and/or co-authorship in peer-reviewed
articles, review articles, book chapters, patents, etc.) - Local, national and international conference abstracts and presentations (trainee
first/presenting author) - Sustained impactful mentoring and coaching beyond the active phase of the
training (e.g. relationship is active, writes letter of recommendation for student,
prepares students for interviews, continues to provide professional development
for the trainee, etc.) - Direct involvement in building the trainee’s professional network
- Co-authorship in scholarly works (e.g. first and/or co-authorship in peer-reviewed
- Examples of activities include, but are not limited to:
- Each nomination packet will receive 1 to 3 points based on the scale below where 3 is
the highest, best rating possible.- 3 = Nominee went above and beyond for trainees to significantly exceed
standard efforts and practices to ensure outstanding research training for
students (achieves more than 80% of listed activities above or equivalent
extraordinary achievement) - 2 = Nominee went above and beyond for trainees to moderately exceed standard
efforts and practices to ensure outstanding research training for students
(achieves at least 50% but does not reach 80% of listed activities or equivalents
from above) - 1 = Nominee went above and beyond for trainees to slightly exceed standard
efforts and practices to ensure outstanding research training for students
(achieves at least 50% of listed activities or equivalents from above)
- 3 = Nominee went above and beyond for trainees to significantly exceed
- Each package will receive an overall score composed of the following:
- 1-3 points based on the score from the entire packet
- 1 point for each student trained in the past five years
- 1 point for each graduate student scholarly work published in the past five years
- 2 points if the work is a peer-reviewed original research article and the graduate student
was first author
- 2 points if the work is a peer-reviewed original research article and the graduate student
- 1 point for each undergraduate student scholarly work published in the past five years
- 2 points if the work is a peer-reviewed original research article co-authored by the
undergraduate student - 3 points if the undergraduate student was first author of the peer-reviewed original
research article
- 2 points if the work is a peer-reviewed original research article co-authored by the
- Packages will be ranked based on the total score and total score normalized to the nominee’s research
FTE