LATEST NEWS » Awards & Grants

Congratulations to the recipients of the 2022 Rosemary Grant Advanced Awards: Grace Burgin, Haley Carter, Dylan DeBaun, Owen Dorsey, Yasmeen Erritouni, Matías Gómez-Corrales, Maggie Grundler, Sarah McPeek, Henry North, Krish Sanghvi, Jeremy Summers, and Rebecca Tarnopol! 

These grants are part of our Graduate Research Excellence Grants. This year's awards were funded in part by member donations to the Rosemary Grant Advanced Award fund and the George W. Gilchrist Student Support Fund. Thank you for supporting student research!

SSE is pleased to announce the 2023 Graduate Research Excellence Grant (GREG) R. C. Lewontin Award competition. These awards offer up to $2,500 USD to assist students in the first two years of their PhD programs. Student applicants must be members of SSE. This award is not limited to students in the United States. Proposals are due February 15, 2023. Learn more about how to apply.

This award is awarded annually for an outstanding Ph.D. dissertation paper published in an issue of the journal Evolution during a given calendar year. Applications open in the fall and close January 31. The award comes with a $1000 honorarium. To be eligible for consideration, a manuscript must be based on graduate work of the primary author. The manuscript must have been published in a 2022 issue of the journal Evolution (Volume 76). This award includes a US $1000 honorarium, and will be awarded at the annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Evolution. The recipient is invited to attend the annual meeting to receive the award. 

Deadline: January 31, 2023. Learn more and apply here.

The Stephen Jay Gould Prize is awarded annually to recognize individuals whose sustained and exemplary efforts have advanced public understanding of evolutionary science and its importance in biology, education, and everyday life in the spirit of Stephen Jay Gould.

The award will include a cash prize of $5,000 and the expectation that the recipient will present the Public Outreach Seminar at the Evolution Meeting (expenses for travel/lodging and registration are covered by SSE). Awardees will be encouraged to submit an accompanying article to Evolution (primary research, review, insight or commentary, fast-tracked through review and made freely available) within 2 months of the conference. Published articles would highlight the prize obtained. The awardee should be a leader in evolutionary thought and in public outreach who can deliver an inspiring lecture for both professionals and the broader public at the annual Evolution meeting. 

Deadline: January 15, 2023. Learn more and submit a nomination.

The American Society of Naturalists, the Society for the Study of Evolution, and the Society of Systematic Biologists announce the call for nominations for the 4th annual ASN/SSE/SSB Inclusiveness, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) Award. The IDEA Award will be given to a person at any career stage who has strengthened the ecology and evolutionary biology community by promoting inclusiveness and diversity in our fields. The award can also be presented to a group. The recipient(s) will be invited to present a plenary lecture at the following year’s Evolution meeting. Each recipient will also receive a plaque and a $1000 honorarium (shared among recipients if more than one). 

***Eligibility Note: No contemporary officer, editor, member of diversity committee, or meeting organizer of the three societies is eligible for the award.***

Deadline: January 15, 2023. Learn more and submit a nomination now.

SSE is now accepting nominations for the Theodosius Dobzhansky Prize to recognize the accomplishments and future promise of an outstanding early-career evolutionary biologist. 

We consider candidates working on all areas of evolutionary biology, broadly defined. The nominee's university must have officially awarded their degree (Ph.D. or equivalent) between December 1, 2018 and December 1, 2022, though the committee will consider circumstances that may extend eligibility. We are specifically looking for candidates who take creative approaches to answering pressing questions in evolutionary biology. We will consider people working on any taxonomic group (i.e., plants, animals, fungi, microbes, etc.) and who take empirical and/or theoretical approaches. We value diversity, and are seeking a broad and diverse applicant pool from all axes and components of diversity in the evolutionary biology community. We welcome nominations of researchers around the globe. 

The Dobzhansky Prize is accompanied by a check for U.S. $5000, and is awarded at the annual Evolution meeting. The recipient is expected to be present to receive the award and to give an oral presentation about their research.

Learn more about the eligibility requirements and how to apply. Deadline: December 1, 2022

The SSE Education Committee is pleased to announce the 2022 T.H. Huxley award, named in honor of Darwin's very public supporter, which recognizes and promotes the development of high quality evolution education resources. If you have an interesting project or educational activity to share, consider applying for this award. Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows are encouraged to apply. 

This award provides funding for an SSE member to present evolution education resources at the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT) annual conference. This year’s NABT conference will be held November 10-13, 2022 in Indianapolis, IN. Awardees may instead present at an alternative education-focused conference with approval from the Education and Outreach Committee.

The application form will be posted on the website when available. Applications will be due September 15. Learn more. 

The Rosemary Grant Advanced Awards, part of the Graduate Research Excellence Grants, are to assist students in the later stages of their PhD programs. Funds can be used to enhance the scope of dissertation research, such as to conduct additional experiments or field work. Awards up to US$3500 will be granted. 

Students are eligible if they are SSE members, will defend after September 15, 2023, and are either 1) in at least their 3rd year of a >4-year doctoral degree program, 2) in the 2nd year of a 3- to 4-year program, or 3) otherwise deemed “advanced” by a letter from their advisor or graduate director. Students should also confirm that the proposed work is outside the scope of other funding currently held by either the student or their advisor. 

This award is not limited to students in the United States, and we welcome applications from our international members.

Application instructions and evaluation criteria are now available on the Rosemary Grant Advanced Award page.

Deadline: September 15, 2022, 5:00 PM Eastern

The Rosemary Grant Advanced Awards, part of the Graduate Research Excellence Grants, are to assist students in the later stages of their PhD programs. Funds can be used to enhance the scope of dissertation research, such as to conduct additional experiments or field work. Awards up to US$3500 will be granted. 

Students are eligible if they are SSE members, will defend after September 15, 2023, and are either 1) in at least their 3rd year of a >4-year doctoral degree program, 2) in the 2nd year of a 3- to 4-year program, or 3) otherwise deemed “advanced” by a letter from their advisor or graduate director. Students should also confirm that the proposed work is outside the scope of other funding currently held by either the student or their advisor. 

Application instructions and evaluation criteria will be posted on the Rosemary Grant Advanced Award page when available.

Deadline: September 15, 2022, 5:00 PM Eastern

Congratulations to the winners of the 2022 W. D. Hamilton Award for Outstanding Graduate Student Presentation:

Thomas Day, Georgia Institute of Technology
Cinnamon Mittan, Michigan State University

Thomas's talk was titled "Multicellularity as a Darwinian material: the biophysical basis of de novo multicellular adaptation during long-term experimental evolution." Cinnamon's talk was titled "Adaptation during range expansion: a phylogenetic, population genetic, and physiological perspective." Both can be viewed in the Evolution 2022 meeting virtual platform by all meeting registrants. 

Thank you to all the finalists who presented an outstanding symposium at Evolution! All finalists' talks can be viewed in the Hamilton Award Symposium on the virtual platform - find them under Live Sessions. Thank you also to our Hamilton Award judges who continue to make this symposium and award possible! We appreciate your service. 

Congratulations to the recipients of the 2022 Inclusiveness, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) Award, PhD candidates Suchinta Arif and Melanie Duc Bo Massey, cofounders of the scientific outreach organization Diversity of Nature (DoN). Arif and Massey founded Diversity of Nature at Dalhousie University (Nova Scotia, Canada) in 2020. DoN is specifically designed to be led by BIPOC scientists and aimed at BIPOC youth, with the goal of increasing BIPOC representation in the natural sciences. DoN’s array of inclusive programming includes panels, workshops, and an annual field camp, all free of charge to participants. Arif and Massey have also led publications on actionable guidance for supporting and retaining underrepresented students in evolution and ecology and accrued impressive portfolios of additional teaching, outreach, and DEI-related activities. Thank you Suchinta and Melanie for your dedication to increasing BIPOC representation in the natural sciences!

The SSE International Committee is now accepting applications for the SSE Inernational Event Grants. The goal of these grants is to foster communication and collaboration between scientists from different countries by sponsoring international symposia, workshops, courses, and other events within the field of evolutionary biology. Our priority is to support events that benefit emerging communities in the field of evolutionary biology. The deadline to apply has been extended to June 15, 2022. 


Learn more and apply here.

Congratulations to the 2022 winner of the SSE Presidents' Award for Outstanding Dissertation Paper in Evolution, Dr. Maddie E. James, for her paper, “Phenotypic and genotypic parallel evolution in parapatric ecotypes of Senecio.” Evolution (2021) 75-12: 3115–3131. 

In this paper, Dr. James and co-authors investigated potential parallel evolution in dune and headland ecotypes of the Australian wildflower Senecio lautus. A comparison of nine dune-headland pairs, most phylogenetic sister groups, found strong parallel evolution of phenotype of branch and leaf traits with dune plants tall and headland plants prostrate. Despite phenotypic similarity among populations within each ecotype, evolutionary change was found in different genes. However, further investigation found a number of these genes had the same predicted function. This study shows response to selection that leads to parallel phenotypes is more complex when viewed at the underlying genetic level. Dr. James earned her Ph.D. at the University of Queensland, where she is now a Postdoctoral Research Fellow. 

Congratulations to the finalists for our outstanding graduate student presentation award: Mike Blazanin, Kyle David, Thomas Day, Ashleigh Glover, Olivia Harringmeyer, Stephen Johnson, Rohit Kapila, Brian Lerch, Talia Lowi-Merri, Bryan Lynn, Joseph Matheson, Cinnamon Mittan, James Santangelo, Shailee Shah, and Kate Snyder.

These finalists will present their work during the W.D. Hamilton Award Symposium at the in-person portion of the Evolution meeting in Cleveland, OH on June 25. This in person event will also be live streamed for all meeting participants.

Congratulations to the recipients of this year's R.C. Lewontin Early Award!

Karla Berg, Portland State University. Advisor: Mitchell Cruzan
Anusha Bishop, University of California, Berkeley. Advisor: Ian Wang 
Austin Chipps, Louisiana State University. Advisor: Jake Esselstyn
Danae Diaz, Duke University. Advisor: Stephen Nowicki
Paula Fernandez Begne, University of Chicago. Advisor: Marcus Kronforst
Aidan Harrington, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Advisor: David Moeller
Matheus Januario Lopes de Sousa, University of Michigan. Advisor: Daniel Rabosky
Josh Knecht, Binghamton University. Advisor: James Sobel
Danai Kontou, University of Cambridge. Advisor: Andrew Tanentzap
Sebastian Mortimer, Oregon State University. Advisor: Aaron Liston
Autumn Peterson, Georgia Institute of Technology. Advisor: William Ratcliff
Karissa Plum, University of Houston. Advisor: Rebecca Zufall
Verónica Reyes-Galindo, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Advisor: Alicia Mastretta-Yanes
Fabian C. Salgado Roa, The University of Melbourne. Advisor: Iliana Medina
Sergio Serrato-Arroyo, Arizona State University. Advisor: Silvie Huijben
Keana Tang, University of Kansas. Advisor: Kelly Matsunaga
Emily Terrill, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Advisor: Eva Fischer
Matthew Treaster, University of Georgia. Advisor: Michael White
Robin Waterman, Michigan State University. Advisor: Jeffrey Conner

These awards assist students in the early stages of their PhD programs by enabling them to collect preliminary data or to enhance the scope of their research beyond current funding limits. Learn more here. 

The SSE Gould Prize Committee is pleased to announce Dr. Lisa White as the 2022 recipient of the Stephen Jay Gould Prize. Dr. White was selected for her work promoting the broader impacts of paleontology, evolution, and the nature and process of science, and for her role as a national leading voice in diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the biological and geological sciences.

Dr. White is the Director of Education and Outreach for the University of California Museum of Paleontology at the University of California Berkeley and an adjunct professor in the Department of Earth and Climate Studies at San Francisco State University. Dr. White is also a member of the UC Berkeley Coalition for Education and Outreach Steering Committee, the Berkeley Natural History Museum Outreach Committee, and the UC Berkeley Science@Cal program Advisory Board. She chairs the Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee of the American Geophysical Union (AGU), chairs the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Broader Impacts and Outreach working group, and been a panelist at the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) National Diversity in STEM Conference. A micropaleontologist by training, Dr. White is a Fellow and Trustee of the California Academy of Sciences and in multiple invited keynote addresses, she has highlighted strategies for creating a culture that embraces diversity and inclusion in the advancement of the Earth and life sciences. 

Dr. White will present the Evolution 2022 public outreach lecture on Friday, June 24 in Cleveland, OH.

SSE is now accepting nominations for the Lifetime Achievement Award, which recognizes individuals who have made substantial contributions to the study of evolution through conceptual advances, impactful publications, and/or outreach/education. In addition, individuals who have demonstrated outstanding mentorship of trainees, provided noteworthy service to the evolution community and/or contributed to the diversity and inclusion of the field will be recognized. The awardee will be chosen this summer and will be presented at the 2023 Evolution meeting in Albuquerque, NM. Nominate yourself or someone else by May 31, 2022. Learn more and apply here. 

This program provides up to $1,000 USD in funding for local and regional outreach activities, including but not limited to public lectures, exhibits, student competitions, and professional development events for teachers. Proposals are due March 6, 2022. Learn more about how to apply here.

The deadline to submit a nomination for the 2022 Dobzhansky Prize has been extended to February 14, 2022. This award recognizes the accomplishments and future promise of an oustanding evolutionary biologist who has received their PhD within the last four years. The recipient will receive $5000 USD and will present the Dobzhansky Prize talk at the annual Evolution meeting. Learn more here.

Congratulations to the twelve recipients of the 2021 Rosemary Grant Advanced Awards, part of the Graduate Research Excellence Grants. This year’s recipients are Colby Behrens, Ying Chen, Derek Denney, Tanmay Dixit, Robert Driver, Santiago Herrera-Álvarez, Hanna Makowski, Manish Pathak, Rozenn Pineau, Rosalyn Price-Waldman, Jill Sanderson, and William Thomas.

These grants are funded in part by donations from our members to the Rosemary Grant Advanced Award funds and the George W. Gilchrist Student Support Fund. This year's George W. Gilchrist Student Support Fund recipient is Derek Denney.

The deadline for the ASN/SSE/SSB Inclusiveness, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) Award has been extended to February 1, 2022. The IDEA Award will be given to a person at any career stage who has strengthened the ecology and evolutionary biology community by promoting inclusiveness and diversity in our fields.  The award can also be presented to a group. Learn more and submit your nomination here.

The Society for the Study of Evolution is pleased to announce the 2022 R. C. Lewontin Early Award competition. These grants are part of the Graduate Research Excellence Grants award program and are for students in the 1st or 2nd year of their PhD program. Awards will range from $1,500 to $2,500. Proposals will be due February 23. Learn more here.

The Stephen Jay Gould Prize recognizes, promotes, and rewards individuals who have increased public understanding of evolutionary biology and its place in modern science. Nominations will be due January 15, 2022. Learn more and apply here.

The ASN/SSE/SSB Inclusiveness, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) Award is given to a person or group at any career stage who has strengthened the ecology and evolutionary biology community by promoting inclusiveness and diversity in our fields. Nominations will be due January 15, 2022. Learn more and apply here.

The Theodosius Dobzhansky Prize recognizes the accomplishments and future promise of an outstanding young evolutionary biologist. Nominations will be due January 31, 2022. Learn more and apply here.