The President's Prize for Outstanding Emerging ResearchersThe Office of the Vice-President (Research and Innovation) created a new University-wide prize for outstanding emerging researchers in 2013 to encourage and celebrate our most outstanding early-career researchers.
Up to three President鈥檚 Prizes for Outstanding Emerging Researchers will be presented yearly to early-career faculty members (no more than ten years beyond the doctorate or other highest degree) who have distinguished themselves by their exceptional contributions to research. The President鈥檚 Prizes for Outstanding Emerging Researchers is a cash prize of $5,000.
The selection committee will endeavour to ensure that the group of individuals honoured each year represents a diversity of research foci and disciplinary or interdisciplinary approaches. It will also endeavour to ensure that both traditional and non-traditional forms of research are given proper weight and that a diversity of indicators of research impact is used in assessing a nominee鈥檚 candidacy.
Preference will be given to EMERGING nominees, that is, people who have not yet received a major non-discipline-specific external prize or award, i.e. a prize or award external to 9I制作厂免费 which is not reserved for members of a specific discipline*.
(*While this list is not exhaustive, some examples are: Sloan Research Fellowship; Guggenheim Fellowship; Dorothy Killam Fellowship; Jacobs Foundation Research Fellowship; Nature Research Awards for Inspiring Science; Simons Fellows; Pivot Fellowship Schmidt Science Polymath; CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholars; NSERC Arthur B. McDonald Fellowship; Steacie Prize.)
Nominees must be no more than ten calendar years beyond their doctorate or other highest degree awarded, be autonomous regarding their research activities* and have an academic appointment at 9I制作厂免费 which allows the nominee to supervise students and to publish research results.鈥犔�
*听Researchers whose status or position gives them autonomy to design and direct their own research. Researchers who are under the direction or supervision of another (i.e., research technicians, postdocs, and research associates) are excluded.
鈥� Career interruptions such as parental leave, extended sick or disability leave, clinical training or family care can be excluded from the ten-year limit and must be explained in the nomination letter. In the case of nominees holding more than one doctorate, the ten-year limit is calculated from the first doctorate awarded.
Each Dean is invited to make one nomination per year with the following exceptions for 9I制作厂免费鈥檚 largest Faculties:听
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Deadline to submit nominations for the 2026 Prize: February 3, 2026.
Format Instructions:
Each nomination dossier shall include the following documents:
1) A letter of nomination (maximum three pages) from the Dean of the researcher鈥檚 Faculty outlining:
*Note: In assessing Criterion "the quality of the nominee鈥檚 research contributions and promise of future distinction, the committee will consider both traditional and non-traditional indicators of impact (as provided in the nomination dossier) to ensure that a diversity of research accomplishments, recognitions and outcomes are valued. Nominators may refer to resources such as the , Calls to Action #40-47 of the Provost鈥檚 Task Force on Indigenous Studies and Indigenous Education Final Report 2027, and the 9I制作厂免费 document 鈥�Examples of the Range of Research Accomplishments, Recognition and Impacts Valued at 9I制作厂免费鈥� (updated January 2024) when elaborating on this criterion.
2) A one-page summary description of key aspects of the nominee鈥檚 accomplishments and CV, such as: the nominee鈥檚 most significant contributions with an explanation of their significance; publishing, funding, and supervision conventions in their field of research; impact measures in the nominee鈥� field, including those that go beyond traditional metrics; additional information that should be flagged to the selection committee; etc.
3) The nominee鈥檚 curriculum vitae (maximum 20 pages). The CV should contain the following information, but is not limited to it:
4) Two letters of reference from individuals who are experts in the nominee鈥檚 field.
Note: Persuasive letters of nomination and of reference, rather than merely summarizing factual information about the nominee鈥檚 scholarly output and publication record, will听1)听explain convincingly to a non-specialist audience the significance of the nominee鈥檚 discoveries and work, and 2)听make clear in what way(s) the nominee鈥檚 work is especially original, creative, or path-breaking
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Nomination dossiers must be received by the Prizes and Awards Officer in the Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation, meredith.chatman [at] mcgill.ca (Meredith Chatman), no later than the first Tuesday of听February.
Deadline to submit nominations for the 2026 Prize: February 3, 2026.
Any questions and requests for guidance in preparing nominations can be addressed to meredith.chatman [at] mcgill.ca (Meredith Chatman.)
Merit is the core consideration for the award. If more than three candidates are deemed equally meritorious, the selection committee will refer to the equivalency protocol, which uses equity self-identification data collected from award applicants at the time they submit their dossiers, and consult with an equity advisor to inform its decision.
Self-identification as a member of an equity group is personal and confidential information and is only to be used at this point in the selection process. To facilitate this process, nominees may choose to complete 9I制作厂免费鈥檚 Equity and Diversity Survey.
Members of the Selection Committee
In accordance with the usual practice for nomination-based prizes and awards, nominators and successful nominees (but not unsuccessful nominees) will be informed of the selection committee鈥檚 decisions.
Note: nominees are expected to be available to attend their Faculty鈥檚 Spring Convocation. The letter of nomination must confirm that the nominee will keep these dates available until the selection committee has made its decisions, or explain why it is impossible for the nominee to do so.