Exemplary Researcher Award

This College-level award recognizes successful, currently active researchers with exemplary research activity, publication record, and a graduate/undergraduate student mentorship program. The nomination process allows for nominations from three categories: Lifetime Career Achievement, Mid-Career Achievement and Early Career Achievement.

2024 Winner

Dr. Tristan Brown

Brown joined ESF’s Department of Sustainable Resources Management in 2014. In addition to teaching, he is the director of the Bioeconomy Development Institute. His research analyzes the carbon abatement costs of decarbonization pathways under different policy and legal scenarios.

He works in transdisciplinary research groups that utilize life cycle assessment, techno-economic analysis, and systems analysis of bioeconomy pathways and technologies to determine their barriers and opportunities as part of the transition to a net-zero economy.

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The Award

Each year, one researcher will be selected from all nominations submitted who is exemplary in their research productivity. The award, made annually, includes:

A $5,000 research award to be deposited in the recipient’s research incentive account.
A plaque will be given to the researcher for personal display, and their name will be added to the permanent display in Bray Hall listing all annual awardees.

The recipient will present a campus-wide research seminar during the following academic year. The award will be highlighted at venues that include Academic Governance meetings and ESF all-campus communications.

Lifetime Career Achievement

Purpose: To recognize outstanding career achievements in research activity.
Eligibility: Researchers who have attained more than 20 years since receiving the terminal degree and have been employed by ESF for a minimum of 10 years.

Criteria: Documented evidence of outstanding research accomplishments and impact of their work on their discipline; outstanding national and international recognition in the academic community; evidence of a substantial positive impact of research mentorship through undergraduate students, graduate students, and/or postdoctoral trainees.

Mid-Career Achievement

Purpose: To recognize outstanding research achievements at the mid-career stage.
Eligibility: Researchers who have attained 11 to 20 years since receiving the terminal degree and have been employed by ESF for a minimum of 7 years.

Criteria: Documented evidence of outstanding research accomplishments and impact of their work on their discipline; significant national and/or international recognition in the academic community; evidence of a positive impact of research mentorship through undergraduate students, graduate students, and/or postdoctoral trainees.

Early Career Achievement

Purpose: To recognize accomplishments in research unusually early in their professional career.
Eligibility: Researchers who have attained no more than 10 years since receiving the terminal degree and have been employed by ESF for a minimum of 3 years.
Criteria: Documented evidence of exemplary research accomplishments in their field; national and/or international recognition in the academic community; evidence of a positive impact of research mentorship through undergraduate students, graduate students, and/or postdoctoral trainees.

Previous Award Winners