LATEST NEWS » Awards & Grants

Who are your evolutionary biology heroes? Who do you know whose conceptual advances, impactful publications, outreach and education efforts, mentorship and training, service to the community, or diversity and inclusion work has contributed to the evolutionary biology field and community? Maybe it’s you! Consider nominating yourself or someone else for the SSE Lifetime Achievement Award. Nominators will be asked to complete a short form describing the nominee’s contributions to the field and community. A detailed nomination letter is not required for the initial nomination. Learn more and submit your nomination by September 30!

The GREG Rosemary Grant Advanced Awards 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 $3500 will be granted. 

Student SSE members who will defend after September 15, 2024 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-year program, or 3) otherwise deemed “advanced” by a letter from their advisor or graduate director, are eligible. 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. Applicants do not have to be enrolled in an evolutionary biology program to apply, but proposals must address a topic in evolutionary biology. 

Learn more and apply.

Deadline: October 2, 2023

Congratulations to our two recipients of the 2023 W. D. Hamilton Award for Outstanding Graduate Student Presentation, Arielle Fogel and James Gallagher! 

This year’s Hamilton Award symposium took place during the virtual portion of the Evolution meeting. Arielle presented “Mating-related barriers to gene flow shape ancestry patterns along hybrid baboon genomes.” James presented “Surviving the serenade: how conflicting natural and sexual selection drove rapid diversification of mating signals in an insect.” Both will receive 1000 USD and a one-year subscription to Evolution. 

Congratulations to our 2023 R. C. Lewontin Early Award recipients: Nathalie Alomar, Neil Balchan, Tara Empson, Anjali Gupta, Matthew Hack, Azwad Iqbal, Juliana Jiranek, Gina Lucas, Jess Lund, Sage Madden, Akshat Mall, Quinn McCallum, Jenna Palmisano, Faye Romero, Marissa Sandoval, Fernando Torres, Wout van der Heide, Erica Vong, Claire Williams, and Maximiliano Zuluaga Forero! 

These awards provide up to 2500 USD to assist students in the early stages of their PhD programs. These grants are part of the Graduate Research Excellence Grants award program. 

Congratulations to the finalists of the SSE W. D. Hamilton Award for Outstanding Graduate Student Presentation: Maria Akopyan, Alicia L. Bruzos, Shyamsunder Buddh, Robert Driver, Arielle Fogel, Jay Gallagher, Nikunj Goel, Juanita Guiterrez-Valencia, Israt Jahan, Matthew Kustra, Brian Lerch, Benjamin Moran, Rosalyn Price-Waldman, Ryan Ridenbaugh, and Merlijn Staps! Come hear their talks in three sessions starting at 3:30 pm Eastern (GMT-4) on Saturday, June 3 at the virtual portion of the Evolution 2023 meeting.

SSE Council is pleased to announce the recipient of the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award, Dr. Sarah "Sally" Otto.

Dr. Otto was selected for her countless important contributions to evolutionary biology as a researcher, mentor, educator, and activist. As an outstanding researcher, Dr. Otto’s empirical and theoretical work on the evolution of ploidy, sex, and recombination has moved the field forward. As a mentor and educator, she has provided rigorous and accessible training to the next generation of biologists. As a member of the scientific community and citizen of the world, she has served in leadership roles for several scientific societies (the American Society of Naturalists (ASN), the European Society for Evolutionary Biology, the American Genetic Association, and SSE), co-founded the Canadian Society of Ecology and Evolution, and directs the Liber Ero Fellowship Program. At every level, Dr. Otto has worked towards bettering the environment—scientifically and globally, individually and collaboratively. Her achievements have been recognized with a number of awards (including the Darwin-Wallace Medal from the Linnean Society, the Sewall Wright Award from ASN, the MacArthur Foundation "genius grant", National Academy of Sciences membership, and Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada), and we are delighted to honor her with the Lifetime Achievement Award for 2023.

Dr. Otto will present the Lifetime Achievement Award talk during the virtual portion of the Evolution 2023 meeting on Friday, June 2 at 6:30 PM Eastern.

Congratulations to Dr. Jim Costa, recipient of the 2023 Gould Prize! This award recognizes efforts to advance public understanding of evolutionary science and its importance in biology, education, and everyday life. Dr. Costa was selected for his work to advance the public understanding of evolution and the history of evolutionary thinking, and for his work to promote biodiversity education and conservation through outreach and community engagement. Dr. Costa will present the Gould Prize Plenary the opening night of the in-person portion of the Evolution 2023 meeting. Learn more about Dr. Costa’s work and this award here.

The SSE Education and Outreach Committee is pleased to announce the winner of the 2023 T. H. Huxley Award, Sarah Bordenstein, for her development of the activity, "Discover the Microbes Within! The Wolbachia Project." This award recognizes and promotes the development of high quality evolution education resources. Learn more about the award and Sarah’s project.

Congratulations to the 2023 Dobzhansky Prize winner, Dr. Dakota McCoy! This award recognizes the accomplishments and future promise of an outstanding early-career evolutionary biologist. Dr. McCoy will present the Dobzhansky Prize lecture at the in-person portion of the Evolution 2023 meeting in Albuquerque, NM in June. Read more about Dr. McCoy here.

The deadline for the 2023 Caregiver Awards has been extended to May 5, 2023. These awards provide up to $500 USD for SSE members who need assistance in covering caregiver costs while attending the annual Evolution meeting in person or virtually.

A caregiver is broadly defined and includes anyone who cares for children, dependent adults (including adult children with a disability or elderly relatives), or people in need of personal assistance. This award can be spent as the awardee wishes to facilitate attendance.

Learn more about the Evolution meeting or the Caregiver Awards.

Deadline: May 5, 2023

Congratulations to Michael Itgen for his winning paper, “Genome size drives morphological evolution in organ-specific ways”, published last year in Evolution. Read more about his paper and this award.

The Hamilton Award for Outstanding Graduate Student Presentation will be given to a current or very recent graduate student who presents an outstanding talk based on their graduate work at the Evolution 2023 meeting. Finalists will present their talks during the live-streamed Hamilton Award symposium during the virtual part of the meeting June 2-3. The application to become a Hamilton award finalist is part of registration for the meeting. Applicants must check a box during meeting registration indicating their interest in the Hamilton Award and submit an abstract. Register by April 15, 2023.

The Undergraduate Diversity at Evolution (UDE) program sends undergraduate students to the annual Evolution meeting, held this year online June 2-3 and in Albuquerque, NM, USA from June 21-25. 

At the in-person part of the meeting, awardees will present a poster, receive mentoring, and participate in a career-oriented Undergraduate Futures in Evolutionary Biology panel and discussion. Awardees will receive free meeting registration, travel, and lodging, a meal stipend, and a ticket to the Super Social. 

Applicants must be current undergraduates or very recent graduates. As a group, selected applicants must increase diversity among undergraduates at the meeting. Applicants demonstrating a need for funds to attend will be given preference. 

Learn more and apply on the UDE webpage. 

Deadline: March 13, 2023

The SSE Education and Outreach Committee is pleased to announce the 2023 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 an education-focused conference, typically the National Association of Biology Teachers annual conference, or an education-focused session at another conference. This year’s NABT conference will be held in Baltimore, Maryland from November 2-5, 2023. 

Applications are due March 31st. Learn more and apply here. 

The deadline to nominate a person or group for the ASN/SSE/SSB Inclusiveness, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) Award has been extended to February 10. This 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. Membership in any of the three societies is not required to nominate someone or be nominated for this award.***

Nomination packages should include:

1. Nomination Letter: A single letter of support (1-2 pages) including biographical information (name, title, organization) of the person or group being nominated, along with a short description of the activities supporting the nomination. The letter must also include a section on the nature of impact the person or group has had on inclusivity, diversity, and equity in the field. For self-nominations, this letter should be written by another person who is familiar with the activities of the nominee.


2. Biosketch: A brief biosketch or list of activities (maximum 3 pages) for the person/group nominated.


3. Optional supplementary material: any material you believe clarifies the activities of the nominee relevant to this award (maximum 3 pages). 

Please contact committee chair Andrea Sweigart at sweigart@uga.edu with any questions.

Or click here to access the application. 

DEADLINE EXTENDED: February 10, 2023

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.