LATEST NEWS » Awards & Grants

Applications for the SSE International Committee grants for international events are due March 31. These events are aimed at furthering the purpose of the Evolution Society by fostering international collaborations amongst evolution-oriented societies and scientists. Eligible events would include specialized symposia, workshops, and short courses in any aspect of evolutionary biology. The events could be hosted either in the US or abroad, and preference should be given to events that specifically include participants from countries other than the USA. Learn more here.

The GREG – R.C. Lewontin Early Awards are to assist students in the early stages of their Ph.D. programs by enabling them to collect preliminary data (to pursue additional sources of support) or to enhance the scope of their research beyond current funding limits (e.g. by visiting additional field sites, or working at other labs). Awards will be made up to $2500. Proposals will be due February 15. Learn more and apply here.

Many award deadlines are quickly approaching. Mark your calendars!

Stephen Jay Gould Prize: January 15

Evolution 2019 Travel Awards for Brazilian Researchers: January 15

Small Grants Program for Local and Regional Outreach: January 18

Theodosius Dobzhansky Prize: January 31

R. A. Fisher Prize: January 31

Graduate Research Excellence Grant - R.C. Lewontin Early Award: February 15

The Society for the Study of Evolution (SSE) Council invites proposals for grants up to $3,000 to help support Society-sponsored Early-career Vocational Opportunities (EVO) Workshops. There are no requirements for topic or format of the workshop, as long as it is interactive and its content provides foundational skills that are appropriate for early-career SSE members in the areas of conceptual understanding, data collection, data analysis, or professional development. The Workshop Selection Committee will select proposals on a rolling basis. Learn more about the grants here.

The GREG – R.C. Lewontin Early Awards are to assist students in the early stages of their Ph.D. programs by enabling them to collect preliminary data (to pursue additional sources of support) or to enhance the scope of their research beyond current funding limits (e.g. by visiting additional field sites, or working at other labs). Awards will be made up to $2500. Proposals will be due February 15. Learn more and apply here.

The annual Stephen Jay Gould Prize recognizes individuals who have increased public understanding of evolutionary biology and its place in modern science. The recipient will receive $5,000 USD and will present the Public Outreach Seminar at Evolution 2019 in Providence, RI. 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. Nominations are due January 15. Learn more here.

The R. A. Fisher Prize is awarded annually for an outstanding Ph.D. dissertation paper published in the journal Evolution during a given calendar year. The award comes with a $1000 USD honorarium. Nominations are due January 31. Learn more here.

Nominations/applications are now open for the Theodosius Dobzhansky Prize, awarded annually to recognize the accomplishments and future promise of an outstanding young evolutionary biologist. The recipient will receive $5000 USD and present their research at Evolution 2019 in Providence, RI. Nominations are due January 31. Learn more here.

The SSE Education and Outreach Committee is pleased to announce a call for proposals from SSE members for support for local and regional educational outreach activities to take place during 2019. It is our hope that these projects will lead to ongoing outreach collaboration in future years. Examples of past outreach activities have included public lectures, exhibits, student competitions, and professional development events for teachers. Proposals will be accepted until January 18. Learn more here.

Did you know that when you review for Evolution, you have the option to do so jointly with one of your post-docs or graduate students? In fact, it’s encouraged! Joint reviews with trainees can make for better reviews and help train the next generation of researchers and peer-reviewers. Thank you to all who already do this!

This year the deadlines for the new Graduate Research Excellence Grants (GREG) have shifted. The R.C. Lewontin Early Awards (for students in the first two years of their PhD) will be announced in November with proposals due in mid-February. The Rosemary Grant Advanced Awards (for PhD candidates) will be announced in June 2019 with proposals due in September. Learn more about these grants and how to apply here. 

This year, the deadlines for the new Graduate Research Excellence Grants (GREG) have shifted. The R.C. Lewontin Early Awards (for students in the first two years of their PhD) will be announced in November 2018 with proposals due in mid-February. The Rosemary Grant Advanced Awards (for PhD candidates) will be announced in June 2019 with proposals due in September. Learn more about these grants and how to apply here.

Congratulations to this year’s Hamilton Award winner, Christopher Pull from Royal Holloway University of London! Chris gave an outstanding talk on how ants control infections in colonies. The runners-up are Debora Goedert from Dartmouth College and Karin van der Burg from Cornell University. We were very impressed with all of the talks given by Hamilton Finalists at the Evolution 2018 meeting, and were pleased to be able to offer $500 travel stipends to all of the finalists. Learn more about the Hamilton Awards here.

Congratulations to the 2018 Dobzhansky Prize winner, Amanda Kyle Gibson! Dr. Gibson is a postdoctoral fellow at Emory University studying the evolution and ecology of infectious diseases. The Dobzhansky Prize is awarded annually by the Society for the Study of Evolution to recognize the accomplishments and future promise of an outstanding young evolutionary biologist. Learn more about the prize here.

If you were selected as a Hamilton Finalist or selected to receive a regular graduate/postdoc travel award for the Evolution 2018 meeting, you must pick up your check in person at the SSE Members Business Meeting on Tuesday Aug 21 from 5:30-6:10 pm CET in the Darwin Room in Le Corum. You do not need to attend the entire business meeting -- you may come by just to pick up your check.

If (and only if) you are presenting a poster during this time and cannot attend the business meeting, you must contact Kati Moore at communications@evolutionsociety.org to either:

(1) arrange to pick up your check at the SSE Presidential Address the following morning, or

(2) send a delegate to the SSE Members Business Meeting with a signed note from you authorizing them to pick up the check on your behalf.

Due to the large number of awards, we cannot make individual arrangements for check pick-up other than the options listed above.

Please email Kati Moore at communications@evolutionsociety.org ASAP if you are no longer able to attend the meeting.

Congratulations to the 14 W. D. Hamilton Award finalists! Each finalist will receive a $500 travel stipend to the Evolution meeting in Montpellier, and will present their research during the Hamilton Award Symposium. See the names of this year's finalists and learn more about the award here. 

The SSE Education and Outreach Committee is pleased to announce the winner of the 2018 T. H. Huxley Award, Dr. Katie Grogan and colleagues Dr. Teresa W. Lee and Dr. Justine Liepkalns, who developed an educational activity for teaching evolutionary mechanisms. In the activity, students use a population of sticky notes to reveal the consequences of natural selection, genetic drift, and gene flow on phenotype frequency. Read more here.

Congratulations to the 2018 winner of the R. A. Fisher Prize, Dr. Valerie Morley, for her paper “Dynamics of molecular evolution in RNA virus populations depend on sudden versus gradual environmental change” published in Evolution. The R. A. Fisher Prize is awarded annually by SSE for an outstanding Ph.D. dissertation paper published in the journal Evolution during a given calendar year. The award comes with a $1000 honorarium. Learn more about the prize and this year’s recipient here.

Congratulations to the 22 recipients of the 2018 Graduate Research Excellence Grant (GREG) R.C. Lewontin Award! This award assists students in the early stages of their Ph.D. by enabling them to collect preliminary data or to enhance the scope of their research. Thank you to our members whose donations helped fund these awards! Continue reading for a list of this year's recipients.

Congratulations to the 12 recipients of the 2018 Graduate Research Excellence Grant (GREG) Rosemary Grant Advanced Award! This award, created this year, assists PhD candidates in enhancing the scope of their dissertation research. Thank you to our members whose donations helped fund these awards! Click here to view this year's recipients.

This year SSE is granting more than $100,000 in travel awards to help graduate students and postdoctoral fellows attend the Second Joint Congress on Evolutionary Biology in Montpellier. Email notifications have now been sent to the >100 selected awardees. Thank you to our 2017 donors who allowed us to fund extra travel awards!

Applications are now open for the T. H. Huxley Award, 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. Information on previous awards is available here. Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows are especially encouraged to apply. The awardee will receive funding to present evolution education resources at the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT) annual conference. This year's NABT conference will be held Nov. 8-11 in San Diego, CA. The deadline for applying for the Huxley award is March 23. Learn more and apply here.

The Society for the Study of Evolution (SSE) Council invites proposals for grants up to $3,000 to help support Society-sponsored Early-career Vocational Opportunities (EVO) Workshops. There are no requirements for topic or format of the workshop, as long as it is interactive and its content serves to provide foundational skills that are appropriate for early-career SSE members in the areas of conceptual understanding, data collection, data analysis, or professional development. The Workshop Selection Committee will select proposals on a rolling basis, and has already made one award, for an Evolutionary Quantitative Genetics Workshop at Friday Harbor Laboratories. (SSE members receive a $200 discount on registration!) Learn more about the grants here.

The deadline has been extended for the Theodosius Dobzhansky Prize, which recognizes the accomplishments and future promise of an outstanding young evolutionary biologist. We consider candidates who are working on all areas of evolutionary biology and 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. Nominations and applications are due March 1. Learn more here.

Students and recent graduates interested in attending Evolution 2018 can also submit abstracts to the Hamilton Symposium until January 15. Applicants are encouraged to also apply for other symposia; if you are not selected for the Hamilton Symposium, you may be selected for another symposium. You will not be required to register for the conference until all presenters have been selected and notified. To learn more, visit the Hamilton Award page here.