UB Exceptional Scholar: Young Investigator Award

Criteria

Untenured scholars who received their terminal degree within the past eight years are eligible. A Young Investigator Award may be received only once.
The work must have garnered public and/or professional accolades beyond the norm for other bodies of work in the identified genre.
- Evidence of such acclaim for a single piece of scholarship would include, but not be limited to, first or acknowledged primary authorship of a lead article in a recognized top journal (hereafter referred to as tier one) for the scholar's area, publication, creation or performance of a work that is universally acclaimed, or completion of the work under the auspices of a highly prestigious fellowship grant.
- Evidence of exceptional scholarship could also come from a sustained record of tier one publications or other scholarly endeavors over a 2 - 3 year period.

Departments should consult with the Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs to discuss the candidacy of an individual.
The department should begin the process of compiling the dossier as soon as possible after notifying the Dean's Office. Please allow ample time to send requests and receive responses from outside evaluators and obtain the appropriate supporting documents.
An initial copy of the final dossier should be given to the Dean's Office as soon as it is complete (but no later than the first working day in February). The dossier will be reviewed, recommendations will be made for any changes and the notated copy will be returned to the department.
Once the department has made corrections, the original dossier and 3 copies should be returned to the Dean's Office for review by the School's awards committee. The Awards Committee will review and vote on the nomination and forward their decision to the Dean.
The dossiers must be delivered to the Provost's Office no later than March 1st.

Chair's Letter (2-3 pages) that
- provides a critical analysis and clear argument (including appropriate documentation, citation reports, etc.) that substantiates the merit of the candidate's work as outlined in bullet two of Criteria above.
- refers to and explains the professional significance of Awards, fellowships and/or major grants that are beyond the norm for the discipline.
Candidate's Vita
Evaluator letters from authorities in the field - submit a minimum of two letters from distinguished, disinterested individuals addressing the importance of the candidate's work and their impact on the field