The National Science Foundation (NSF) is now accepting nominations for the 2018 Alan T. Waterman Award. This annual award recognizes an outstanding young researcher in any field of science or engineering supported by the National Science Foundation. The candidate should have demonstrated both individual achievements in their field, as well as originality, innovation, and impact on their field.
The award was established by Congress in August 1975 to mark the 25th Anniversary of the NSF and to honor its first Director. In addition to a medal, the awardee receives a grant of $1,000,000 over five years for scientific research at the institution of the recipient’s choice.
In order to be eligible for the award a candidate must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. He or she must be 40 years of age or younger, and not more than 10 years beyond receipt of the Ph.D. degree, by December 31st of the year in which they are nominated. Note that the age requirement was increased just this past year from 35 to 40.
The 2017 winners were Dr. Baratunde A. Cola, Georgia Tech, for pioneering new engineering methods and materials to control light and heat in electronics at the nanoscale, and Dr. John V. Pardon, Princeton University, for solving a number of long unsolved mathematical problems such as his 2013 solution to the Hilbert-Smith conjecture.
Recent winners from the field of computer science include:
- Mung Chiang, Arthur LeGrand Doty Professor of Electrical Engineering at Princeton University, who was recognized for his fundamental contributions to the analysis, design, and performance optimization of wireless networks in 2013.
- Scott J. Aaronson, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT, who was recognized for numerous fundamental contributions to quantum computing and theoretical computer science and for popularization of quantum information science in 2012.
- Robert J. Wood, Charles River Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University, who was recognized for his development if multi-scale, multi-material fabrication methods for automated monolithic assembly of high performance, innovative robots in 2012.
It would be great to have another winner who represents computer science and the ongoing advancements in the field. Please visit this website for details about the Waterman Award’s history, the nomination procedure, and the selection criteria. If you’re interested, don’t delay – nominations are due October 23, 2017!
