Purpose
This award gives special recognition to MU faculty members who are still in the developmental phases of their careers, have made outstanding contributions in research and/or creative activity and have great promise for achieving wider recognition. Thus, the selection committee will seek to identify individuals whose accomplishments are impressive and yet, as mid-career professionals who are rising in their fields, have not yet reached the senior level in their particular field of endeavor.
Award
One award is presented annually in each category.
Even Year Categories (2026, 2028, 2030):
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- Behavioral & Social Sciences
- Physical & Mathematical Sciences
Odd Year Categories (2025, 2027, 2029):
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- Biological Sciences
- Performing Arts & the Humanities
Each award includes:
- presentation of an engraved plaque,
- addition of the awardees name to a cumulative plaque, located near the chancellor’s office in Jesse Hall,
- a $1,000 cash prize (less applicable taxes) to each awardee, and
- a $2,000 unrestricted fund for professional activities.
Eligibility
Any mid-career faculty member, regardless of departmental affiliation, who has been on the MU faculty for at least two years may be nominated for a Chancellor’s Award.
Nominations
Faculty colleagues, departments, schools/colleges, or recognized campus organizations may nominate individuals.
Do not place nomination materials in a hard binder. The length of the nomination materials is not of primary importance because the final choice will be based on convincing evidence. Nomination materials will not be returned; therefore, the department chair should retain a copy of nomination materials for possible future use. Unsuccessful nominations may be updated and resubmitted in successive years.
Nomination materials should include:
- Submission Requirements Form
- Nomination/Cover Letter
- Provide justification for your expectation that the nominee will reach a position of international prominence and indicate the potential impact of the nominee’s research contributions. Place most emphasis on the impact of the nominee’s research.
- Supporting letters (limited to 5)
- Supporting letters should provide important information about the applicants and their proposals. Ideally, no more than one supporting letter should be from the applicant’s own institution. Most helpful are letters from persons in a position to discuss the significance of the research to the field and the general quality of the nominee’s work.
- Nominee’s curriculum vitae
- Be sure to include as many of the following as are applicable:
- special honors and prizes;
- presentations, exhibits or concerts (invited or other);
- editorial and review positions;
- national committees or panels;
- symposium, conference or program organizational responsibilities
- grants and contracts awarded;
- complete list of publications (referred and invited publications should be so designated); and
- other noteworthy achievements or activities
- Academic Analytics Data (optional): For research awards, the faculty committee, Provost, Chancellor, and/or President may review Academic Analytics data as one piece of data in the review process. Nominees have the option of including their Academic Analytics data with a 1-page contextual statement if they wish in their nomination packet.
Annual Deadline: January 15 (due the following business day when falls on a weekend or holiday)
Nominations and supporting materials must be submitted by the Divisional Dean, who may establish an earlier deadline. Submit an electronic version as a single PDF attachment via email to MUProvostAwards@missouri.edu. Name the file as follows: YearChanRschCrtv_LastFirst (e.g., 2025ChanRschCrtv_TigerTruman). Original hard copies of the proposal packet are no longer required.
Please contact us at MUProvostAwards@missouri.edu with any questions.
Past Recipients
Behavioral and Social Sciences
- 2024 Mary Elizabeth Miller, Psychological Sciences
- 2022 No Recipient
- 2020 Candace Kuby, Learning, Teaching & Curriculum
- 2018 Douglas Steinley, Psychological Sciences
- 2016 Bruce Bartholow, Psychological Sciences
- 2014 Wendy Slutske, Psychological Sciences
- 2012 Amanda Rose, Psychological Sciences
- 2010 Jamie Arndt, Psychological Sciences
- 2008 Moshe Naveh-Benjamin, Psychological Sciences
- 2006 Kennon M. Sheldon, Psychological Sciences
- 2004 Laura King, Psychological Sciences
- 2000 M. Lynne Cooper, Psychological Sciences
- 1998 Nelson Cowan, Psychological Sciences
- 1996 David Geary, Psychological Sciences
- 1994 Bernard G. Ewigman, Family and Community Medicine
- 1992 Kenneth Sher, Psychological Sciences
- 1990 Michael E. Crawford, Parks, Recreation & Tourism
- 1988 Lizette Peterson-Homer, Psychological Sciences (D)
- 1986 Robin Remington, Political Science
- 1984 Bruce J. Biddle, Psychological Sciences and Sociology
- 1982 Russell G. Geen, Psychological Sciences
- 1980 Stanley R. Johnson, Agricultural Economics
Physical and Mathematics Sciences
- 2024 Guang Bian, Physics & Astronomy
- 2022 Samuel Walsh, Mathematics
- 2020 Haojing Yan, Physics & Astronomy
- 2018 Shuichiro Takeda, Mathematics
- 2016 Xiaogin Zou, Physics & Astronomy
- 2014 Carsten Ullrich, Physics & Astronomy
- 2012 Ioan Kosztin, Physics & Astronomy
- 2010 Yuwen Zhang, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
- 2008 Loukas Grafakos, Mathematics; Tony Sun, Statistics
- 2006 Christopher K. Wikle, Statistics
- 2004 Zhenbo Qin, Mathematics
- 2002 Dongchu Sun, Statistics
- 2002 Marilyn Rantz, Nursing
- 2000 Stephen Montgomery-Smith, Mathematics
- 1998 Fu-Hung Hsieh, Agricultural Engineering
- 1996 Michael B. Underwood, Geological Sciences
- 1994 Steven D. Cutkosky, Mathematics
- 1992 Mark S. Ashbaugh, Mathematics
- 1990 Meera Chandrasekhar, Physics
- 1988 Haskell Taub, Physics & Astronomy
- 1986 William Yelon, Physics & Astronomy
- 1984 Nigel Kalton, Mathematics (D)
- 1982 Sudarshan K. Loyalka, Nuclear Engineering
- 1980 Samuel A. Werner, Physics
Biological Sciences
- 2023 Paula McSteen, Biological Sciences
- 2021 Felix Fritschi, Plant Sciences
- 2019 David Braun, Biological Sciences
- 2017 J. Chris Pires, Biological Sciences
- 2015 Peter Sutovsky, Animal Sciences
- 2013 Stefan Sarfianos, Molecular Microbiology & Immunology
- 2011 Jay Thelen, Biochemistry
- 2009 Dongsheng Duan, Molecular Microbiology & Immunology
- 2005 Christopher Hardin, Medical Pharmacology & Physiology
- 2003 Peter Tipton, Biochemistry
- 2001 R. Lee Lyman, Anthropology
- 1999 Raymond Semlitsch, Biological Sciences
- 1997 John Walker, Biological Sciences
- 1995 Kathleen Newton, Biological Sciences
- 1993 Virginia Huxley, Physiology
- 1991 Mark McIntosh, Molecular Microbiology & Immunology
- 1989 Wise, Molecular Microbiology and Immunology
- 1987 Donald L. Riddle, Biological Sciences
- 1985 Richard Finkelstein, Molecular Microbiology & Immunology
- 1983 E. Lee Forker, Physiology
- 1981 Billy N. Day, Animal Sciences
- 1979 Karl Nolph, Internal Medicine
Performing Arts and Humanities
- 2023 Sean Franzel, Languages and Literatures
- 2021 Julija Šukys, English
- 2019 Robert Greene, Journalism
- 2017 Noah Heringman, English
- 2015 Brad Prager, German & Russian Studies
- 2013 Stefan Freund, Music
- 2011 Robert Baum, Religious Studies
- 2009 Devoney Looser, English
- 2007 Robert Johnson, Philosophy
- 2005 Ian Worthington, History
- 2003 Bede Clarke, Art
- 2001 Martin J. Camargo, English
- 1999 Robert E. Weems, Jr., History
- 1997 Clyde Ruffin, Theatre
- 1995 Elaine Lawless, English
- 1993 Sherod Santos, English
- 1991 Michael Ugarte, Romance Languages
- 1989 John Miles Foley, Classical Studies (D)
- 1987 Kerby Miller, History
- 1985 Edward Mullen, Romance Languages
- 1983 William Berry, Art
- 1981 O. Allen Thiher, Romance Languages
- 1979 Noble Cunningham, History (D)