Society of Systematic Biologists

The Society of Systematic Biologists (SSB) announces the 2012 annual Graduate Student Research Award competition. The purpose of these awards is to assist students in the initiation (first two years) of their systematics projects and in the collection of preliminary data to pursue additional sources of support (e.g., Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grants from the National Science Foundation) or to enhance dissertation research (e.g., by visiting additional field collection sites or museums). Applicants may be from any country, but must be members of SSB, and are advised to join the Society as soon as possible to facilitate their applications (to join go to: http://systbio.org/?q=node/6). Previous awardees may not re-apply, but previous applicants who were not selected for funding are encouraged to re-apply. Awards will range between $1200 - $2000 and approximately 10 - 15 awards will be made. The list of awardees below includes examples of successful proposals for you to download.

How to Apply:
applicants must submit

1. a curriculum vitae (one page)
2. brief research proposal including objectives, methods, significance, and schedule (max. three single-spaced pages including literature cited and any figures and tables)
3. budget and budget justification (1 page)
4. and arrange for two reference letters; one letter must be from the student's current graduate advisor.

The research proposal must clearly state the current stage of the proposed research and the current year and status of the student. PLEASE INCLUDE APPLICANT'S CONTACT E-MAIL ADDRESS AT THE TOP OF THE APPLICATION ITSELF. Both Masters and Ph.D. students in their FIRST TWO YEARS are eligible. Systematics is interpreted broadly to include questions below and above the species level, molecular and morphological approaches, and issues of pattern and process. Funding is not limited to any particular aspect of research, but rather is available for field, museum/herbarium, and/or laboratory work.

All application materials must be in electronic format. Applicants and those writing reference letters are required to use pdf format to minimize difficulties in file transfer. Applicants should send all materials (except reference letters) in a SINGLE pdf file. Letters of reference should be sent separately by the referees in pdf format or in the text of an e-mail; please include the FULL NAME OF APPLICANT in reference letters.

Please email all application materials and queries to SSB Awards Committee ssb-apps@life.uiuc.edu. IN THE SUBJECT LINE OF THE E-MAIL, PLEASE INDICATE "Student Research" FOLLOWED BY FIRST INITIAL AND LAST NAME.

To be considered for this year's award, application materials, including reference letters, must be received electronically no later than March 31, 2012. Applicants will be notified of their proposal status by mid-late May.

Recent Winners
Some of the successful proposals can be viewed by clicking on the links below.

2011
Jose Arriaza, Colorado State University
Kayce Bell, University of New Mexico
Jaret Bilewitch, University of Queensland
Petra Deane, Cornell University
Traci Grzymala, University of California, Berkeley
Kristen Hasenstab-Lehman, Claremont Graduate University
Amy Heilman, Duke University
Sarah Hird, Louisiana State University
Jen-Pan Huang, University of Michigan
Robert Jadin, University of Colorado at Boulder
Aron Katz, University of Illinois
Fay-Wei Li, Duke University
Maura Palacios Mejia, Texas A&M University
Patricia Mullins, North Carolina State University
Edward Myers, City University of New York
Angela Rein, Oklahoma State University
Nelson Salinas, City University of New York
Gregory Stull, University of Florida
Joshua Williams, University of Kentucky

2010
Rayna Bell, Cornell University
Rebecca Chong, Colorado State University
Emily DiBlasi, University at Buffalo
Michelle Duennes, University of Illinois
Tricia Goulding, San Francisco State University
Jo-anne Holley, University of Illinois
Justin Kratovil, University of Kentucky
John McVay, Louisiana State University
Stuart Nielsen, University of Mississippi
Lorelei Patrick, Louisiana State University
Carlos Prada, Louisiana State University
Noah Reid, Louisiana State University
Katie Stryjewski, Boston University
Simon Uribe-Convers, University of Idaho
Ben Winger, University of Chicago

2009
Carolina Gomez-Navarro, University of California, Berkeley
Rosanne Healy, University of Minnesota
Patricia Lu-Irving, University of Washington
Amy Luxbacher, University of Minnesota
Jamie Oaks, University of Kansas
Christopher Owen, University of Connecticut
Jozef Slowik, University of Alaska, Fairbanks
Fernanda Werneck, Brigham Young University
Dawn Xiao, University of Toronto

2008
Arley Camargo, Brigham Young University
Andres Cuervo, Louisiana State University
Mauricio Diazgranados, St. Louis University
Jessica Davis, Iowa State University
Tom Giarla, University of Minnesota
Zacharias Gompert, University of Wyoming
Amanda Grusz, Duke University
Maribeth Latvis, University of Florida, Gainesville
Chris Muir, Indiana University
Findley Ransler, Cornell University
Benjamin Reinhart, Purdue University
Kevin Weitemier, Portland State University
Tim Whitfeld, University of Minnesota

2007
Heather Shull, Boston University
Tracy Misiewicz, Northwestern University
Anjan Bhullar, University of Texas, Austin
Kate Hertweck, University of Missouri, Columbia
Josephine Rodriguez, University of Illinois
Carl Rothfels, Duke University
Barbara Banbury, Washington State University
David Winter, University of Otago, New Zealand
Amanda Cass, Cornell University
Robert Thomson, University of California, Davis
Emilie Bess, Illinois Natural History Survey
Luisa Montalvo, Universidade Los Andes, Colombia

2006
Stuart Willis, University of Nebraska, Lincoln
Julie Allen, University of Florida
Erik Sperling, Yale University
Seth Bybee, University of Florida
Jacob Esselstyn, University of Kansas
Cameron Siler, University of Kansas
Erin Tripp, Duke University