2023 Mentor and Service of the Year Awards

2023 CALL FOR AWARD NOMINATIONS:

The Office of Postdoctoral Affairs is pleased to announce the call for nominations for the following awards. Nomination applications for all award categories are due by January 5, 2024, 11:59PM:
  • The 2023 Postdoctoral Scholar Service Award. This award is presented to a postdoctoral scholar who has demonstrated profound, sustained leadership, and contribution to improving the postdoctoral experience at Ohio State.
  • The 2023 Postdoctoral Scholar Mentor Award. This award is presented to a postdoc who has demonstrated their outstanding mentoring and advising skills while training undergraduate or graduate students.
  • The 2023 Faculty Mentor Award. This award recognizes a faculty member who has engaged in exceptional mentoring of postdoctoral scholars by creating a supportive environment for research among other notable qualities.
  •  The 2023 Faculty Outstanding Postdoctoral Service Award. This award recognizes a faculty member who has gone above and beyond in mentoring teams of postdoctoral scholars, or who has otherwise made substantial contributions to the postdoctoral training experience at Ohio State.

IMPORTANT: Please note that only one nomination package will be accepted per postdoc or faculty nominee. If you plan on nominating a mentor, please coordinate with anyone else who is interested in nominating the same person and submit materials as one PDF.


Submission details for each award:

Below each award is a list of the questions that will be asked in the survey.

  •  The 2023 Postdoctoral Scholar Service Award
    •  Your contact information (First and Last Name, Title, Department and College, and Email Address)
    •  Nominee’s Information (First and Last Name, Title, Department and College, and Email Address)
    •  How long have you known the postdoc you’d like to nominate?
    •  Please submit a one page, single-spaced essay in PDF format explaining why you are nominating this postdoc for this award. What are some notable qualities that this individual has, and how does this person demonstrate their passion, involvement, and dedication to improving the postdoctoral experience for others?
    • Submit nominations here! (nominations due 1/5/24, 11:59PM)
  • The 2023 Postdoctoral Scholar Mentor Award
    • Your contact information (First and Last Name, Title, Department and College, and Email Address)
    • Nominee’s Information (First and Last Name, Title, Department and College, and Email Address)
    • How long have you known the postdoc you’d like to nominate?
    • Please submit a short essay in PDF format (500 words) explaining why you are nominating this postdoc for this award. What are some notable qualities that this individual has, and how does this person demonstrate their leadership and mentoring capabilities in and out of the workplace? How does this individual improve the research experience for his/her trainees (high school, undergraduate, or graduate students, or others)? Be sure to include the following aspects and provide examples of each:
      • Clearly describe leadership, management and communication skills
      • Describe how the postdoc has encouraged and maintained professionalism in the lab, has been accessible, and actively tries to create a supportive environment for research
      • Describe how the postdoc encourages mentees achieve their goals, has actually helped their mentees, and has gone above and beyond (i.e., educates their mentees about grants and funding for research).
      • Demonstrate the postdoc’s commitment to creating and maintaining a productive working environment that enhances the overall mentee experience
      • Firsthand accounts of effective mentorship from mentees (i.e., testimonials and nominations directly from the undergraduate and graduate students) is particularly compelling – please include if at all possible!
    • Submit nominations here! (nominations due 1/5/24, 11:59PM)
  • The 2023 Faculty Mentor Award
    • Your contact information (First and Last Name, Title, Department and College, and Email Address)
    • Your mentor’s contact information (First and Last Name, Title, Department and College, and Email Address)
    • The nominator(s) must submit a one-page, single-spaced essay explaining why they are nominating a particular faculty mentor for this award. Be sure to include the following aspects and provide examples of each:
      • Clearly describe your nominee’s mentoring characteristics and philosophies, and how the nominee demonstrates these qualities.
      • Describe how your nominee has encourage and implemented practices such as enhancing networking and career planning skills, and how your nominee has made an active effort to help their postdoc(s) work towards future career goals or create career plans.
      • How has your nominee discussed the importance of professional development? Has the nominee encouraged their postdoc(s) to attend events or provided relevant experiences for their postdoc(s)?
      • Explain in detail how the nominee has served as a mentor. For example, how long have they served as a mentor? How many postdocs has the nominee mentored? What are some examples of how this mentor’s postdocs have reached certain accomplishments under the mentor’s guidance? etc.
      • Describe and provide examples of how your nominee has increased the diversity of their research team and/or provided an inclusive and equitable work environment for everyone in their lab(s)
    • Submit nominations here! (nominations due 1/5/24, 11:59PM)
  • The 2023 Faculty Outstanding Postdoctoral Service Award
    • Your contact information (First and Last Name, Title, Department and College, and Email Address)
    • Your mentor’s contact information (First and Last Name, Title, Department and College, and Email Address)
    • The nominator(s) must submit a one-page, single-spaced essay explaining why they are nominating a particular faculty mentor for this award. Be sure to include the following aspects and provide examples of each:
      • Clearly describe your nominee’s philosophy of and commitment to service and mentorship of postdoctoral scholars, providing specific examples of how the nominee demonstrates these qualities.
      • Describe how your nominee has improved and/or developed practices and procedures that pertain to the postdoctoral community at Ohio State (or to a specific part of campus).
      • How has your nominee discussed the importance of professional development and/or career development? Has the nominee encouraged their postdoc(s) to attend events or provided opportunities for other relevant experiences?
      • Explain in detail how the nominee has served as a mentor. For example, how long have they served as a mentor? How many postdocs has the nominee mentored? What are some examples of how this mentor’s postdocs have reached certain accomplishments under the mentor’s guidance? etc.
      • Describe and provide examples of how your nominee has increased the diversity of their research team, the postdoctoral scholar community, and/or provided an inclusive and equitable work environment for everyone in their lab(s).
    • Submit nominations here! (nominations due 1/5/24, 11:59 PM)

Submission Instructions:

  • If multiple people are nominating the same mentor, please submit a one page, single-spaced collaborative essay.
  • Please save the PDF as the name of the person you are nominating.

If you have any questions, please contact us at osupostdocs@osu.edu.