News
NSF recognizes 3 scientists with the Alan T. Waterman award
The 2023 Alan T. Waterman Award recipients are Natalie S. King, a science educator at Georgia State University; William Anderegg, a biologist from the University of Utah; and Asegun Henry, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology mechanical engineer.
- Natalie S. King is recognized “for groundbreaking scholarship in science, technology, engineering and mathematics education that transcends disciplinary boundaries and directly impacts local and global communities, and for demonstrating exceptional research achievements with tremendous impact on the advancement of Black girls in science, the use of research-practice partnerships to drive K-12 instruction, and the increase of STEM teacher diversity.”
- William Anderegg is recognized “for outstanding contributions to climate change science, particularly in advancing the understanding of the sensitivity, vulnerability, and resilience of forest ecosystems to change, and to risk analyses of forest-related climate change solutions to achieve sustainability goals.”
- Asegun Henry is recognized “for significant contributions in new energy technologies and advanced fundamental understanding of heat transfer addressing a broad range of problems that span from the atomic scale (the physics of heat conduction) to the gigawatt scale (grid-level energy storage).”
This is the second year NSF has chosen to honor three researchers with the award, which recognizes outstanding early-career U.S. science or engineering researchers who demonstrate exceptional individual achievements in NSF-supported fields.
Please read NSF's press release for more information.
Nomination information
NSF seeks nominations for exceptional candidates that represent the diversity of the nation.
The honorary awards portal will open for nominations in late July 2023. To start early, you can review the nomination Form description, Letter of reference template, and Nominations tips to help you prepare a nomination.
The Nomination tips were created by the Alan T. Waterman Awards Committee to support nominators and reference writers in their efforts to expertly showcase the talents and expertise of nominees.
Additional information can be found in the Frequently asked questions.
Eligibility and selection criteria
NSF seeks nominations that reflect the diversity of the U.S.
- Nominees must:
- Be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
- Be 40 years of age or younger OR not be more than 10 years beyond receipt of their Ph.D. by December 31st of the year they are nominated.
- Nominees should have demonstrated exceptional individual achievements in scientific or engineering research of sufficient quality, originality, innovation and significant impact on the field to place them at the forefront of their peers.
Alan T. Waterman award committee
Candidates are reviewed by the Alan T. Waterman Award committee once the nomination call has closed. The committee then recommends the most outstanding candidate(s) to NSF's director and the National Science Board.
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Yes. The criteria state that the nominee must be 40 years of age or younger by December 31st of the year of nomination OR within 10 years of receiving their Ph.D. by December 31st of the year of nomination.
A complete nomination includes submission of all requested information through the nomination portal and submission of all four references. The four references must be from individuals who are not from the nominee's home institution. Incomplete nominations will not be reviewed by the committee.
Yes. Please submit no more than the four required reference letters. NSF will not review more than four letters per nomination. Reference letters are limited to two pages each.
Reference letters are welcome from colleagues outside the nominee's home institution. Colleagues at the nominee's institution may not submit reference letters for the nominee.
Yes. You may nominate as many qualified candidates as you would like.
No. Self-nominations are not accepted.
Because the award includes an extramural federal grant, federal employees are not eligible to be nominees.
Yes. The nominator can be from the nominee’s home institution or another institution.
The nominee can be informed that they are being nominated. Involving the nominee in a conversation around your intention to nominate them may help strengthen the nomination by providing additional insights into their work and suggestions for letter writers.
In general, nominations do not carry over. They will be removed from the portal at the end of the review cycle. Each year, a small number of nominees are shortlisted by the ATW Committee as “top performers”. Nominators of top performers are notified near the time when the nomination portal opens for the following year, so that they have an opportunity to update the nomination, should they wish to do so.
Graduate advisors can be nominators or letter writers (provided that the letter writer is not at the same institution as the nominee). Keep in mind that someone may be nominated up to 10 years after their doctoral degree. It is important to have a nominator and/or letter writers that can speak to the nominee’s professional experience. The contributors to the nomination should have relevant leadership experience in the nominee’s field of research to convey the importance, impact, and context of the nominee’s work within and across their disciplinary fields.
Yes. Letter writers can be from foreign institutions. However, the letters must be written in English.
Past recipients
Inquiries
For further information concerning the Alan T. Waterman Award program or nomination process, email waterman@nsf.gov or contact NSF's Office of Integrative Activities at (703) 292-8040.