EXTENDED DEADLINE: Outstanding PhD Student Awards
Deadlines:
EXTENDED: October 17, 2025 for nominations
Faculty and Staff are invited to nominate PhD students using this form.
Student Portfolio Deadline: 10/31
Letters of Recommendation Deadline: 11/7
The purpose of the Outstanding PhD Student Awards is to honor exceptional PhD students for their significant contributions and accomplishments as a student at Northeastern University. The awards were established to honor individuals, who, by their contributions to their field and the community, have brought recognition to themselves and the University. Each awardee will receive a certificate and monetary award of $1,000. Awards will be conferred in the following categories:
- Experiential – This award recognizes students who have shown an extraordinary capacity to integrate academics with experiential learning to establish themselves as emerging leaders in their field. Examples of past winners include:
- Collecting ethnographic data on why coastal communities reject power plants and using that data to teach students in a Dialogue of Civilizations Program, demonstrating an ability to effectively integrate academic research with experiential learning opportunities by using the same data set for multiple educational purposes.
- Using a grant to establish a research lab that studies how arts workshops can support social cohesion and sense of belonging among residents affected by gentrification and displacement, demonstrating an ability to utilize experiential learning to address community-driven social change.
- Humanics – This award recognizes students who have integrated human literacy with data and technology in their learning or research. Examples of past winners include:
- Using a research-through-design approach to integrate visual literacy with climate data and systems, creating a framework to help journalists, science communicators, and designers understand intended engagement for climate graphics, demonstrating an ability to bring together visual literacy, data-driven design, and climate change communication discourse.
- Using generative language modules to map the networks employed in the writing of two historical monographs bridging the disciplines of computer science, history, and literature, demonstrating an ability to utilize computational methods in humanistic inquiry.
- Leadership – This award recognizes students who have demonstrated significant leadership and a deep commitment to giving back to members of the Northeastern community or neighborhoods surrounding their location. Examples of past winners include:
- Creating and evaluating a peer-mentorship program for over 400 university students.
- Collaborative design of accessible research materials and processes for people with disabilities, furthering inclusion in the advancement of scientific research.
- Research – This award recognizes students who have shown an exceptional ability to conduct high-impact research and make contributions to the scholarly literature in their field.
- Teaching – This award recognizes students who have demonstrated an exceptional ability to mentor, communicate ideas and concepts as an educator and a talent for inspiring students.
Once nominated, students will be contacted to submit a portfolio by 10/31. If a student has been nominated in more than one category, they will need to select one of the categories for portfolio submission. The portfolio includes:
- CV
- Statement explaining the nature, scope, and impact of their work in the category and its influence on their PhD education
- Contact information for one letter of recommendation writer
Once the portfolio is submitted, a letter of recommendation will be requested from the contact.
If you have any questions about qualifications, the nomination process, or the portfolio, please email [email protected].