In 2024, the External Awards and Recognition Office (EARO) advanced its mission to elevate faculty recognition by supporting nominations to prestigious academies and applications for honorific awards.
Through strategic outreach, events, and development initiatives, the office is helping establish a culture that rewards faculty excellence and encourages scholars to get involved and share their expertise on a national level.
Highlights and Accomplishments
In EARO's first full year, we collaborated with partners around the university to facilitate nominations for several prestigious and highly prestigious external honorific awards. In 2024, University of Iowa faculty were honored with 63 national awards, including two on the National Research Council's Highly Prestigious Awards list.
Akbar, Brinkley receive Guggenheim Fellowship
Kaveh Akbar, associate professor and director of the undergraduate English and creative writing major, and Jamel Brinkley, assistant professor in the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, were among those selected for the 2024 Guggenheim Fellowship. The prestigious fellowship provides six to 12 months’ funding for artists, scholars, and writers to pursue creative projects. Out of nearly 3,000 applicants, only 188 were selected for the honor.
There have been 12 recipients of the Guggenheim Fellowship from the University of Iowa since 2010.
Espinosa receives prestigious NEH Fellowship
Mariola Espinosa, associate professor of history, was awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant to research and write a book chronicling the development of medicine in Puerto Rico. The NEH Fellowship is the nation's most prestigious humanities scholarship.
Pacheco earns Carnegie Fellowship
Julianna Pacheco, professor in the Department of Political Science, earned a prestigious Carnegie Fellowship to research ways to achieve health equity amid political polarization. Pacheco’s nomination was supported by the External Awards and Recognition Office.
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Engaging with the National Academies
Over the past year, EARO focused on increasing faculty awareness of opportunities with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. These efforts included hosting information sessions about the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine, supporting nominations for service opportunities, and helping faculty develop fast fact CVs and statements of impact to support current and future nominations.
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- Fatima Toor, associate professor and Lowell G. Battershell chair in laser engineering, College of Engineering, was selected for the Quantum Coherent Networks Committee.
- Linda Snetselaar, professor of epidemiology and chair in preventive nutrition education, College of Public Health, was selected for the Review of Evidence on Alcohol and Health.
- Natoshia Askelson, associate professor of community and behavioral health, College of Public Health, was invited to participate in a panel on Urban and Rural Health: Addressing Challenges to Accessing Care at the prestigious 2025 NAM Emerging Leaders in Health and Medicine Forum.
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- Sato Ashida, professor of community and behavioral health, College of Public Health
- Nai-Ching (Allison) Chi, associate professor of nursing, College of Nursing
- Sarah Nash, assistant professor of epidemiology, College of Public Health
- Susan Shen, assistant professor of psychiatry, Carver College of Medicine
- Nick Trapp, assistant professor of psychiatry, Carver College of Medicine
- Michelle Voss, associate professor of psychological and brain sciences, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
- Jan Wessel, associate professor of psychological and brain sciences, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and associate professor of neurology, Carver College of Medicine
"WE ARE CREATING MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR FACULTY TO ENGAGE NATIONALLY, GAIN RECOGNITION, AND DRIVE MEANINGFUL CHANGE.”
A Culture of Excellence
Through strategic outreach, events, and development initiatives, EARO is helping establish a culture that rewards faculty excellence and encourages scholars to get involved and share their expertise on a national level.
EARO Recap
Pathway Awards and Opportunities
Pathway opportunities are essential for building faculty profiles and improving their chances of election to highly prestigious honors. These include early- and mid-career awards, and other programs geared towards national exposure and relationship building.
In 2024, the office organized the nomination of two faculty from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences for the Blavatnik Award for Young Scientists, one in the Life Sciences section and the other in the Chemical Sciences section. Each fall select institutions, including the University of Iowa, are invited to nominate up to three promising faculty-rank researchers in the Life Sciences, Physical Sciences & Engineering, and Chemical Sciences. The age limit and categories make it a highly-competitive, early- to mid-career honor.
Serena (Banu) Gomusoglu, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology, Carver College of Medicine, was selected to participate in the 2024 National Academy of Medicine Emerging Leaders in Health and Medicine (ELHM) Forum.
Six UI faculty were nominated for the NAM Emerging Leaders Scholars Program in 2024. This very selective (limited to ten participants nationally) program provides early- and mid-career faculty an opportunity to participate in NAM activities, engage with peers, and receive mentorship from NAM members over the course of a three-year term.
Outreach and Engagement
Partnered with the College of Engineering to host a National Academy of Engineering lunch and learn in spring of 2024 for 14 faculty interested in learning more about NAE membership.
Connected with current members of the National Academy of Sciences to learn more about what makes someone a good fit for the honor.
Partnered with the College of Public Health and Carver College of Medicine to host two lunch and learns focused on the National Academy of Medicine, with 29 faculty participants.
In partnership with the Office of the Vice President for Research and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, hosted two faculty-led panels that provided 48 participants with insights and best practices for pursuing a Guggenheim Fellowship and other humanities awards.
Met with several colleges to discuss potential honorific award opportunities, share data, and identify faculty for whom award pathways can be developed.
Became proficient in nomination processes and drafting quality materials for specific opportunities.
Identified potential nominators and facilitated outreach on behalf of the candidates for numerous awards nominations.
Recognition
Partnered with the Faculty Recognition SPARC work group to draft and distribute a Faculty Recognition Framework, providing collegiate and departmental leaders with best practices and strategies for recognizing faculty.
Launched the Celebrating Academic Excellence webpage to highlight faculty accomplishments of faculty from across university.
Incorporated highly prestigious award recipients, such as Guggenheim Fellows or National Academy of Medicine members, into the annual University of Iowa Faculty and Staff Awards ceremony.
Take the Next Step
Learn more about the External Awards and Recognition Office and ask how we can support your goals.