The External Awards and Recognition Office supports University of Iowa faculty in pursuing awards and honors from organizations outside the university. 

We partner with UI faculty, departments, and colleges to elevate faculty profiles on a national and international scale, enhancing the university's reputation and showcasing our faculty's achievements in research, creative scholarship, teaching, and service. 

External awards and honors represent valuable opportunities for faculty to enhance their scholarly reputation, garner additional funding, and expand the impact of their work. 

Our office provides tailored guidance and resources to align external award opportunities with faculty career goals. 

Faculty and Staff Awards Ceremony

Tuesday, May 5

The third annual university-wide Faculty and Staff Awards ceremony will be held on Tuesday, May 5, at 4:30 p.m. in Hancher Auditorium. The program will be followed by a reception in the Stanley Café, and both are open to the public. 

The Faculty and Staff Awards ceremony provides an opportunity for the entire university community to honor awardees in one large celebratory event.

Featured External Awards

American Academy of Arts and Sciences Membership

Nomination cycle open April - June

Election into membership of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences is a highly prestigious honor for leaders who have made exceptional contributions in the arts and sciences, business, philanthropy, or public affairs. Membership is divided into five classes and thirty sections. Around 250 new members are elected each year. 

Cottrell Scholar Award

Application open April - July 1, 2026

The Cottrell Scholar Award honors and helps to develop outstanding teacher-scholars who are recognized by their scientific communities for the quality and innovation of their research programs and their academic leadership skills. Tenure-track faculty in chemistry, physics, or astronomy who started their first tenure-track appointment anytime in calendar year 2023 are eligible to apply.

Beckman Young Investigator Program

Applications open June - Aug 2026

The Beckman Young Investigator (BYI) Program provides around $600,000 in research support to promising young faculty members in the early stages of their academic careers in the chemical and life sciences, particularly to foster the invention of methods, instruments, and materials that will open up new avenues of research in science. 

News and Highlights

Welsh earns 2025 Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award

Campbell earns Horwitz Prize for muscular dystrophy discoveries

Dedeaux-Norris wins prestigious Rome Prize

Stone elected to the National Academy of Medicine

Faculty Awards & Honors

Learn more about our exceptional faculty, which includes National Academy Members, Guggenheim Fellows, and national and international award winners.