Rules and Eligibility
- The nominee must be an MRS member in good standing at time of nomination and on January 1 of the year of selection, and must have held continuous membership for a period of five years preceding the year of selection. In exceptional, rare circumstances, these requirements may be waived.
- Members of the MRS Fellow Subcommittee, the chair of the Awards Committee and current MRS officers and Board of Directors are not eligible for nomination.
- Each nomination submitted remains active for a period of three years, although the nominee will need to maintain membership each year in order to remain eligible. During that period, the nominator may submit an updated version. Alternatively, a new nomination package may be submitted, specifically designated to completely replace the original version. Such a new submission will remain active for three years, as any other new submission would do. In all cases, eligibility requires a record of five years continuous membership prior to January 1 of the year of selection to Fellow.
- Self-nomination is not permitted.
- No selections will be awarded posthumously.
Nominator Guidelines and Information
Many Different Types of Accomplishments are Eligible
There are many ways by which a person might make "sustained and distinguished contributions to the advancement of materials research," which is the fundamental criterion for attaining the title of MRS Fellow. Any or all types of accomplishment that have made significant contributions towards "the advancement of materials research," in its broadest sense, may appropriately be cited in the nomination. Success in the fellow selection process will be based upon the aggregate impact of all the achievements that have been convincingly described and supported in the nomination. "Advancement of materials research" may embrace not only the intellectual insights, scholarly publications, inventions or applications resulting from the nominee's materials research, but also the nurture and advancement of the institutions and programs that operate and support materials research, as well as the institutions and programs that support and strengthen the communities of people whose activities are linked with materials research and its consequences. "Materials research" and "materials communities" are here considered in their global context, although the specific impacts of the nominee's cited achievements may be domestic or international, as appropriate, and distinguished service to MRS is highly valued.
For purposes of organization, the evaluation process will initially appraise the contents of each nomination in the broad categories of Research and Service. Each of these categories represents an important possible type of qualifying contribution. A high ranking in both categories is not mandatory, and ultimate success depends on the appraisal of the nominee's combined specific achievements of all kinds. However, it is important to recognize that, unlike the fellow criteria for some other societies, the assessment of MRS Fellow nominations seeks evidence of significant accomplishment in activities supporting the materials community, as well as a distinguished research record.
Examples of the kind of accomplishment that might contribute to the nominee's final score in each category include:
Research: basic and applied science research; product development; engineering research; technology development; management of research; inventions and patents; scholarly publications.
Service: materials education; public outreach; advocacy; leadership, involvement and support for the materials research community. This category does include distinguished volunteer service to organizations, particularly MRS, that are dedicated to supporting and advancing materials research.
Nomination Package
The information provided in this nomination package will constitute the entire basis upon which the selection committee assesses the nominee. Personal knowledge of a candidate's accomplishments by one or more of the subcommittee members will not be a factor in determining the outcome of the nomination.
Since each submission package is strictly limited in size, it is important to select the information with care and present it concisely.
The nomination must be written and submitted in English using an online submission site that will accept nominations from July 1 through August 1. If August 1 falls on a weekend, the next business day will serve as the deadline day.
A complete nomination will include the following components:
Summary Citation: This is a statement of 30 words or fewer, stating the area(s) of achievements on which the nomination is based.
Nomination Statement on Letterhead with Signature: The Nomination Statement represents the essential substance of the Nomination Package and must be signed and on letterhead. The Nomination Statement should describe the entire basis for the nomination. It should be informative, clear, concise and complete. It may include graphics, but they are not required. It should explain, in non-specialist terms, the nature and importance of the nominee's most significant accomplishments and activities. Specific, factual and convincing information provided in this description will be the evidential basis upon which the nomination is evaluated.
The following structure is suggested for the Nomination Statement:
- Brief Introduction
- First Topic: Description of one principal achievement or endeavor, placing it in context of both significance and success. It should concisely cite relevant, evidential support, such as key publications, related honors and awards, patents, professional appointments, related service/leadership/outreach/editorial activities, etc.
- Second Topic: Description of another principal achievement being cited.
- Third Topic, Fourth Topic, etc., if needed
- Brief Summary
This Nomination Statement file will be uploaded and must be in PDF file format only, not exceeding five pages or 3MB.
Two Letters of Support:
Provide two signed letters of support on letterhead, written by people other than the nominator, who are familiar with the nominee's accomplishments.
These letter files will be uploaded as two separate PDF files, not exceeding five pages or 3MB.
Curriculum Vitae:
The nominee's curriculum vitae is intended to serve only as a source of supplemental backup information, if required, for the selection committee to consult. This should be a CV that clearly supports the Nomination Statement, and that could also provide helpful background information. Inclusion of lists of relevant publications, patents, honors, and professional appointments is useful.
This CV file will be uploaded and must be a PDF file not exceeding eight pages or 3MB.
Membership History:
The nominee must be an MRS member in good standing at the time of nomination and on January 1 of the year of selection, and must have held continuous membership for a period of five years preceding the year of selection. The nominee's MRS membership records on file may be verified by contacting the MRS Membership Department. The nominee's MRS membership records on file will be provided to the selection committee.
Membership Recording Cycle for MRS:
Membership in MRS is always started or renewed on January 1 or July 1 of each year, and it is renewed for periods of six months, 12 months, or longer. Membership resulting from registering to attend a meeting does not take effect in the formal record until January 1 or July 1 following that meeting. Thus, for example, an attendee at the Fall Meeting will appear on the record as beginning the resulting membership on January 1 of the following year, and not (as often assumed) on the day of meeting registration. Please note this information carefully, since it specifically determines the eligibility of each nominee.