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Graduate Student Research Awards


The Society of Systematic Biologists (SSB) Graduate Student Research Awards assist graduate students conducting research in systematics. These grants are for collection of preliminary data or to enhance dissertation research (e.g., by visiting additional field collection sites or museums). Applicants may be from any country, but must be members of SSB, and are advised to join the Society as soon as possible to facilitate their applications. Previous awardees may not re-apply, but previous applicants who were not selected for funding are encouraged to re-apply. Awards will range between $1000 - $3000 and can be used up to the end of the awardee's studies.

2022 GSRA Awards

How to apply

SUBMIT PROPOSAL HERE
Applicants must submit:
  • The application materials required are (submit as a single PDF in the following order):
    • a curriculum vitae (one page maximum)
    • brief research proposal including objectives, methods, significance, and schedule (maximum of three single-spaced pages including literature cited and any figures and tables)
    • budget ($3,000 limit) and budget justification (one page maximum)
The signed adviser letter of support will be uploaded by the submitter through the online system and follow this format:
  • "I declare that I have read the proposal entitled  [insert the proposal title] and commit to advising  [insert the full name of submitter] if their project is selected for funding by SSB."
Recommended proposal format:
  • Format: 3 pages (8.5”X11”), 1” margins, 1.5 line spacing, text Times New Roman font no smaller than 12 pt. Figure captions can be Arial, no smaller than 10 pt. References can be Arial, no smaller than 8 pt.
  • Suggested section headings: “Background on System”, “Proposed Approach”, “Anticipated Outcomes”, “Project Significance”, “Anticipated Project Timeline” (Gantt Chart), “References.” Optional: “Special qualifications of applicant”, “Contingencies.”
The research proposal must clearly state the current stage of the proposed research (i.e., are there alternative sources of funding available for the proposal?) and the current year and status of the student. Since 2019, we  implemented the following changes:
  • Continuing the eligibility of this award to masters students in the first 2 years of their studies and PhD students in the first 4 years.
  • Budget has increased to maximum $3,000. Make sure to indicate the total amount requested in the application form.
  • We are requesting only ONE letter of support (instead of two as in previous years).

Systematics is interpreted broadly to include questions below and above the species level, molecular and morphological approaches, and issues of pattern and process. Funding is not limited to any particular aspect of research, but rather is available for field, computer, museum/herbarium, and/or laboratory work.

All application materials must be in electronic format. Applicants and those writing letters of support are required to use pdf format to minimize difficulties in file transfer. Applicants should upload all materials (except for the  letter of support) in a SINGLE pdf file. All materials including the letter of support must be submitted via the application system, including the adviser letter following the template above. Deadline Nov 15, 2022 by 17:00 PM US Eastern Standard Time.

Submission instructions: 1) become a member of SSB. If you are not a member yet, please click here to join, make sure you use an email that will persist for as long as you will have the grant (i.e., at least 2 years). 2) This email will be your username on the submission site, and your password is the membership number. 3) Upload all materials (except the reference letter) in a SINGLE pdf file, then upload the letter as a pdf too.
SUBMIT PROPOSAL HERE



​Proposal Evaluation

Review and evaluation take at least 4 months from the time of submission. We expect to notify decisions by late February/early March. Please see the Reviewer Guidelines for this award to learn more about how the proposals are evaluated, or download the rubric. 

Overhead Policy

The Society of Systematic Biologists does not allow overhead (i.e., indirect costs) to be taken from the GSRA funds. 

Acknowledgments

Suggested acknowledgement for publications resulting from the GSRA:  "This research was funded, in part, by the Society for Systematic Biologists' Graduate Student Research Award."

Contact

Please email the SSB Awards Director at awards@systematicbiologists.org if you have any questions

Recent winners

2021
Alice Assmar, McGill University
Spenser Babb-Biernacki, Louisiana State University
Anna Becker, University of Florida
Madeleine Becker, Smithsonian Institution
David Cerny, University of Chicago
Austin Chipps, Louisiana State University
Robert Comito, California Boanic Garden
Dylan DeBaun, American Museum of Natural History
Sydney Decker, Ohio State University
Nicholas Engle-Wrye, Mississippi State University
Blake Fauskee, Duke University
Heloísa Fernandes Flores, Universidade de São Paulo
Suelen Gamarra, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul
Nora Gavin-Smyth, Northwestern University
Eric Hagen, University of Arkansas
Gabriele Ilarde, University of Minnesota
Sean Kelly, San Diego State University
Heather Kenny Duddela, University of Colorado
Chris McDaniels, University of New Mexico
Thomas Murphy, University of Florida
Tanner Myers, Auburn University
Whitney Nakashima, University of California, Los Angeles
Louis Nastasi, Pennsylvania State University
Leroy Nuñez, American Museum of Natural History
Jared Osland, Florida State University
Sofia Paz-Sedano, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
Juliette Rubin, University of Florida
Christine Sosiak, New Jersey Institute of Technology
Megan Sporre, Texas A&M University
Janelle Talavera, State University of New York at Binghamton
Rodrigo Tinoco Figueroa, University of Michigan
Michael Tofflemire, San Diego State University
Ifeoma Ugwuanyi, University of New South Wales
Luciano Varela, Universidad de la República, Uruguay
Bridget Vincent, University of California at Santa Barbara
Kristen Wacker, University of Michigan
Amanda Weller, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Ben Wiens, University of Kansas
Keiffer Williams, Clemson University
Alexander Worm, Arkansas State University
Victor Zucchetti, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul
2020
James Andrews, University of Michigan
Ioana Anghel, University of California, Los Angeles
Laymon Ball, Louisiana State University
Grant Broyles, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Amy Byerly, University of Denver
Roberta Canton, Louisiana State University
Marcus Chua, George Mason University
Brandon Claridge, Utah State University
Dirley Cortes, McGill University
Hayden Davis, University of Washington
Devon DeRaad, University of Kansas
Alexis Diaz, University of Miami
Rowan French, University of Toronto
Michelle Gaynor, University of Florida
Olivia Gearner, Purdue University
Matias Gomez-Corrales, University of Rhode Island
Aaron Goooman, American Museum of Natural History
Heru Handika, Louisiana State University
Erik Iverson, University of Texas at Austin
Emma Lehmberg, Texas A&M University
Bryan MacNeill, University of Alabama
Kelly Martin, University of Idaho
Alix Matthews, Arizona State University
Ian Medeiros, Duke University
Zachary Muscavitch, University of Connectivut
Gabriel Novaes-e-Fagundes, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz
Jessie Pelosi, University of Florida
Anna Penna, University of Texas at San Antonio
Daniel Rivadeneira, Universidade Federal do Parana
Bryce Robinson, Cornell University
Katie Sanbonmatsu, Texas A&M University
Linley Sherin, McGill University
Kyle Simpson, Texas A&M University
Elizabeth Steell, Cambridge University
David Tan, University of New Mexico
William Thomas, Stony Brook University
Javier Torres, University of Kansas
Courtney Whitcher, Florida State University
Bethany Zumwalde, University of Florida
2019
​Alvaro Brum-Neto, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul
Amanda (Yingtong) Wu, University of Missouri, St. Louis
Anne Thomas, University of Cambridge
Brooke Washburn, University of Denver
Daniel Paluh, University of Florida
Dario Faustino, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS)
Drew Duckett, The Ohio State University
Eamon Corbett, Louisiana State University
Elizaveta Terlova, University of Connecticut
Emily Lau, University of California Santa Barbara
Eric Gulson-Castillo, University of Michigan
Grace Musser, The University of Texas at Austin
Inbar Maayan, Harvard University
Jason Williams, University of Florida
Jessie Williamson, University of New Mexico 
Jillian Sanderson, University of Toronto
José Lemes, Universidade Federal do Paraná
Kelsie Hunnicutt, University of Denver
Kurt Bryant Bacharo, University of San Carlos
Marianne Nilsen Haugen, Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Norway
Nattapol Kraisitudomsook, University of Florida
Omar Rojas-Padilla, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul
Patrick McKenzie, Columbia University
Paula Carolina Rodriguez Flores, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid (MNCN-CSIC)
Rebekah Mohn, University of Minnesota
Rhett Rautsaw, Clemson University
Robert Conrow, Drexel University
Sandra Muro, California State Polytechnic University Pomona
Sean Keogh, University of Minnesota
Taliesin Kinser, University of Florida
Teresa Pegan, University of Michigan
Tobit Liyandja, American Museum of Natural History; University of Kinshasa
Walter Paulin Tapondjou, University of Kansas
2018
Adrian Troya, Universidade Federal do Parana
Alexander Skeels, Australian National University
Andrew Rankin, University of Idaho
Angela Hansen, University of Colorado Boulder
Benedikt Kuhnhaeuser, University of Oxford
Carly Anderson Stewart, University of Colorado at Boulder
Chloe Nash, University of Chicago
Cody Howard, Florida Museum of Natural History
Corinthia Black, Auburn University
Danaan DeNeve Weeks, University of California Merced
Danielle Simon, University of Toronto & Royal Ontario Museum
Derek Filipek, University of Kentucky
Elida Gamero, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Cientificas 
Erik Funk, University of Colorado Boulder
Glaucia Del-Rio, Louisiana State University
Guillermo Bañares de Dios, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos
Isaac Marck, University of California Berkeley
Jacob Suissa, Harvard University
James Saulsbury, University of Michigan
Jennifer Spillane, University of New Hampshire
Joyce Chery, University of California Berkeley
Kevin Chovanec, University of Kansas
Kinsey Brock, University of California Merced
Lindsey Riibe, University of Florida
Lourdes Echevarría, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul
Luke Campillo, University of Hawai'i
Mara DeMers, University of Minnesota
Mariah Donohue, University of Kentucky
Moises Escalona, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul 
Nataliee Hamilton, The Ohio State University
Nicolas Locatelli, Columbia University
Nicolas Mongiardino Koch, Yale University
Olivia Boyd, Oregon State University
Pamela Hart, Louisiana State University
Paraskevi Lampri, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens
Paul Dougherty, University of Wyoming
Perry Beasley-Hall, The University of Sydney
Pietro de Mello, University of Kansas
Sarah Morris, RBG Kew & Queen Mary University of London
Sofia Prado-Irwin, Harvard University
Stephen Gottschalk, Fordham University
Tom Raven, University of Brighton
2017
​Adriana Benitez, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
Alec Turner, Louisiana State University
Alejandro Damian Serrano, Brown University
Alessio Capobianco, University of Michigan
Alexandra Sumarli, San Diego State University
Andy Siekkinen, Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden
Anna Hiller, Louisiana State University
Annelise Frazão Nunes, Universidade de São Paulo
Annika Smith, University of Florida
Carrie Tribble, University of California, Berkeley
Diego Elias, Louisiana State University
Erica Baken, Iowa State University
Heather Skeen, University of Chicago
Jacob Boswell, Georgia Institute of Technology
Jenna McCullough, University of New Mexico
Jessica Rick, University of Wyoming
Jessie Salter, Louisiana State University
Jonathan Schmitt, Harvard University
Kaiya Provost, American Museum of Natural History
Kathryn Grabenstein, University of Colorado, Boulder
Kendall Mills, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Kira Turnham, Penn State University
Lucas Rocha Moreira, Columbia University & AMNH
Lukas Musher, American Museum of Natural History
Megan Ruffley, University of Idaho
Nathan Hartley, Duke University
Nicolas Medina, Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden
Priscila Salloum, The University of Auckland
Renata Pirani, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia
Rene Martin, University of Kansas
Rodolfo Probst, University of Utah
Sebastian Mortimer, University of Idaho
Sheela Turbek, University of Colorado, Boulder
Thomas Firneno, The University of Texas at Arlington
Tierney Bougie, San Diego State University
William Booker, Florida State University

Past winners

2016

​Cara Van Der Wal, University of Sydney
Claire McWhite, University of Texas at Austin
Diana Gamba, University of Missouri - St. Louis
Jennifer Rodriguez, Claremont Graduate University
Johanna Jantzen, University of Florida
Jonathan Nations, Louisiana State University
Julia Tejada-Lara, Columbia University/AMNH
Julie Herman, University of California, Santa Cruz
Kara Jones, University of Kentucky
Karla Sosa, Duke University
Katherine Nazario, University of Connecticut
Katherine Taylor, University of Connecticut
Kevin Keegan, University of Connecticut
Laura Céspedes Arias, Universidad de los Andes
Maria Stager, University of Montana
Megan Smith, Ohio State University
Orlando Schwery, University of Tennessee
Rachel Welt, American Museum of Natural History
Sang Il Kim, Harvard University
Spencer Galen, American Museum of Natural History
Stephen Zozaya, James Cook University

2015

​Daniella Allevato, Cornell University
Jacob Berv, Cornell University
Samuel Borstein, University of Tennessee
Adrian Castellanos, Texas A&M University
Joseph Charboneau, University of Arizona
Jocelyn Colella, University of New Mexico
Tauana Cunha, Harvard University
Itzi Fragoso Martinez, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México 
Andrew Frank, University of Connecticut
Laura Gonzalez, University of Florida
Gustavo Hassemer, Natural History Museum of Denmark
Luke Klicka, University of Kansas
Jayme Lewthwaite, Simon Fraser University
Ethan Linck, University of Washington
Elizabeth McHone, Drexel University
Rachel Osborn, Michigan State University
Todd Pierson, University of Tennessee
Mariana Souza, University of California, Merced
John Terbot, University of Kentucky
Kathleen Torrence, Florida State University

2014

Paul Blischak, Ohio State University
Guillaume Chomicki, University of Munich
Julia Dupin, University of Colorado-Boulder
Laura Frost, University of Washington
Jessica Goodheart, University of Maryland, College Park
Melissa Johnson, Claremont Graduate University
Kelley Leung, University of Hawaii in Manoa
Nicholas Mason, Cornell University
Logan Mullen, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Krystal Payne, Marshall University
Mark Phuong, University of California, Los Angeles
Ignacio Quintero, Yale University
Nicole Reynolds, Boise State University
Rebecca Stubbs, University of Florida
Christie Sukhdeo, University of New Orleans
Scott Travers, Kansas University

2013

Shahan Derkarabetian, San Diego State University
Emily Ellis, University of California at Santa Barbara
Kathryn Everson, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Matthew Hansen, East Carolina University
Paul Hime, University of Kentucky
Benjamin Johnson, Cornell University
Hannah Marx, University of Idaho
Jason Sardell, University of Miami
Jordan Satler, Ohio State University
Nicholas Sly, University of Illinois
Jessica Stephens, University of Georgia
Pascal Title, University of Michigan
Max Winston, University of Chicago

2012

Tracy Audisio, San Francisco State University
John Chau, University of Washington
Andrew Crowl, University of Florida
Layla Freeborn, Tulane University
Thomas Kraft, Dartmouth College
Shea Lambert, Stony Brook University
Robert Outlaw, Mississippi State University
Molly Schumer, Princeton University
Rebecca Tarvin, University of Texas at Austin
Alejandro Zuluaga, University of Wisconsin-Madison

2011

Jose Arriaza, Colorado State University
Kayce Bell, University of New Mexico
Jaret Bilewitch, University of Queensland
Petra Deane, Cornell University
Traci Grzymala, University of California, Berkeley
Kristen Hasenstab-Lehman, Claremont Graduate University
Amy Heilman, Duke University
Sarah Hird, Louisiana State University
Jen-Pan Huang, University of Michigan
Robert Jadin, University of Colorado at Boulder
Aron Katz, University of Illinois
Fay-Wei Li, Duke University
Maura Palacios Mejia, Texas A&M University
Patricia Mullins, North Carolina State University
Edward Myers, City University of New York
Angela Rein, Oklahoma State University
Nelson Salinas, City University of New York
Gregory Stull, University of Florida
Joshua Williams, University of Kentucky

2010

Rayna Bell, Cornell University
Rebecca Chong, Colorado State University
Emily DiBlasi, University at Buffalo
Michelle Duennes, University of Illinois
Tricia Goulding, San Francisco State University
Jo-anne Holley, University of Illinois
Justin Kratovil, University of Kentucky
John McVay, Louisiana State University
Stuart Nielsen, University of Mississippi
Lorelei Patrick, Louisiana State University
Carlos Prada, Louisiana State University
Noah Reid, Louisiana State University
Katie Stryjewski, Boston University
Simon Uribe-Convers, University of Idaho
Ben Winger, University of Chicago

2009

Carolina Gomez-Navarro, University of California, Berkeley
Rosanne Healy, University of Minnesota
Patricia Lu-Irving, University of Washington
Amy Luxbacher, University of Minnesota
Jamie Oaks, University of Kansas
Christopher Owen, University of Connecticut
Jozef Slowik, University of Alaska, Fairbanks
Fernanda Werneck, Brigham Young University
Dawn Xiao, University of Toronto

2008

Arley Camargo, Brigham Young University
Andres Cuervo, Louisiana State University
Mauricio Diazgranados, St. Louis University
Jessica Davis, Iowa State University
Tom Giarla, University of Minnesota
Zacharias Gompert, University of Wyoming
Amanda Grusz, Duke University
Maribeth Latvis, University of Florida, Gainesville
Chris Muir, Indiana University
Findley Ransler, Cornell University
Benjamin Reinhart, Purdue University
Kevin Weitemier, Portland State University
Tim Whitfeld, University of Minnesota

2007

Heather Shull, Boston University
Tracy Misiewicz, Northwestern University
Anjan Bhullar, University of Texas, Austin
Kate Hertweck, University of Missouri, Columbia
Josephine Rodriguez, University of Illinois
Carl Rothfels, Duke University
Barbara Banbury, Washington State University
David Winter, University of Otago, New Zealand
Amanda Cass, Cornell University
Robert Thomson, University of California, Davis
Emilie Bess, Illinois Natural History Survey
Luisa Montalvo, Universidade Los Andes, Colombia

2006

Stuart Willis, University of Nebraska, Lincoln
Julie Allen, University of Florida
Erik Sperling, Yale University
Seth Bybee, University of Florida
Jacob Esselstyn, University of Kansas
Cameron Siler, University of Kansas
Erin Tripp, Duke University
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