Stony Brook Trustees Faculty Awards

To encourage and support promising early career faculty, the University, through the Provost’s Office, provides research, scholarship and art-making funding opportunities. Five Stony Brook Foundation Trustees Faculty Awards of $20,000 each are competitively available to early career faculty.

Eligibility: Full-time second-term Assistant Professors, i.e. those who have had a successful review process after being in residence at SBU for at least three years.

Award Details: The awards recognize early-career faculty whose research, creative activities, and scholarly achievements predict an exceptional trajectory.

Award: $20,000

Selection Process: Nomination packages are reviewed by an ad-hoc committee of faculty and academic leadership. Recommendations are provided to the Provost who, in collaboration with academic leadership, selects the recipients of the award.

Nomination Requirements

• Nominations are made by Deans or Center/Institute Directors
• There is no limit to the number of nominations a Dean/Director may submit, but units are strongly encouraged to rank nominees and put forth only the strongest candidates.

Nomination Materials and Submission Procedure

Compile the following nomination materials into a single PDF application file and submit the nomination file electronically  to the Provost's Office at faculty_affairs@stonybrook.edu.

1. Dean/Director nomination letter (up to 3 pages) to include:

• Nominee name and date of faculty appointment at SBU.
• Summary of nominee’s qualifications, as well as specific examples; evidence will vary by discipline but could include publications, performances, monographs and inventions.

2. 3 letters of reference (up to 3 pages each)

• One of the letters must be from external referee and exclusive of former mentors.

3. Nominee’s curriculum vitae

4. Project Narrative (5-page limit, 12-point font, single spaced -- references are not included in the 5-page limit)

The project description should address the following criteria:

• Document the creative significance of the project.
• Describe the project. Clearly explain the objectives of the proposed project, the methods you will use, and the expected outcomes. Use language easily understood by readers from other disciplines.
• Explain the relationship of the proposed project to your overall program of scholarship. How will the project impact your professional growth?
• Describe what aspects of the proposed project you will complete during the award period. If you cannot complete the entire project, state when you anticipate completing the project. Include a timeline for the project.
• Prepare a budget outlining how the award funds will be used. Provide a budget justification explaining the individual budget items (indirect/administrative or graduate tuition costs are not allowed on these awards).
• If you are receiving or applying for additional funds from other sources, provide the name of the agency/program, details on what part of the scope of work and budget are included in other proposals, and what scope of work and budget items will be funded by the Award.

Deadlines and Award Start

• The deadline for nominations is April 14, 2024. 
• Awards start July 1, 2024.

Grant Information and Restrictions

The funds are provided to pursue research, scholarship and creative art. Budgets may include materials and supplies, travel to a research site, or student assistants to help with research. In addition, the funds may be budgeted and used for professional development activities such as conference registration and travel. The faculty member must engage in the professional development activity within 12 months of the award date. The expenditure of funds will follow normal University policies and procedures. The awards are anticipated to be expended within one calendar year. A no-cost extension of the award for a second calendar year needs to be justified prior to the end of the year of award.

Selection Criteria

Criteria for selection include consideration of the following:

• Applicant's achievements as a faculty member, with emphasis on the quality of research and publications, scholarship and art making;
• Institutional impact of achievements and potential for continued professional growth;
• Clarity, quality and significance of long-term future research, scholarship and creative activity and their probable impact upon SBU and the scholarly community within the discipline.

Review Criteria

• Significance of the proposed work to the field, supported by appropriate evidence.
• Clarity of objectives and project description.
• Feasibility of the project within the project period.
• Impact on applicant’s program of scholarship, research, or art-making.
• Appropriateness of how the budgeted funds will be used. 

Compliance Regulations

SBU rules, regulations, and policies regarding the use of human and animal subjects, biosafety/biohazards, radioactive materials, patents and copyrights, royalties and fees, export controls as well as other appropriate University policies apply. Faculty are responsible for ascertaining that they follow University compliance procedures. Faculty may obtain additional information regarding these policies from the Office of Sponsored Programs.

Reporting Requirement

Recipients of the SBU Trustees Faculty Award are required to submit a brief report (up to 2 pages) of creative work completed within 60 days following the end of the use of award to the Office of the Provost.