American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is accepting applications for its Mentor Awards 2026. Interested applicants are encouraged to click here to learn more about this opportunity and apply for it.
About AAAS Mentor Awards
The AAAS Mentor Awards, presented by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, celebrate individuals who have demonstrated exceptional mentorship and leadership in promoting diversity in STEM.These awards highlight the importance of guiding underrepresented students toward advanced degrees and fostering inclusive academic environments.
Benefits of AAAS Mentor Awards
- Lifetime Mentor Award: A prize of $5,000 will be awarded. This individual will have served in the role of mentor for 25 or more years.
- Mentor Award: A prize of $5,000 will be awarded. This individual will have served in the role of mentor for less than 25 years.
- Both award category recipients receive: A monetary prize, a commemorative plaque, complimentary registration, and reimbursement for reasonable travel and hotel expenses to attend the AAAS Annual Meeting.
AAAS Mentor Awards Requirements
The award is open to all individuals, regardless of nationality or citizenship, who have mentored students at a U.S. institution. Nominees must be living at the time of their nomination. Lifetime Mentor Awardees will have served in the role of mentor for 25 or more years. Mentor Awardees will have served in the role of mentor for less than 25 years. Each nominee will be rated based on the following criteria:
- Candidate mentored a significant number of students from underrepresented groups (i.e., women of all racial or ethnic groups; African American, Native American, and Hispanic men; and people with disabilities) who earned PhDs in a STEM field
- Candidate has shaped or impacted the climate of a department, college, or institution to significantly increase the diversity of students who earned STEM PhDs
- Candidate demonstrated continued interest in the educational and professional development of students mentored before and during the pursuit of the STEM PhD
- Candidate provided students with psychological support, encouragement, and essential strategies for life in the scholarly community before and during the pursuit of the STEM PhD
- Candidate has shaped or impacted the climate of a department, college, or institution to significantly increase the diversity of students who earned STEM PhDs
Application Date and Process
- Nominations are to be submitted via our award portal. You will be asked to provide the following:
- A brief citation (25 - 30 words) describing the accomplishment(s) for which the individual is nominated;
- A Nomination Rationale that enumerates the ways in which the person reflects the purpose of this award, including scholarship, activism, and community building (3-page maximum);
- The candidate’s curriculum vitae (5-page maximum);
- A list of underrepresented students mentored with year PhD earned, institution and current employment. Please use the following templates:
- A maximum of five supporting letters from students and three supporting letters from colleagues representative of the different spheres in which the candidate has demonstrated effort, results, and commitment. Letters of nominations for candidates who are not direct doctoral mentors must indicate how the nominee mentored graduate students before and during the graduate school years.
- Please note: Nominees can be nominated up to three times. If you are nominating someone who has been nominated for either award in the past, please indicate so in your Nomination Rationale.
Application Deadline
30 June, 2026
Opportunity Application
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