Founders Day Research Awards
Each year at the Founders Day celebration, the University of North Dakota celebrates its history and recognizes excellence from its faculty and staff.
Research Awards
UND Foundation/McDermott Faculty Award for Excellence in Research and Creative Activity
Tenured faculty who have been at UND for at least five years are eligible to receive this award. The awardee will be selected by the Interim Vice President for Research & Economic Development (chair) and selected others.
Since previous awardees are ineligible for nomination until five years have passed, Julia Zhao (2020), Marc Basson and Thomasine Heitkamp (2019), Colin Combs (2018), Othman Ghribi (2017), and Michelle Sauer and Brij Singh (2016) may not be nominated this year.
Faculty, staff, and students may make nominations, and faculty are invited to nominate themselves. Since the committee will not engage in the gathering of documentation, each nomination or application must be accompanied by thorough evidence of the nominee’s qualifications for the award.
The following information should be provided:
- A one-page executive summary stating the rationale for why the faculty member deserves this award.
- A list of publications of significant, original and high-quality research, scholarly, and creative contributions in nationally recognized professional journals that are refereed by peer reviewers, and/or a listing of juried competitions and invited performances/exhibitions.
- Overall scholarly activities, such as a reviewer of research proposals for federal agencies or other funding sources, service as a referee or editor for professional journals, and/or contributions to training students in research, scholarly, and creative endeavors.
- Potential for research activity to enhance instruction.
- A letter of support from the department chair (from the dean if a chair is nominated).
- 2023 Alexei Tulin
- 2022 Cynthia Prescott and Feng (Frank) Xiao
- 2021 Gautham Krishnamoorthy
- 2020 Julia Zhao
- 2019 Marc Basson and Thomasine Heitkamp
- 2018 Colin Combs
- 2017 Othman Ghribi
- 2016 Michelle Sauer and Brij Singh
- 2015 Jonathan Geiger
- 2014 Alena Kubatova and Jefferson Vaughan
- 2013 Mark Hoffmann and Holly Brown-Borg
- 2012 Sandra Short
- 2011 Sandra Donaldson
- 2010 Vasyl Tkach
- 2009 Eric Murphy
- 2008 None Awarded
- 2007 Michael J. Gaffey and Wayne S. Seames
- 2006 Michael D. Mann
- 2005 F. Richard Ferraro
- 2004 Manuchair Ebadi
- 2003 Jody Rada and Jay Meek
- 2002 Joyce Coleman and Jeffery W. Lang
- 2001 Leon F. Osborne
- 2000 Edward C. Carlson
- 1999 Diane Langemo and David Lambeth
- 1998 Jeffrey Stith
- 1997 Richard D. Crawford
- 1996 Arthur R. Buckley
- 1995 Sharon and Richard Wilsnack
- 1994 Michael Anderegg
- 1993 Robert C. Nordlie
- 1992 David W. Hein
- 1991 William D. Gosnold
- 1990 William Borden
- 1989 Richard G. Landry
- 1988 Bill E. Beckwith
- 1987 Robert C. Nordlie
- 1986 Sharon C. Wilsnack
- 1985 Lewis W. Oring
Departmental Excellence in Research Award
Nominations are invited for The UND Award for Departmental Excellence in Research and Creative Activity recognizing research, scholarly, and creative productivity.
- As part of the evaluation process, the selection committee will also review scholarly and creative activities recorded in Faculty Success (formerly Digital Measures) and, if relevant, data on external awards and expenditures.
- The awardee will be selected by the Interim Vice President for Research & Economic Development (chair) and selected others.
- Since previous recipients are ineligible for nomination until five years have passed, Chemical Engineering (2020), the Energy & Environmental Research Center (2019), Biomedical Sciences and Marketing (2018), Chemistry (2017), and Biology (2016) may not be nominated this year.
Nominations should include information that will allow the selection committee to judge the quantity and quality of the research, scholarly, and creative activities of the department. At a minimum, such nominations should include:
- A three-page summary stating the rationale for why the department deserves this award.
- A statement of support from the dean.
- 2023 Institute for Energy Studies, College of Engr. & Mines
- 2022 Education, Health & Behavior Studies
- 2021 Economics & Finance
- 2020 Chemical Engineering
- 2019 Energy & Environmental Research Center
- 2018 Biomedical Sciences and Marketing
- 2017 Chemistry
- 2016 Biology
- 2015 Sociology
- 2014 Atmospheric Sciences
- 2013 Center for Rural Health
Fellows of UND Departmental Excellence
- 2012 Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
- 2011 Chemical Engineering
- 2010 Biology
- 2010 Pharmacology, Physiology & Therapeutics
- 2009 Chemistry
- 2008 Psychology
- 2007 None Awarded
- 2006 None Awarded
- 2005 Chemical Engineering
- 2004 Microbiology and Immunology
- 2003 English and Atmospheric Sciences
- 2002 Biology
- 2001 Neuroscience
- 2000 Physics
- 1999 Chemistry
- 1998 Counseling
- 1997 Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
- 1996 Biology
- 1995 Geology and Geological Engineering
- 1994 History
- 1993 Pharmacology and Toxicology
- 1992 Anthropology
- 1991 English
- 1990 Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
- 1989 Biology
- 1988 Atmospheric Sciences
- 1987 History
- 1986 Chemistry
- 1985 Geology
- 1984 Sociology
- 1983 Anatomy
- 1982 Biology
- 1981 Biochemistry
- 1980 Anthropology/Archaeology
- 1979 Visual Arts
- 1978 Chemistry
- 1977 Physiology/Pharmacology
- 1976 Special Education and Statistics
- 1975 Anatomy
- 1974 Microbiology
- 1973 Chemical Engineering
- 1972 Chemistry
- 1971 Biology
- 1970 Psychology
- 1969 History
- 1968 Biochemistry
Interdisciplinary Collaboration
Nominations are invited for The UND Award for Interdisciplinary Collaboration in Research and Creative Activity. This award will recognize outstanding interdisciplinary, collaborative work in the past three years by two or more UND faculty investigators.
- There are no limitations on disciplines that may be recognized.
- Scholarly creative work can be demonstrated in many forms: peer-reviewed publications, books, art, music, multimedia, and other forms.
- Each investigator must have made a substantial intellectual contribution to the joint work product.
To be provided by investigators/scholars:
- A one-page summary describing the collaborative work product(s) must be provided.
- Each investigator/scholar must describe his or her role in the conceptualization, design, execution, and interpretation of the work. They should also describe how the collaboration resulted in something that could not have been done by either/any of the investigators working alone. Each collaborator is limited to one page.
- Investigators/scholars should provide a one-page summary of the impact of their work. This impact could be expressed in many ways, for example, pushing back the frontiers of science, practical impact in terms of a commercial product, a new historical or esthetic understanding of something, or a change in business practices that resulted from their work. The fundamental questions are “who cares what you did?” or “who is doing something differently as a result of your work?”
- Collaborators should provide a joint list of names, with emails and phone numbers, of peers who can provide a confidential evaluation of the nature of the collaboration and the impact of the work product.
- Copies of up to three peer-reviewed publications, images of the work, or other representations of the work resulting from the collaboration may be included with the nomination.
To be provided by the relevant dean(s):
Deans of each college or school involved in the collaboration should provide letters
(or one jointly signed letter) endorsing the nomination and evaluating the importance
of the work - limited to one page each.
The awardee will be selected by the Interim Vice President for Research & Economic Development (chair) and selected others.
- 2023
- Isaac Karikani
- Bret Weber
- Tanis Walch
- Ashley Bayne
- Carenlee Barkdull
- 2022
- Jon Allen
- Eric Johnson
- Richard Van Eck
- Darlene Hanson
- David Relling
- Sclinda Janssen
- Craig Burns
- 2021
- Andrew McLean
- Shawnda Schroeder
- Thomasine Heitkamp
- Stephen Wonderlich
- 2019 - Research Institute for Autonomous Systems (RIAS) - Leads:
- Mark Askelson
- Jeremiah Neubert
- Prakash Ranganathan
- Jason Jensen
- 2017
- Christine Harsell
- Maridee Shogren
- Jacqueline Roberts
- Thomasine Heitkamp
- Angela Muhs
- Joseph Miller
- 2016
- Lucy Ganje
- Kim Fink
- 2015
- Richard Ferraro
- Glenda Lindseth
- Paul Lindseth
- Thomas Petros
- William Semke
- Benjamin Trapnell
- 2014
- William Gosnold
- Richard Lefever
- Michael Mann
- Hossein Salehfar
- 2013
- Min Wu
- Julia Zhao
- 2012
- Wayne Seames
- Evguenii Kozliak
- 2011
- William Semke
- Richard Schultz
- Mark Askelson