Now is the time to nominate graduate students for the Lancaster Dissertation Awards!
The Winifred and Louis Lancaster Annual Dissertation Award
This annual award recognizes two individuals who have completed dissertations deemed by the Awards Committee as with significant impact on the field in terms of methodological and substantive contributions.
The annual Lancaster Dissertation Awards competition recognizes individuals who, in the opinion of the award committee, have completed dissertations representing original work that makes an important contribution to the discipline. Two awards are given annually to doctoral degree recipients or candidates from two broad academic areas. The four fields of competition alternate each year, as specified by the National Council of Graduate Schools.
To be eligible for this year’s competition, dissertations need to have been completed between July 1st, 2019, and June 30th, 2021. The 2021 fields of competition specified by the National Council of Graduate Schools are:
Biological and Life Sciences Competition
Humanities and Fine Arts Competition
Click on the links to download the requirements!
All faculty letters of support and department nomination materials must be submitted to the Awards Committee of the Graduate Council by April 2, 2021. The winner will be selected based on the content of the dissertation abstract and letters of recommendation.
Award Details
The two Lancaster dissertations are entered into a national competition sponsored by the Council of Graduate Schools. In past years, three Lancaster Award winners have been recipients of the national prize. A check for $1,000 and a plaque will be awarded upon completion of entry for national competition. Award recipients will be members of the Graduate Division Commencement Ceremony’s Platform Party, where they will be presented with their award.
About Winifred and Louis Lancaster
The UC Santa Barbara Winifred and Louis Lancaster Dissertation Awards are named after two community leaders who contributed time, talent, and financial resources to UC Santa Barbara for more than half a century. Winifred and Louis Lancaster were civic-minded philanthropists who played a central role in establishing the UC Santa Barbara Foundation and providing support to other key nonprofit organizations in the Santa Barbara area.
For more information about the Winifred and Louis Lancaster Annual Dissertation Awards, please contact Robert Hamm, Assistant Dean.