Carol-Ann Tetrault Sirsly Research Excellence Award

The Carol-Ann Tetrault Sirsly Sprott Research Excellence Award recognizes faculty members who have demonstrated outstanding research achievement, scholarly impact, and research leadership over a sustained period. This award celebrates the quality and significance of a faculty member’s contribution to their field and reflects Sprott’s commitment to fostering a vibrant and impactful research culture.

One award may be granted each year when the standard of applications warrants recognition.

Purpose and Spirit of the Award

The Research Excellence Award is intended to recognize faculty whose research record over the past three years reflects not just productivity, but genuine scholarly leadership and impact. The selection committee is interested in the quality and significance of research contributions rather than volume of output alone. Strong applications will demonstrate that the candidate’s work has made a meaningful difference in their field, whether through advancing theory, shaping practice, influencing policy, or opening new lines of inquiry for others to follow.

Eligibility

Past recipients are eligible to re-apply five years after receiving their last award.

Full-time Sprott faculty members (research stream) are eligible to apply.

The award considers research achievements over the preceding three consecutive calendar years (e.g., 2024, 2025, 2026).

Recognizing that publication schedules are not entirely within a candidate’s control, publications from up to three months before or after the three-year window may be considered at the selection committee’s discretion. Candidates are encouraged to explain the relevant circumstances in their cover letter.

Faculty members who have taken an approved leave beyond sabbatical or administrative leave (e.g., parental, medical, or compassionate leave) may adjust their three-year period accordingly. Please specify these details in your cover letter.

Application Package

Faculty must self-nominate. Associate Deans, Directors, and colleagues are encouraged to approach eligible faculty and support their decision to apply. The following materials are required:

Curriculum Vitae

Submit a current CV. Please highlight all research achievements from the preceding three calendar years so that the selection committee can readily identify the relevant contributions.

Applicant Statement

The applicant statement is the heart of your application. It should make a compelling case for why your research record over the past three years merits recognition, with specific attention to the quality, leadership, and impact of your work. Do not simply summarize your CV. Instead, describe what you did, why it matters, and what difference it has made.

Candidates are encouraged to address:

• The significance and originality of your most important research contributions during the period.
• Evidence of research leadership, including how your work has influenced others or advanced the field.
• The impact of your research within and, where applicable, beyond the academy.
• Any contextual factors relevant to interpreting your record (e.g., leaves, career stage, disciplinary norms).

Limit: 3 pages, 12-point font, single-spaced.

Selection Process

The selection committee is chaired by the Associate Dean, Research and Graduate Research Programs. Committee membership consists of the Sprott Research Committee, ensuring that adjudication is grounded in peer recognition and scholarly credibility.

The committee reviews all eligible applications against the evaluation criteria and makes its recommendation to the Dean. The Dean makes the final award decision. All deliberations are confidential.

Up to two awards may be granted in any given cycle. In years where the committee determines that the applications do not meet the standard of excellence the award is intended to recognize, fewer than two awards may be given.

Award Recognition

Recipients of the Carol-Ann Tetrault Sirsly Sprott Research Excellence Award will receive:

A faculty profile featured on the Sprott website and across Sprott’s social media channels, highlighting the recipient’s achievements and their significance to the School’s research mission.

A $1,000 cash added to recipient’s IRR.

A framed certificate presented at the Sprott Research Celebration.

How to Apply

Submit your complete application package using the application web submission form on the Sprott Research Office website.

All materials must be uploaded and received by 11:59 PM on February 15, 2027. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

Past Carol-Ann Tetrault Sirsly Sprott Research Excellence Award Winners