Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) 2022 Young Researchers Award for Graduate Students

Published: 20 Jan 2022 967 views

On behalf of the network of national Participants, the GBIF Secretariat is pleased to invite nominations for the 2022 Young Researchers Award. This annual programme aims to foster and recognize innovative research and discovery in biodiversity informatics by graduate students whose master’s and doctoral studies rely on GBIF-mediated data.

A jury organized by GBIF Science Committee will select two award recipients from the pool of nominees whose names are received by the GBIF Secretariat by 20 June 2022. The GBIF Secretariat will announce winners in early fall 2022 and present the winners at the 29th meeting of the GBIF Governing Board (GB29) planned for Brussels in October 2022.

GBIF Young Researchers Award

Benefits of GBIF Young Researchers Award

• The 2022 programme will provide a pair of €5,000 prizes recognizing the work of two early-career researchers—preferably, one master’s and one PhD candidate—who receive formally nominations from the heads of delegation and node managers of GBIF Participant countries.

Requirements for GBIF Young Researchers Award

Candidates must be enrolled in a university graduate programme to be eligible for the award. Candidates must be either

(a) citizens of a country participating in GBIF

or

b) students at an institution located in a GBIF participant country

Nominations can come from the GBIF delegation or node of either the candidate's country of citizenship or the country of the candidate’s host institution.

Selection Process

Selection process and criteria

The GBIF Science Committee will review the nominations and select winners of the Young Researchers Awards.

The criteria for the awards include:

• Originality and innovation
• Use of and strategic significance for data accessed through GBIF
• Measurable effectiveness and impact in advancing biodiversity informatics and/or the conservation of biological diversity

Proposals that are not selected may be updated and resubmitted for consideration in subsequent years.

Awardees are expected to acknowledge GBIF support when disseminate research results via peer-reviewed publications, presentations at professional meetings, and other media.

Application Documents

Candidates should prepare their proposal and nomination packets to include:

1. Research summary (200 words)
2. Project description (maximum 5 pages, 12-point Arial) that describes
   a. The need for the research and the question(s) it addresses.
   b. The role of data accessed through GBIF in addressing these questions. Research proposals must clearly demonstrate how the study incorporates data mobilized through GBIF. Students with questions about GBIF-enabled data should work with academic advisors, their GBIF national node, the GBIF Secretariat or members of the Science Committee to increase their understanding.
   c. The research scope, plan, methodologies, relevant literature citations and timetable.
   d. If relevant, a description or an excerpt from a data management plan that outlines how data related to the research is published or will be prepared for publication through the GBIF network to GBIF.org.
3. Curriculum vitae of the student applicant including full contact information at the home institution.
4. Supporting documents
   a. An official letter from the student’s faculty mentor/supervisor certifying that the applicant is a student in good standing in the graduate programme of the university.
   b. At least one, and no more than three, letters of support from established researchers active in a field that encompasses and incorporates biodiversity informatics (e.g., genetics, species composition and traits, biogeography, ecology, systematics, et al.)

Application Deadline

How to Apply