Desmond Morton Research Excellence Award

Last updated: November 2023 
 

The Desmond Morton Research Excellence Award recognizes outstanding career achievement in research and scholarly activity by faculty members of the University of Toronto Mississauga.

The award recipient will receive $5000 towards research activity/professional development.

Award Criteria

Research excellence is demonstrated by a significant and sustained impact, through contributions to his/her field of study, global reputation, ability to communicate research results effectively, and to maintain subject matter expertise.

Award Selection

The award winner will be selected by one of the three disciplinary divisions of UTM, namely Humanities, Social Sciences and Sciences, in a three-year cycle as per the table below. A discipline-specific selection committee will be chaired by UTM's Vice-Principal, Research and Innovation (VPRI), or delegate.

Each department can nominate one faculty member.

Principal Nominators

The Desmond Morton Research Excellence Award nominations should be submitted by Departmental Chairs at the University of Toronto Mississauga.

Nominators are encouraged to read the following guidelines carefully prior to submitting a nomination.

Nominee Eligibility

The award is open to tenured or tenure-stream faculty whose major appointment is at the University of Toronto Mississauga.

Individuals may be nominated for the award any number of times but may receive the award only once.

Adjudication Criteria

The Desmond Morton Research Excellence Award is made on the basis of excellence in the broadest sense. Nominees will be considered for the award by the Adjudication Committee based on outstanding performance in the following areas:

The University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) is strongly committed to diversity within its community and encourages departments to put forth applications from visible minority group members, women, Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, members of sexual and gender minority groups, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas. UTM views these awards as an important tool to ensure diverse groups receive recognition of their scholarly excellence. 

Nomination Package Requirements & Format

Submission Guidelines: 

Please combine the three sections below into one PDF in the order as listed below and name the file as: 2024_Desmond_Morton_nominee surname_nominee first name.pdf

Section 1: Nomination Letter

Please include a nomination letter from the principal nominator (3 pages maximum), which summarizes and explains the documentation, and draws attention to the most significant points brought forward in the favour of the candidate.  Letters should not summarize the CV, rather describe how the nominee meets or exceeds each adjudication criterion using concrete examples to demonstrate each point. 

Section 2: The Nominee’s CV

The CV may be in any format. The CV should speak to the points listed in the adjudication criteria.

Section 3: Letters of Recommendation

Representative support letters from three internationally recognized scholars in the nominee's field. At least one must be from outside the University of Toronto (The nomination letter should include an explanation of why these scholars were chosen).

Deadline for Submission of the Nomination Package

A complete nomination package should be submitted via online form. 

Nomination packages are due Friday, June 14, 2024.

Adjudication Committee Process

Members of the Research Award Adjudication Committee will use their good judgment to weigh different facets of research impact and different sources of evidence, as they see fit. It is anticipated that the broad diversity of researchers and disciplines at the University of Toronto Mississauga will be reflected, in the long term, in the list of Research Award recipients. To this end, the Research Award Committee will reflect the diversity of disciplines at UTM.

Notes on Privacy & Confidentiality

• Nomination packages will be disseminated to Adjudication Committee members, and the membership of those Committees will likely not be set until after the nomination deadline.
• Please do not include confidential information in the nomination package.

Questions?

Please contact Rong Wu (rong.wu@utoronto.ca) if you have questions about this year's Research Excellence Award competition. 

Frequently Asked Questions

The FAQ will be updated throughout the competition. Please refer back here regularly to stay up-to-date if you are preparing a nomination.

When will I find out the competition results?

• The Adjudication Committee usually meets in July or August, so you will hear one way or the other shortly thereafter. Only the principal nominators are notified; Nominees themselves are not directly notified.

If the nomination I submitted is unsuccessful, will I be provided feedback?

• Principal nominators will be provided with the contact information of the Chair of the Adjudication Committee upon request. Requests for feedback should be made directly to the Chair.

Past Winners