Home Awards & Grants Early Professional Awards Ned K. Johnson Early Investigator Award

Ned K. Johnson Early Investigator Award

ned johnson, aos award namesake

AOS’s Ned K. Johnson Early Investigator Award recognizes outstanding and promising work by a researcher early in his or her career in any field of ornithology. It consists of a certificate, $1000 honorarium, and a travel stipend of up to $1000 and gratis registration to attend the annual meeting. Awardees are also invited to give a plenary at the annual meeting.

The Ned K. Johnson Early Investigator Award is funded through a gift to the AOS endowment honoring Ned K. Johnson, a lifelong supporter and former AOU President (1996-1998).

Candidates may apply for the award themselves, be nominated by another member(s) of AOS, or be added to the slate of candidates by the Early Professional Awards Committee, which selects the annual awardees. The successful nominee will excel in research and show distinct promise for leadership in ornithology within and beyond North America. In addition, they must:

  • Be a current member of AOS.
  • Have received their doctorate degree within seven years of their nomination. (An extra year of eligibility may be granted for parental leave.)
  • Have not received the award previously.

Submit a Nomination for the Johnson Award

Nominations are due 13 December 2019. Nominations must be submitted through our online Member Portal.

  • Clicking “Apply Now” on the page linked above will direct you to a login screen. If you have previously created an account, your Login ID is your email address. After logging in, you will be redirected to the Senior Professional Award nomination page.
  • If you have not previously created an account, click Create Account at the lower left to set up your profile.
  • You can also navigate to the submission page from the Member Portal homepage under “Open Competitions” in the lower right.

To submit a nomination for the Johnson Award, you will need to upload 1) a summary of why the candidate should be considered for the award, and 2) a current CV of the candidate.

Previous Winners

2019   David Toews
2018   Scott Taylor
2017   Michael Butler
2016   Mary Caswell Stoddard
2015   Kyle Elliott
2014   Alex Jahn
2013   Corey E. Tarwater
2012   James Rivers
2011   Alice Boyle
2010   Dustin R. Rubenstein
2009   Renée A. Duckworth
2008   A. Marm Kilpatrick
2007   Lynn Bloxom Martin II
2006   D. Ryan Norris
2005   Kevin J. McGraw

    From the field

    I’m part of a research team studying Black-throated Blue Warblers (BTBW) and other migratory songbirds at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. My former Ph.D. advisor, Dick Holmes, started bird research at Hubbard Brook in 1969. The BTBW project began in 1982, making this one of the longest-running songbird population studies in the U.S. Our current research focuses on understanding how BTBW respond to lengthening growing or “greenHi folks! I’m Scott Sillett, Editor-in-Chief of The Auk: Ornithological Advances and a Research Wildlife Biologist at the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, part of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute in Washington, DC. I study the population biology of migratory and resident birds. Stay tuned this week to learn about my research projects and about being a journal editor with the American Ornithological Society! #ornithology #birds #science #wildlife #conservationDo you want to help shape the future of AOS? Consider running for a spot on the AOS Council! Here's what current Elective Councilor Lauryn Benedict has to say about her experience so far. Nominations are due November 29!Climate change means spring is arriving earlier in the Arctic, but not all Arctic-breeding geese are affected the same way — some (such as the Barnacle Goose pictured here) successfully produce more offspring in years with earlier springs, but some produce fewer. New research published in The Auk suggests that this is because timing of spring has different effects on two different stages of the breeding cycle: the pre-laying, laying, and nesting phase, and the hatchling, fledgling, and juvenile phase. When snow melts earlier, more geese initiate a nest, their clutch size is larger, and the chance that the eggs will hatch increases. However, the second stage (hatchling, fledgling, and juvenile) is negatively affected by earlier springs, because food quality is already declining by the time the eggs hatch, creating a trophic mismatch. Photo by Michiel Boom. #ornithology #science #nature #wildlife #birds #geese #conservation #ecology #climatechange #arcticDo you want to help shape the future of AOS? Consider running for a spot on the AOS Council! Here's what current President-Elect Tom Sherry has to say about his experience so far. Nominations are due November 29!Thanks for letting me take over the AOS Instagram for a week! I hope I’ve given a good glimpse into my research and experiences. For all of the undergraduate ornithologists out there, I encourage you to strive for new horizons in your research! I plan on beginning a Master’s or PhD program in the fall of 2020 to continue my studies in ornithology. My future research interests include studying the genomic, behavioral, spatial, and morphological effects of hybridization and the formation of hybrid zones. #ornithology #science #wildlife #biology #birds #dogsofinstagram #womeninstem . [Thanks, Angelica! If YOU are an AOS member and would like to be featured here for a week, please get in touch.]As a lover of the outdoors, I find myself looking for new experiences wherever I can. In the summer of 2018, I took part in a study-abroad intensive led by Dr. McRae and Dr. Kyle Summers at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama. I engaged in daily and nightly hikes through Pipeline Road and Barro Colorado Island and conversed with the resident scientists about their current studies and long-term research goals on Barro Colorado Island. My experiences in the rainforest encouraged me to pursue work in wildlife biology and conservation. #science #conservation #biology #wildlife #ecology #panama #womeninstem #ornithology . [Our thanks to AOS member Angelica Reed (@angelicanreed), who's taking over this account for the week!]
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