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

Ned K. Johnson Early Investigator Award

ned johnson, aos award namesake

The AOS Ned K. Johnson Early Investigator Award recognizes outstanding and promising work by a researcher early in their career in any field of ornithology. It consists of a certificate, $1,500 honorarium, 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.
  • The nominee’s doctorate degree must have been received anytime between 2015–2018. Individuals who received their terminal degree in 2014 are also eligible in cases of parental leave.
  • Have not received the award previously.

Submit a Nomination for the Johnson Award

Nominations for the Johnson Award are open and due by 15 January 2022.

Nominations must be submitted through our online Member Portal.

  • The page linked above will direct you to a login screen. If you have previously created an account in our Member Portal, enter your user name and password. After logging in, you will be redirected to the Ned K. Johnson Award nomination page.
  • If you have not previously created an account, click Register Now on the lower right to set up your profile.

Nominations for the Johnson Award require: 1) a 1,000-word summary of why the candidate should be considered for the award (plain-text format), and 2) a current CV of the candidate  (no length limit; acceptable file types include pdf, doc, and docx).

Previous Winners

2021   Luis Sandoval & Sahas Barve
2020  Sara Kaiser & Jennifer Walsh
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