Distinguished Research Lectureship

The Distinguished Research Lectureship is among the highest honors bestowed by the faculty upon a faculty member at CU Boulder. Each year, the Research & Innovation Office requests nominations from faculty for this award, and a faculty review panel recommends one or more faculty members as recipients. 

The lectureship honors a tenured faculty member, Research Professor (Associate or full) or Adjoint Professor who has been with CU Boulder for at least five years and is widely recognized for a distinguished body of academic or creative achievement and prominence, as well as contributions to the educational and service missions of CU Boulder. Each recipient typically presents a lecture in the fall or spring following selection and receives a $2,000 honorarium.

  Past Recipients 

Nominations for the 2025-26 Distinguished Research Lectureship are due on Monday, June 16, 2025. 

  Submit a Nomination 

Christy McCain of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and the CU Museum of Natural History and Jamie Nagle of Physics have been recognized with 2024-25 Distinguished Research Lectureships. Learn more.

Eligibility

Nominees for the Distinguished Research Lectureship must be CU Boulder faculty members who are:

• Tenured members of the faculty, Research Professors (Associate or full) or Adjoint Professors, and have been at CU Boulder for at least five years,
• Extremely distinguished nationally/internationally for scholarship, research and creative work,
• Highly regarded for contributions to the University of Colorado Boulder and to its national/international reputation.

Nomination Procedure

Any faculty member may nominate another faculty member by submitting to the Vice Chancellor for Research & Innovation the appropriate supporting materials, including:

• Nominator & Nominee Name and Department,
• A statement (2-3 pages) explaining the importance of the nominee’s research or creative work in his/her field and summarizing the research record,
• A current record of the nominee’s accomplishments or current CV,
• A limited number of letters of recommendation (3-5) from experts outside CU Boulder (as well as inside letters if appropriate) (to be submitted combined as one PDF).
• If an applicant is not a recipient, the submission will be in a pool of submissions for the following year. It may be appended as necessary before the next application deadline.

  Submit a Nomination 

Basis of Awards

The selection of the Distinguished Research Lecturer is based on the research and creative record of the nominee as presented in the nomination application and as recognized by experts in the field.

Questions? Please contact rio@colorado.edu.