·¬ÇÑÉçÇø

Eligibility

Individuals named in any of the following roles during the nomination and judging period are not eligible to nominate, be nominated or provide a reference:

• Dalton Prize Selection Panel members
• ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø Subject Community Presidents
• ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø Prize Committee members
• Trustees of the ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø of Chemistry
• ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø of Chemistry staff 

Nominators:

• Only ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø members can nominate for this prize.
• Nominees may NOT nominate themselves.

Nominees:

• The prize is open to nominees working in the UK and Ireland only.
• Nominees should typically be within two years of completion of their PhD at the close of nominations (for further details, see information below and in the ‘Guidelines for Nominators’ section). 
  • Nomination material may outline achievements during the nominee’s PhD, as well as work carried out during the subsequent two-year period.
• Nominees can only be considered for one of our Research & Innovation Prizes in any given year. In a case where a nominee is nominated for more than one prize independently, ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø staff will ask the nominee which prize they would like to be considered for.
• We will not consider nominations of deceased individuals.

Career stage guidance

• After fully taking account of any career breaks or interruptions, nominees will typically be within two years of completion of their PhD at the closing date for nominations.
  • Nominators will be asked to provide details of the nominee's professional experience, in relation to the above criteria (see ‘Guidelines for Nominators’). The selection panel will consider this information in relation to the eligibility criteria, and they have the discretion to consider any nomination for a different prize under their remit.
• We particularly encourage nominations of disabled people, those who work part-time, or whose career has spanned a break for any reason – for example, a period of parental or adoption leave, caring responsibilities, long-term illness, family commitments, or other circumstances. We understand that these can impact a nominee’s career in different ways, and encourage nominators to use the space provided on the nomination form to explain the nature and impact of the nominees’ individual circumstances (see 'Guidelines for Nominators' for further details).

General information

• When nominating previous ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø prize winners, please remember that a person cannot be awarded twice for substantially the same body of work.
• Nominees should only be nominated once for this prize in any given prize cycle. In cases where we receive more than one nomination for the same nominee, only one nomination will go forward to judging.
• All unsuccessful nominations from the previous cycle will be retained on our nomination system ahead of the next cycle. To be considered again, nominators must log in, update details, and resubmit the nomination for the following cycle. Please note that reconsideration is no longer automatic. 
  • ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø staff will write to nominators and nominees to confirm when the nomination window has re-opened. Nominators will receive instructions on how to log in and update the nomination.

Submitting your nomination

Please use our online nominations system to submit the following information:

• Your name, contact details, and ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø membership number (please contact the ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø Membership team if you do not know your membership details).Your ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø membership must be confirmed at the point of nomination – it is not sufficient to have a membership application in process. The identity of nominators is not made known to our judging panels. The ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø reserves the right to amend nominations if necessary to ensure the anonymity of the nominator.
• Your nominee's name and contact details.
• An up to date CV for the nominee (no longer than one A4 side, 11pt text) which should include a summary of their education and career, and a maximum of 5 relevant publications or patents.
• Information relating to your nominee’s career and professional experience, which will be shared with the selection panel. Before doing so, ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø staff will always seek consent from the nominee in cases where special category data is mentioned. Please make sure that you provide enough information for the selection panel to understand the nature and impact of any time away from research.
  • Date (month and year) of the start of their PhD.
  • Details (dates and time periods) of any part-time work, time away from research, career breaks or interruptions – for example, parental/adoption leave, caring responsibilities, long-term illness, family commitments, etc.
  • Any other circumstances not captured above – for example, long-term conditions, disabilities, etc., that you would like the selection panel to be aware of and consider.
• A short citation describing what the nominee should be awarded for. This must be no longer than 250 characters (including spaces) and no longer than one sentence.
• A supporting statement (up to 750 words) addressing the selection criteria. Our guidance for nominators page has more information on writing this supporting statement.
• A statement (up to 100 words) describing how your nominee has contributed more broadly to the scientific community. A list of possible examples is outlined in the ‘selection criteria’ tab.
• The name and contact details of one referee. The referee might be the nominee's post-doc or PhD supervisor, line manager, project manager or mentor:
  • The reference should be a maximum of 750 words. Referees will be asked to state their relationship (if any) with the nominee and note any conflicts of interest.
  • All references must be submitted through the online system by the reference deadline, 21 January, 17:00 GMT. Nominations will not go forward to judging without a completed reference. Please ensure you submit your referee's details in plenty of time, to allow them sufficient opportunity to provide their reference.
  • As soon you submit your referee’s details, they will receive an automated e-mail with a link to submit their reference. Please contact us as soon as possible if you experience any issues with this.
  • It is the nominator’s responsibility to ensure that the referee is aware of the nomination, that they should expect an e-mail invitation to submit their reference, and that they are aware of what is required to ensure that the reference is submitted before the deadline.
  • All referees will receive one e-mail reminder from ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø staff in the week before the reference deadline.

The ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø reserves the right to rescind any prize if there are reasonable grounds to do so. All nominators will be asked to confirm that to the best of their knowledge there is no impediment, relating to professional conduct, to their nominee receiving this prize. All prize winners will be asked to sign the ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø’s Code of Conduct Declaration for Recognition.

Our selection panels base their evaluations on the overall quality of relevant contributions and achievements by nominees, in relation to the selection criteria listed below.

The scientific content of any supporting publications, as described in the supporting statement, is much more important than publication metrics or the identity of the journal in which it is published.

The selection panel will consider the following aspects of nominations for this prize:

• Originality of research
• Impact of research
• Quality of publications and/or patents and/or software
• Innovation
• Professional standing
• Independence
• Collaborations and teamwork
• Other indicators of esteem indicated by the nominator/referee

In an instance where multiple nominees are judged equally meritorious in relation to the above criteria, judging panels have the flexibility to use information provided by the nominator on the nominee’s broader contribution to the chemistry community as an additional criterion.

Examples of relevant contributions could include, but are not limited to:

• Involvement with ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø of Chemistry member groups/networks
• Teaching/demonstrating/mentoring
• Service on committees
• Leadership
• Promotion of diversity and inclusion
• Advocacy for chemistry
• Public engagement and outreach

Previously the Laurie Vergnano Award, then the Dalton Young Researchers Award, the Dalton Emerging Researcher Prize commemorates the chemist, physicist and meteorologist John Dalton. 

Born in 1766 to a poor family in Cockermouth, Cumberland, Dalton received his education at a Quaker School where he later became a teacher. After two years teaching and a period of farming he left his village to first become an assistant, and then joint manager, at his cousin's school in Kendal. Whilst there he kept a meteorological diary spanning 15 years and also offered up solutions posed in the mathematical periodicals Ladies' Diary and Gentleman's Diary. His teaching years continued as he moved to Manchester in 1793 and then York in 1799, during which time he taught maths, natural philosophy and chemistry.

His academic contributions ranged from publishing Meteorological Observations and Essays in 1793, to discussing "Daltonism" (colour-blindness), and presenting significant papers entitled Experimental Essays focusing on gas expansion and changes of state. Dalton's most significant work, investigating the physical properties of gases, along with ideas from other chemists such as Lavoisier and Higgins, led to the development of modern atomic theory and the production of the first table of atomic weights.

Following election to the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society in 1794, he contributed 116 memoirs including an explanation of volumetric analysis, became secretary in 1880 and finally President in 1817. His fellowships included the ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø, the ·¬ÇÑÉçÇø of Edinburgh and the French Academy of Scientists. Dalton died in 1844; however he showed his ever inquisitive spirit, asking for scientists to study his eyes after death to better understand his colour-blindness.