CFP: Cognitive Science Society

Call for Nominations

The Robert J. Glushko Dissertation Prizes in Cognitive Science

Nomination Deadline: January 15, 2014

 
The Cognitive Science Society and the Glushko-Samuelson Foundation seek nominations for up to five outstanding dissertation prizes in cognitive science.  The goals of these prizes are to increase the prominence of cognitive science, and encourage students to engage in interdisciplinary efforts to understand minds and intelligent systems. The hope is that the prizes will recognize and honor young researchers conducting ground-breaking research in cognitive science.  The eventual goal is to aid in efforts to bridge between the areas of cognitive science and create theories of general interest to the multiple fields concerned with scientifically understanding the nature of minds and intelligent systems.  Promoting a unified cognitive science is consistent with the belief that understanding how minds work will require the synthesis of many different empirical methods, formal tools, and analytic theories.  The prize was first begun in 2011, and 2014 will occasion the induction of the fourth group of prize winners.  Up-to-date information on the prizes can be found at http://www.cognitivesciencesociety.org/about_awards_glushko.html.

 

A Description of the Prizes

1)  Up to five Robert J. Glushko Dissertation Prizes in Cognitive Science will be awarded annually.  Each prize will be accompanied by a certificate and a $10,000 award to be used by the recipient without any constraints.  Prize winners will also receive three years of complimentary membership in the Cognitive Science Society starting with the year in which they have won the prize.

2) Prize-winning dissertations are expected to transcend any one of the individual fields comprising cognitive science.   They should centrally address issues of interest to multiple fields that comprise cognitive science, including: psychology, computer science, philosophy, linguistics, anthropology, neuroscience, and education.

3) Prize-winners must have received a PhD degree no more than two years before the January 15 nomination deadline. For the 2014 prizes, dissertations will be considered from individuals who received their PhD degrees during the period from January 15, 2012 to January 15, 2014.

4) The dissertation prizes are open to any student who has conducted dissertation research related to cognitive science, regardless of nationality or originating department.

 

How to Submit

1) The deadline for nominations is January 15, 2014.  Awardees will be announced by April 15, 2014.

2) All nomination materials should be sent electronically to [email protected], in ascii, PDF, or Word format. 

A nomination dossier includes:

1. Letters of support from 3 faculty members.  The letters of support should explicitly describe how the dissertation research transcends a single field comprising cognitive science to address core issues of relevance to several fields.  We recommend that these letters refer to particular sections of the dissertation to support claims for interdisciplinary importance.
2. A curriculum vitae for the nominee
3. The dissertation itself
4. A précis of no more than 4,000 words (references are not included in the word count) written by the nominee describing the dissertation research. This description should clearly express the interdisciplinary contribution of the dissertation, suitable for review by a broad spectrum of cognitive scientists.

Glusko Prize Commitee

 
Kathleen Akins, Professor of Philosophy, Simon Fraser University, Canada

Dedre Gentner, Professor of Psychology and of Education and Social Policy, Northwestern University, United States

Maryellen MacDonald (chair), Professor of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, United States

David Plaut, Professor of Computer Science and Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, United States

Tim Shallice, Professor of Neuropsychology, University College London, England

Linda Smith, Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, United States

Shimon Ullman, Professor of Computer Science, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel

 

Acknowledgements

The Robert J. Glushko Prize is underwritten by the Glushko-Samuleson Foundation, which also underwrites the David E. Rumelhart Prize in Cognitive Science.  The prize is sponsored by the Cognitive Science Society.