Awards

Nomination guidelines for the Robert J. Trumpler Award*

Purpose

The Robert J. Trumpler Award of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific is given each year to a recent recipient of the PhD degree in North America whose research is considered unusually important to astronomy.

Eligibility

To be considered for the Trumpler Award, a nominees Ph.D. must have been awarded within two years of the time of the nomination and most or all of the thesis must have been published in a recognized journal.

Nomination Requirements

Nominations will be accepted from any professional member of the astronomical community.

Submissions must include:

• Resume or CV of the nominee
• Nominator letter of no more than two pages explaining in detail the specific contributions and achievements of the nominee that merit the Award. Appropriate journal citations to the scientific results must be included.
• Two independent letters of support (also no more than two pages each) for each nomination.

Letters for the Trumpler Award should discuss the specific new research accomplishments in the PhD thesis and the extent of independence exhibited by the nominee in the choice and execution of the thesis research. Letters should also share insight into effective collaborative skills demonstrated by the nominee. 

New for 2025: Nominations will no longer require Institutions to submit the nominations. In addition, multiple nominees can come from the same Institution.

Due Date

For a new nomination to be considered in any particular year, all nomination documents must be received by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific by March 15* of that year. Exceptions will be noted that year.

*Beginning in 2023, the new submission deadline for all ASP Awards is March 15.

Selection

All nominations are reviewed by the Awards Committee appointed by the Board of Directors of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. The Awards Committee recommends a recipient of the Award to the Board of Directors, which then makes the final selection. The Award recipient will be notified in the summer of the award year. If, in the opinion of the Awards Committee, none of the nominees is sufficiently outstanding, or if there are an insufficient number of nominations, the Award will not be given for the year in question.

The Award

The Award includes a $500 cash award, an award plaque, and travel expenses to attend the ASP Awards Gala.

Contact the Awards team if you have any questions or need more information.

Nominations close each year on March 15 8:59pm PT

*Nomination Guidelines have been updated as of December, 2024.