Only faculty can nominate students.
The deadline for nominations is Wednesday, April 1, 2026.

All faculty letters of support and nomination materials must be submitted to graddeans@graddiv.ucsb.edu. Please include "Mathematics, Physical Sciences, and Engineering Lancaster Dissertation Competition" in the subject line of your email.

Submit Letters and Nomination Materials Here
 

Competition Requirements

  • Doctoral degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Computer Science, Earth Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Environmental Science and Management, Mathematics, Material Science, Mechanical Engineering, Media Arts and Technology, Physics, OR Statistics
  • To be eligible for this year’s competition, the effective date of the degree awarded, or the completion of the doctoral degree requirements and dissertation, must lie in the period of July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2026.

Nominations must include:

  • Nomination cover sheet
  • An abstract of the nominee’s dissertation (not to exceed five double-spaced pages). Appendices containing other material, such as charts, tables, and/or references, may be included as additional pages (not to exceed five pages).
  • Three letters of recommendation evaluating the significance and quality of the nominee’s dissertation work. One of these letters is to be from the nominee's dissertation supervisor, another from a member of the nominee's dissertation committee, and the third from a person of the nominee's choice.

  • The nominee’s curriculum vitae (not to exceed five pages).

Award Details

One dissertation will be selected for each of the two categories. The two Lancaster Award dissertations will be entered into a national competition sponsored by the Council of Graduate Schools. Award recipients will be members of the Graduate Division Commencement Ceremony’s Platform Party, where they will be presented with a medal and a check for $1,000.

Selection Process and Criteria

  • A subcommittee of the Graduate Council will review entries.
  • The winner will be selected based on content of dissertation abstract and letters of recommendation.
  • Criteria for selection: Impact on field in terms of methodological and substantive contributions.