The J. Perry Gustafson Award for Outstanding Graduate Research in the Life Sciences is awarded annually to one Ph.D. student at the University of Missouri in recognition of his or her academic achievements and the quality of his or her independent research and demonstrates great promise for achieving wider recognition.

The recipient of the J. Perry Gustafson Award for Outstanding Research in the Life Sciences will receive a one-time $2000 unrestricted award added to their stipend.

Eligibility

• Applicant must be conducting life sciences research as a graduate student in the Interdisciplinary Plant Group, the College of Veterinary Medicine, the Comparative Medicine Program, the Division of Biological Sciences, or the College of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources.
• Applicant must be a Ph.D. student and have recently passed the comprehensive examination and be more than one year away from graduation.
• Applicant must be available to accept the award in person during Life Sciences Week.

Application

The application packet shall include in the following order:

1. A completed cover sheet (signed & dated)
2. A 1-page summary of dissertation research 
3. A complete CV
4. 3 letters of reference from faculty (one must be from primary Ph.D. advisor)

Application materials must be compiled as a single PDF document and submitted as an email attachment to Melody Kroll at krollmm@missouri.edu by no later than 5:00 PM on the first Monday in October, 2022. Name the file as follows: ApplicantName_GustafsonAward.pdf (e.g., TrumanTiger_GustafsonAward.pdf)

Past Recipients of the Gustafson Award

• Marianne Slaten – 2020 Recipient
  Department: Division of Biological Sciences
• Daniel Kick – 2019 Recipient
  Department: Division of Biological Sciences
• Jon Cody – 2018 Recipient
  Department: Division of Biological Sciences