CUR Fellows Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research Leadership

The CUR Fellows Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research Leadership annually recognizes a Class of  CUR members who are leaders and role models within the undergraduate research community and whose career represents the values and ideals represented in CUR’s Characteristics of Excellence in Undergraduate Research.

Awardees will be recognized with:

• A lapel pin
• The designation CUR Fellow of Distinction (CFD)
• An invitation to present either in person at ConnectUR or virtually during the year
• A press release for CUR and institutional websites
• Recognition during the CUR Awards Celebration
• A digital badge for email signatures and social media
• Access to the CUR elected-volunteer discount for ConnectUR

The deadline to nominate was February 17, 2026.

All submissions should be sent to CUR@CUR.org.

Eligibility:

Eligible individuals are members of CUR who demonstrate active engagement in the organization through sustained participation in its programs, governance, events, or initiatives, and who have a meaningful history of contributions to CUR over a minimum of a ten-year period. Applicants will be leaders and role models in the community of Undergraduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Investigations (UR) and have a record of achievement that extends beyond local impact, contributing to the enterprise for more than a decade as faculty and/or staff.

Applicants will need to submit:

• A curriculum vitae (CV) of no more than four pages tailored to showcase sustained excellence in undergraduate mentoring, scholarship, and leadership activities of programmatic, institutional, regional, or national scope, for at least a decade, and includes evidence of active membership and leadership in CUR.
• A first-person written narrative of no more than 1500 words that speaks to the nominee’s professional and personal commitment to UR in addition to activity within CUR. The narrative should offer examples of mentorship, scholarship, and leadership as it relates to the mission and vision of CUR. 
• Two letters of support: (1) from appropriate administrators at the institution (e.g., president, provost, research officer, dean, department leader) highlighting the nominee’s contributions to UR and (2) from someone outside of your campus who is familiar with your contributions to UR and CUR.  (Two-page limit for each letter.)

The materials were due by February 17, 2026 to CUR@CUR.org.

Evaluation of Portfolios

Portfolios will be evaluated first on meeting the standards of eligibility: CUR members who demonstrate active engagement in the organization through sustained participation in its programs, governance, events, or initiatives, and who have a meaningful history of contributions to CUR over a minimum of a ten-year period, including recent involvement. Applicants will be leaders and role models in the community of Undergraduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Investigations (UR) and have a record of achievement that extends beyond local impact, contributing to the enterprise for more than a decade as faculty and/or staff. The Review Committee will be looking for applications that demonstrate, through evidence, a sustained record of mentorship and/or facilitation, scholarship, and leadership in the areas listed below.

• Mentorship and/or Facilitation: Individuals who have sustained a track record of impact as a mentor of undergraduates and/or as a facilitator guiding, supporting, or creating opportunities for undergraduate research in one or more areas listed below.
  • Evidence of particularly effective practices for mentoring students and maintaining productive student-focused research projects.
  • Proven excellence in the development of course-based or embedded undergraduate research.
  • Expanding access and engagement for diverse student populations in undergraduate research.
  • Documented transfer or post-baccalaureate success of students who participated in mentored or facilitated undergraduate researchers.
• Scholarship: Individuals who have a record of scholarship and/or research that embraces and promotes undergraduate research. Examples might include the following:
  • Sustained record of dissemination or production of scholarship and creative activity for which mentored undergraduates are an integral part (e.g., peer-reviewed or similarly evaluated publications, conference presentations, and/or juried performances or exhibits).
  • A record of scholarship and/or research that focuses on the undergraduate research enterprise.
• Leadership: Individuals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership in establishing and fostering undergraduate research activities of programmatic, institutional, regional, or national scope. Examples of this might include:
  • Contributing to the establishment, growth, and/or sustainability of undergraduate research programs.
  • Broadening the impact of undergraduate research activities to enhance equity and inclusivity.
  • Leading curricular reform to create research-rich, research-supportive curricula.
  • Forging research collaborations or consortiums, within or across disciplines.
  • Impactful advocacy for undergraduate research resources.
  • Developing and disseminating best practices and assessment of undergraduate research impact.
• Engagement in CUR: Membership in CUR with continued and active engagement in the organization through sustained participation in its programs, governance, events, or initiatives. Examples of this could include:
  • Serving in roles such as councilor, representative, Executive Board, or President.
  • Contributing to CUR scholarship and research through its publications.
  • Participating in and leading CUR’s conferences, workshops, meetings, and CUR Community forums.
  • Serving on CUR committees, working groups, and task forces.
  • Authoring CUR policy documents, white papers, and website information.
• Awards and Recognition: The CUR Fellowship is the highest honor bestowed by the Council on Undergraduate Research. It is often preceded by others such as Division-specific mentoring awards or recognition of service.
  • Awards or other forms of recognition of undergraduate researchers whom the nominee has mentored.
  • Recognition received related to undergraduate research.
  • Institutional awards and recognition
  • Awards for service to CUR.

Expectations of CUR Fellows:

• Awardees are expected to continue to uphold the values of CUR and continue their leadership of the UR enterprise. 
• Awardees will be expected to contribute a session at virtual and/or venue-specific ConnectUR and are encouraged to bring their expertise and leadership to the broader community through CUR delivery channels in the year of their award and beyond. Delivery channels will be mutually determined after award confirmation.
• CUR Fellows are individuals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership in establishing and fostering undergraduate research activities of programmatic, institutional, regional, or national scope. Continuation of that work is expected.
• CUR Fellows serve as ambassadors for the Council on Undergraduate Research, and their experience and expertise may be called upon for initiatives to promote the mission of CUR nationally. CUR Fellows commit to being engaged and supportive of CUR and the Fellows community.

CUR Fellows Awardees

Congratulations to the 2026 Class of CUR Fellows: Tsu-Ming Chiang (Georgia College & State University), Karen T. Lee (George Mason University), Jeanne Mekolichick (Radford University), and Patricia Morreale (Kean University). Learn more about each of the awardees via our press release and then watch this video, which was shared at the 2026 CUR Award Celebration Ceremony.

For questions or additional information about the CUR Fellows Awards, please contact the CUR National Office.

Past CUR Fellows from 2000-2022 information can be found here.