Awards & Recognition

The ESA Biogeosciences Section proudly presents three awards annually:

Junior Scientist Outstanding Publication Awards
New Phytologist Foundation Prize for Outstanding Graduate Student Talk
Student Travel Grants

1. Junior Scientist Outstanding Publication Awards

The ESA Biogeosciences Junior Scientist Outstanding Publication Awards were initiated in 2007 to promote young scientists and highlight outstanding work in the field. Two awards are presented each year. Each winner receives a $250 cash prize and formal recognition by ESA. When appropriate, an honorable mention is awarded in either category.

The Elizabeth Sulzman Award recognizes research conducted while a graduate student and published within two years of graduation. The award is named for Elizabeth Sulzman, a professor of ecosystem science and biogeochemistry at OSU who studied soil carbon cycling at the HJ Andrews LTER. She passed away in 2007.

The Gene E. Likens Award recognizes work by an early-career scientist (within five years of receiving a Ph.D.) conducted after graduate school. The award is named for Gene Likens, a limnologist and ecosystem ecologist who co-founded the Hubbard Brook LTER and the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, and pioneered watershed approaches to biogeoscience research.

Meet the 2025 Winners

Carla Reis Ely won the Likens Award for her recent paper in Nature.

Reis Ely, C.R., Perakis, S.S., Cleveland, C.C. et al. Global terrestrial nitrogen fixation and its modification by agriculture. Nature 643, 705–711 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09201-w

Congratulations, Carla!

Bo Yi won the Sulzman Award for his recent paper in Nature Sustainability.

Yi, B., Huang, W., Liebman, M. et al. Diversified cropping systems with limited carbon accrual but increased nitrogen supply. Nature Sustainability 8, 152–161 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-024-01495-4

Congratulations, Bo!

Past Winners

Gene E. Likens Award

2025 Carla Reis Ely
2024 Guopeng Liang
2023 Michala Phillips
2022 Lee Dieterich
2021 Charlotte Alster
2020 Fiona Soper
2019 Colin Averill
2018 Debjani Sihi
2017 Steve Powers
2016 Peter M. Homyak
2014 Will Wieder (honorable mention: Jinyun Tan)
2013 Park Williams
2012 Gordon Holtgrieve
2011 Ed Hall
2009 Stephen Porder (honorable mention: William Cornwell)
2008 Jennifer Funk (honorable mention: Kristina Anderson-Teixeira)
2007 Ben Houlton, Katey Walter

Elizabeth Sulzman Award

2025 Bo Yi
2023 Nikhil Chari
2022 Melinda Martinez
2021 Brittni Bertolet
2020 Mingzhen Lu (honorable mention: Anika Staccone)
2019 Andrea Jilling
2018 Justin Mathias
2017 Erin Hanan
2016 Yaling Liu
2015 Colin Averill
2014 Sarah Batterman (honorable mention: Janice Brahney)
2013 Lei Cheng
2012 Scott Morford (honorable mention: Arianne Cease)
2011 John Drake
2010 Philip Taylor
2009 Michael Strickland (honorable mention: Jia Hu)
2008 Duncan Menge (honorable mention: Ben Colman)
2007 Scott Ensign

2. New Phytologist Foundation Prize for Outstanding Graduate Student Talk

The New Phytologist Foundation Prize for Outstanding Graduate Student Talk recognizes an outstanding student oral presentation at the ESA Annual Meeting, for research conducted while a graduate student. The Section awards a $500 cash prize, generously sponsored by the New Phytologist Foundation.

Meet the 2025 Winner

Qianru Liao is the winner of the 2025 New Phytologist Presentation Award from the ESA Biogeosciences Section for her talk “Decision-making During Migration: How Lake Melting and Freezing Affect the Water Crossing of Caribou in the High Arctic.”

Congratulations, Qianru!

Past Winners

2025 Qianru Liao
2024 Emerson Conrad-Rooney
2023 Sean Khan Ooi
2022 Jon Gewirtzman
2021 Emily Stuchiner
2020 Jessie Motes
2019 Steven McBride
2018 Jamie Harrison
2017 Brooke Osborne
2016 Matthew Craig
2015 Cari Ficken
2014 Kelly Hopping
2013 Jessica Corman
2012 Bonnie Waring
2011 Sarah Evans
2010 Edward Brzostek
2009 Amy Burgin (honorable mention: Carmody “Carrie” McCalley)

3. Student Travel Awards

The Biogeosciences Section sponsors travel grants for student members to attend the ESA Annual Meeting. All student members affiliated with an accredited university are eligible to apply.

2025 Recipients

Katherina Kang and Stephanie Freund

Past Recipients

2024: Corinne Vietorisz, Shawnee Kasanke, Ambuj Mishra
2023: Meaghan Petix, Jacob Weverka
2022: Amanda Cordeiro, Evan Perkowski, Megan Wilcots, Wenguang Tang, Jennifer Holguin
2021: Joseph Edwards, Steve Gougherty, Eduard Navarro-Perez, Aral Greene, Christa Torrens, Zhe Ren, Tyler Anthony, Meaghan Petix, Dawson Fairbanks
2020: Courtney Currier, Malissa Ann Tayo, Matthew Smith, Elizabeth Forbes, Justin Gay, Abigail Lewis, Sommer Starr, Chelsea Duball
2019: Steven McBride, Michelle Wong, Tempest McCabe
2018: Anecia Gentles, Lilli Kaarakka, Covel McDermot, Cody Reed, Sasha Vivelo
2017: Daniel Casarella, Jennifer Cristiano, Rebecca Evans, Russel Hedberg, Rachel King, Brittney Monus
2016: Elizabeth August-Schmidt, Joseph Carrara, Amber Churchill, Denise Devotta, Benton Taylor, Lorna Harris

(2020 and 2021 awards were registration grants for the virtual meeting due to COVID-19.)

Award nominations are now closed for 2026. Please check back next year!

All nominations are due June 16, 2026. Email materials to esabiogeoscience@gmail.com.

Junior Scientist Outstanding Publication Awards

Awards are presented to the first author of a notable biogeosciences paper published between January of the previous year and March of the current year. The paper must have been assigned a DOI. Nominees should be members of ESA and should be or become members of the Biogeosciences Section.

Use the subject line “Sulzman Award nomination_[last name]” or “Likens Award nomination_[last name],” and include:

The paper’s citation and a PDF.
The first author’s current contact information (name and email; mailing address optional).
A statement of eligibility (e.g., current grad student / graduation date, or postdoc <5 years from Ph.D.).
A short letter of support from a colleague or advisor (sent separately unless the recommender is also the nominator).

Self-nominations are entirely appropriate, and the potential awardee need not be involved in the nomination process. We encourage all members to nominate outstanding papers they have encountered.

New Phytologist Foundation Prize

Recognizes an outstanding student presentation about plants at the ESA Annual Meeting. The talk should feature plants prominently and align with the aims and scope of New Phytologist and/or Plants, People, Planet. The winner receives a $500 cash prize. Poster presentations are not eligible.

Use the subject line “New Phytologist Prize_[last name],” and list the title of the accepted abstract, the session and time of the talk, and the presenting student’s degree sought, years to completion, and whether they have advanced to candidacy. An advisor must also email a letter of support. Self-nominations are appropriate, and the potential awardee need not be involved in the nomination process.

Student Travel Awards

The Section will give 2–4 travel awards of up to $500 to graduate students to attend the in-person Annual Meeting, judged on merit, progress toward degree, and need.

March 1, 2026: Application window opens.
June 16, 2026: Application window closes.
June 2026: Notifications sent.
August 2026: ESA Annual Meeting, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Eligibility. Applicants who received an award in the past year are not eligible. Priority goes to PhD students in the late stages of their degree. Applications exceeding the word/page limit will not be considered.

Application package. Submit one PDF to esabiogeoscience@gmail.com, plus a letter of support from the applicant’s supervisor explaining financial need and merit (may be sent separately by the supervisor). The PDF must contain:

Motivation statement (250 words max): How will this funding and attending ESA advance your career? What is your main research discipline, and why is it relevant to the biogeosciences?
Diversity statement (150 words max): Describe past or current initiatives promoting diversity in the biogeosciences, and how your future work will contribute.
Resume (half page max): Career stage, disciplinary background, and relevant publications or presentations.

Applications are scored on a 10-point scale: scientific motivation and relevance of research goals (4 points), disciplinary background and career stage (3 points), and the diversity statement (3 points).