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The Adam Weiler PGR Impact Award

Recognising and celebrating outstanding academic impact among postgraduate researchers

The Adam Weiler Impact Award is available to exceptional researchers currently registered for a postgraduate research degree at Sussex, who demonstrate the potential to achieve outstanding impact in their field. 

The annual award is offered as the result of a generous donation to the University in memory of Adam Weiler, a former student at Sussex. 

On offer are four top prizes of £1,000 and four runner-up prizes of £500, with categories for each of the three disciplines plus clinical projects.

Winners will present their work at SussexDocFest on Thursday 6 June, and will be presented at the Summer of Research awards ceremony on Tuesday 18 June.

Researchers must be nominated by their supervisor or the Director of Doctoral Studies in their School, and the prize money must be put towards the recipient's research.  

Guidance for nominations

Supervisors or Directors of Doctoral Studies are invited to submit nominations for postgraduate researchers (PGRs) who are able to demonstrate the following:

• Notable innovation in research (e.g. use of innovative methods for conducting research, or conducting research on a highly innovative topic)

• Conducting high-quality research with significant or ground-breaking implications for theory or practice, or important implications beyond academia

• Evidence of outstanding public engagement or other knowledge transfer activity, going beyond the simple dissemination of their research

• Evidence of exceptional achievement during their postgraduate research (e.g. writing journal articles or conference papers, leading research groups, involvement in national bodies, influencing policy etc.)

Evidence or a clear statement must be provided for each criterion. See the list of previous winners for examples of the impact PGRs can make.

A nominee may not meet all four criteria but can still receive an award if they are exceptional in other categories.

This year's deadline for nominations is Monday 6 May at 5pm.

If you have any questions about the nomination form or the award, please contact researcher-development@sussex.ac.uk.

Selection process

Nominations will be assessed according to the degree to which the postgraduate researcher meets the eligibility criteria outlined in the Guidance for nominations section above.

Membership of the 2024 selection panel is still to be confirmed. In 2023 the panel was:

• Dr Miroslav Chlebik, Director of Doctoral Studies for the School of Mathematical & Physical Sciences
• Prof Lucy Robinson, Associate Dean of Doctoral Studies for the School of Media, Arts & Humanities
• Dr Natalia Slutskaya, Director of Doctoral Studies for the Business School

Terms and conditions

Awards are offered subject to the following terms and conditions:

• The recipient must identify an existing School or department budget code to which the funds will be transferred, or organise reimbursement of funds from the Sussex Researcher School (SRS) once items have been purchased. 
• The awarded funds must be used towards the recipient's research (for example conference attendance or purchase of essential equipment).
• The awarded funds must be spent in a timely manner, within six months of the award at the latest.
• Award recipients will be asked to present their work at an event during SussexDocFest on Thursday 6 June, and to contribute to a news story for the SRS blog and/or University website, where the recipient will be interviewed about their research and the impact of winning the award.