Call for FAN Awards 2024

► Call completed November 2023

The FAN Awards for early career researchers give recognition to the outstanding scientific achievements of advanced PhD candidates and early postdoctoral researchers (i.e., four academic years after completion of the dissertation, excluding parental leave) at UZH engaged in research projects of societal relevance and applying inter- or transdisciplinary approaches or methods. Three prizes are awarded for the areas of Arts and Social Sciences, Law and Economics and for Medicine and Sciences.

Submitted applications are evaluated based on the following criteria:

1. Scientific quality
2. First research results while at UZH (e.g. publications, conference papers)
3. Originality/ innovation
4. Societal relevance of the research work (see below for details)
5. Inter- or transdisciplinarity approaches (see below for details)

The nominees must carry out their research at UZH at the time of the nomination.
The prizes are endowed with CHF 5’000 each. The awards ceremony will take place at a public event.

The prizes are awarded by a scientific jury, consisting of three professorial members of UZH, representing the three scientific areas, and a representative each from Fonds zur Förderung des akademischen Nachwuchses and the Office for Gender Equality and Diversity at UZH.

The nomination follows a two-stage process:

Stage 1: All professors are invited to propose one qualified junior researcher to their respective faculty. Applications can be submitted to the respective dean's office. The deadlines are as follows:

• Faculty of Theology: 1 November 2023
• Faculty of Law: 1 November 2023
• Faculty of Business, Economics and Informatics: 1 November 2023
• Faculty of Medicine: 15 October 2023
• Vetsuisse Faculty: 1 November 2023
• Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences: 15 October 2023
• Faculty of Science: 1 November 2023

Applications include:

• One-page summary of the project highlighting the most important results
• Short description of how the five criteria mentioned above are fulfilled
• 1-2 page CV of the candidate including a list of publications, the e-mail address and the phone number 

The documents can be submitted in either German or English.

Depending on the faculty, professors are asked to send the nomination documents per Email to the following persons:

• Faculty of Theology: Patrizia Stadler von Ah
  dekanat(at)trf.uzh.ch
• Faculty of Law: Irene Schildknecht
  nachwuchs(at)ius.uzh.ch 
• Faculty of Business, Economics and Informatics: Stephanie Raimander
  stab(at)oec.uzh.ch
• Faculty of Medicine: Silvia Herren
  silvia.herren(at)uzh.ch
• Vetsuisse Faculty: Marlen Tschudin
  dekanat(at)vetadm.uzh.ch 
• Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences: Selena Rhinisperger 
  dekanat(at)phil.uzh.ch
• Faculty of Science: Thierry Hennet, Dean of Studies
  studiendekan(at)mnf.uzh.ch 

Stage 2: Thereafter, each faculty nominates 1-2 candidates to the Graduate Campus. In the case of two nominations, at least one has to be a female nominee. The nomination documents should include a supporting statement of the Dean of the respective faculty.

Based on the application documents, the jury will invite the selected nominees to briefly present their projects in January 2024. Afterwards the jury will decide on the award winners.

Societal relevance

We consider socially relevant research not only as applied research, but above all as the investigation of topic areas related to pertinent issues and challenges of our society.

Inter- or transdisciplinarity approaches

We refer to the following definition of interdisciplinarity which includes also transdisciplinary research: "Interdisciplinary research (IDR) is a mode of research by teams or individuals that integrates information, data, techniques, tools, perspectives, concepts, and/or theories from two or more disciplines or bodies of specialized knowledge to advance fundamental understanding or to solve problems whose solutions are beyond the scope of a single discipline or area of research practice." Source: Facilitating Interdisciplinary Research (2004), National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering and Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, The National Academies Press 306, Washington, D.C., p. 188.