Nominations and Applications
For the following awards, nominate students or apply via InfoReady:
- Dr. Roberto Fabri Fialho Research Award
- Graduate Teaching Assistant of the Year
- Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award
- Outstanding Master’s Thesis Awrd
- Rodney L. Parsons Anatomy and Neurobiology Award
- Thomas J. Votta Graduate Scholarship
2024-2025 Dr. Roberto Fabri Fialho Research Award
The Fialho Research Award is given annually to a University of Vermont doctoral student in support of their research in areas related to ecology, evolution, population genetics, or animal behavior. The funds are awarded in memory of Roberto Fabri Fialho, Ph.D., Biology.
- Leslie Spencer, Food Systems Ph.D. Program
2024-2025 Graduate Teaching Assistant of the Year
Graduate Teaching Assistant of the Year Awards recognize the accomplishments of GTAs who have demonstrated unusual excellence and creativity in their teaching and commitment to student learning. Outstanding GTAs are nominated by their programs and departments.
- Thomas Samuel O'Leary, Biology PhD Program (Laboratory/Field Instruction Category)
2024-2025 Outstanding Master's Thesis/Doctoral Dissertation Award
The Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award recognizes exceptional work on behalf of a doctoral student, as demonstrated by their dissertation, including significant contributions to their field of study.
- Alireza Fath, Ph.D., “Integration and Performance Assessment of Cyber-Physical Systems for Structural Health Monitoring: A Framework for Enhanced Human Building Interaction and Structural Maintenance”, Mechanical Engineering Ph.D. Program
Advisor: Dryver R. Huston, Ph.D.
The Outstanding Master's Thesis Award recognizes exceptional work on behalf of a Master’s student, as demonstrated by their thesis, including significant contributions to their field of study.
- No nominations for 2024-2025
2024-2025 Planetary Health PhD Student Research Awards
- Gwen Ellis, Biology Ph.D. Program
- Alison Hall, Biology Ph.D. Program
2024-2025 Rodney L. Parsons Anatomy and Neurobiology Award
Dr. Rodney L. Parsons joined UVM as Assistant Professor of Physiology in 1967. In 1979, he became chair of the then Department of Anatomy and re-purposed it to establish one of the first Anatomy and Neurobiology departments in the country. He was the founding and only chair of that department, which merged with the Department of Neurology in 2012 to become the Department of Neurological Sciences, integrating basic and clinical science under one department. The goal of the Parsons Award is to support outstanding graduate students who demonstrate excellence in both neuroscience research and teaching in any broadly defined anatomical science, the disciplines which Dr. Parsons played a key role in the growth and evolution of at UVM.
- Ryan Hunt, Neuroscience PhD Program
2024-2025 Three Minute Thesis Competition
The Three Minute Thesis (3MT) is an internationally recognized research communication competition that challenges Ph.D. students to present a compelling oration on their research project and its significance in just 180 seconds, in language accessible to a non-specialist audience. UVM’s 3MT is a celebration of the discoveries made by our Ph.D. students and will allow the broader community to learn about ongoing research at UVM.
- 1st Place: Leslie Spencer, Food Systems, “How to Save the Wild Bees?”
Co-Advisors: Drs Stephanie Hurley & Taylor Ricketts - 2nd Place: Abigail Myers, Neuroscience, “A Biological Fix for Broken Clocks: Realigning Circadian Health With Living Cells”
Advisor: Dr. James Stafford - People’s Choice Award: Daniel Penados Richter, Biology: “Stop, Go, Grow: Molecular Badges on the Traffic‑Cop Protein”
Advisor: Dr. Bryan Ballif
2024-2025 Thomas J. Votta Scholarship
The Thomas J. Votta Memorial Fund has been established by the friends and family of Tom Votta to provide annual scholarship assistance to UVM graduate students in the Grossman School of Business, College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, or Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources who, like Tom, wish to make a difference in solving environmental problems and using environmental best practices to meet this goal.
- Annabelle Stanley, Natural Resources Ph.D. Program
Roberto Fabri Fialho Research Award Recipients
- 2024 - Anna Schmidt, Biology Ph.D Program
- 2023 - Maia Austin, Biology Graduate Program
- 2022 - Csenge Petak, Biology Graduate Program
- 2021 - Erika Bueno, Plant and Soil Science
- 2020 - Raquel Asuncion Lima Cordon, Biology
- 2019 - Emily Mikucki, Biology
- 2018 - Lauren Ash, Biology
- 2017 - Allison Hrycik, Biology
- 2016 - Susan Fawcett, Plant Biology
- 2015 - Samantha Alger, Biology
- 2014 - Michael Herrmann, Biology
- 2012 - Ashley Steere, Biochemistry
- 2010 - Chun Yang, Biology
- 2009 - Laura Bermingham, Biology
Graduate Teaching Assistant Award Recipients
- 2024 - Sarah Days-Merrill, Mathematical Sciences PHD Program (Lecture Instruction Category)
- 2024 - Bertrand Black, Plant Biology PhD Program (Laboratory/Field Instruction Category)
- 2023 - Michael VanNostrand, Human Functioning and Rehabilitation Science (Lecture Instruction Category)
- 2023 - Emily Beasley, Biology PhD Program (Laboratory/Field Instruction Category)
- 2022 - Colin Giles, Mathematics Doctoral Program (Lecture Instruction Category)
- 2022 - Lily Shapiro, Biology Master's Program (Laboratory/Field Instruction Category)
- 2021 - Wilson Captein, Clinical Psychology Program (Laboratory/Field Instruction Category)
- 2021 - Calum Buchanan, Mathematical Sciences (Lecture Instruction Category)
- 2020 - Patrick Mullins, Mathmatics and Statistics (Lecture Instruction Category)
- 2020 - Bijay K.C., Civil and Environmental Engineering (Laboratory/Field Instruction Category)
- 2019 - Bijay K C, M.S., Civil and Environmental Engineering Doctoral Program (Laboratory/Field Instruction Category)
- 2019 - Patrick Mullins, Mathematics Master’s Program (Lecture Instruction Category)
- 2018 - Lauren Ash, Biology Graduate Program (Laboratory/Field Instruction Category)
- 2018 - Cassie van Stolk-Cooke, Clinical Psychology Graduate Program (Primary Instruction Category)
- 2017 - Virginia Peisch, Clinical Developmental Psychology Program (Primary Instruction Category)
- 2017 - Emily Mikucki, Biology Graduate Program (Laboratory Instruction Category)
- 2016 - Abigail Ross, Complex Systems and Data Science (Lecture Instruction Category)
- 2016 - Nicholas D’Alberto, Neuroscience Graduate Program (Laboratory Instruction Category)
- 2015 - Nicole Lafko, Psychology
- 2014 - Alice Newman, Geology, and Vincent M. Mugisha, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies
- 2013 - Benjamin Green, Animal Science, and Taylor Sacco, English
- 2012 - Amy Paysnick, Psychology
- 2011 - Julia McQuade, Psychology
- 2010 - Kirsten Stor, Mathematical Sciences
- 2009 - Victoria Marini, Psychology
- 2008 - Derek Strong, Anatomy and Neurobiology
- 2007 - Amanda Getsinger, Geology
- 2006 - Patricia Connolly, English
- 2005 - Krishnan Venkataraman, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics
- 2004 - Stevenson Flemer, Jr., Chemistry
Outstanding Thesis and Dissertation Award Recipients
Dissertation Category
- 2024 - Brett Meyer, (Senior Data Scientist, Medidata Solutions) Ph.D. in Complex Systems and Data Science
- 2023 - Lubin Liang, Materials Science
- 2022 - Mariana Wingood, Interprofessional Health Sciences Program (Social Sciences, Humanities, and Creative Arts Category)
- 2022 - Reed Gurchiek, Mechanical Engineering (Basic and Applied Sciences Category)
- 2021 - Loren Bowley Dow, ELPS Program (Social Sciences, Humanities, and Creative Arts Category)
- 2021 - Sam Kriegman, Computer Science (Basic and Applied Science Category)
- 2020 - Elias M. Klemperer, Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program
- 2019 - Sarah E. Cleary, Chemistry Graduate Program
- 2018 - Rajiv Jumani, Cellular, Molecular and Biomedical Sciences
- 2017 - Tianxin Miao, Bioengineering
Thesis Category
- 2024 - Juniper M. Oxford, M.A., Master of Arts in History
- 2023 - Alexandra Perlow, Master of Arts in English
- 2022 - Ben Liebman, Master of Science in Pharmacology Program
- 2021 - Jo Martin, Mathematics Master’s Program
- 2020 - Mauricio Pereira, Mechanical Engineering Master’s Program
- 2019 - Lukas Adamowicz, Mechanical Engineering Graduate Program
- 2017 - Social Sciences/Humanities - Caitlin Morgan, Food Systems
- 2017 - STEM/Health Discipline - Alison Denn, Geology
Rodney L. Parsons Anatomy and Neurobiology Award Recipients
- 2024 - Lillian Russo-Savage, Neuroscience Graduate Program
- 2023 - Helaina R. Stergas, Biology Graduate Program
- 2021 - Melissa Boucher, Neuroscience
- 2020 - Patrick Mullen, Neuroscience
- 2019 - Katharine Beca, Neuroscience
- 2018 - Megan Perkins, Neuroscience
- 2017 - Riley St. Clair, Neuroscience
- 2016 - Estelle Spear, Neuroscience
Three Minute Thesis Competition Award Recipients
2024
- First Place - Alison Hall (Biology): “The World is Changing; How Do the Littlest Cope?”
- Second Place - Amber Goerner (CMB): “Investigating Host Pathogen Interactions in Chronic Toxoplasma Gondii Infection”
- People’s Choice Award - Morgan Southgate (Plant Biology): “Branching In As Well As Out: An Ecological Story of Fern Hybridization”
Thomas J. Votta Scholarship Recipients
- 2024 - Meg Fay, Master of Science Program in Civil and Environmental Engineering
- 2023 - Daniel Pratson, Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources
- 2022 - Liza Morse, Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources
- 2022 - Taylor Smith, Sustainable Innovation, Grossman School of Business
- 2021 - Elizabeth Duffy, College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences
- 2020 - Taran Catania, Sustainable Innovation, Grossman School of Business
- 2020 - Kristin Raub, Gund Graduate Fellow, Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources
- 2019 - Joseph Ament, Gund Graduate Fellow, Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources
- 2018 - Bonnie Reese, Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources
- 2017 - Jack Reed, College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences
- 2016 - Courtney Hammond Wagner, Rubenstein School of Natural Resources
- 2015 - Samnuel Parker, Rubenstein School of Natural Resources
- 2014 - Chester Harvey, Rubenstein School of Natural Resources
- 2014 - Laura Yayac, Field Naturalist and Ecological Planning
- 2012 - Julie Nash, Rubenstein School of Natural Resources
Sustainable Campus Fund Research Project Proposals Recipients
Previously Known as The Clean Energy Fund
- 2021
- Masoumeh Khodaverdi, Plant Biology Program
- Hannah Lacasse, Department of Community Development and Applied Economics
- Hannah Shafer, Plant Biology Program
- Patrick Shafer, Food Systems Graduate Program
- 2020 - Irfan Tahir, Mechanical Engineering Graduate Program
- 2020 - Ceres Rafiq, Materials Science Graduate Program
- 2019 - Libin Lian, Materials Science
- 2018 - Lindsay Barbieri, Natural Resources; Alex Neidermeier, Natural Resources; Robin Rice, Materials Science