John Dawson Award for Excellence in Plasma Physics Research
The John Dawson Award for Excellence in Plasma Physics Research recognizes a particular recent outstanding achievement in plasma physics research. The award consists of $5,000 to be divided equally in the case of multiple recipients, and includes a certificate citing the contributions made by the recipient or recipients, and an allowance for registration and travel to the Division of Plasma Physics Annual Meeting. It will be awarded annually.
Prior to 2007, this award was originally named Award for Excellence in Plasma Physics.
Rules and eligibility
Nominations are open to scientists of all nationalities regardless of the geographical site at which the work was done. It may be a given to a set of individuals as well as to individual scientists, as appropriate, to honor those who make essential contributions to the cited research achievement. Nominations will be considered for three review cycles provided the nominator re-certifies the nomination before the next deadline.
Process and selection
The nomination package must include:
- A letter of not more than 5,000 characters evaluating the qualifications of the nominee(s)
In addition, the nomination should include:
- A biographical sketch
- A list of the most important publications
- At least two, but not more than four, seconding letters
- Up to five reprints or preprints
Establishment and support
This award was established in 1981 with support from friends of the Division of Plasma Physics. Since 2007, UCLA has provided generous funding made possible through donations from family, friends, and colleagues of John Dawson.
Recent recipients
Eric Sonnendrücker
2023 recipient
For establishing and shaping the field of structure-preserving geometric algorithms for plasma physics.
Hong Qin
2023 recipient
For establishing and shaping the field of structure-preserving geometric algorithms for plasma physics.
Philip J. Morrison
2023 recipient
For establishing and shaping the field of structure-preserving geometric algorithms for plasma physics.
National Ignition Facility’s (NIF) Burning Plasma Team
2022 recipient
For the first laboratory demonstration of a burning deuterium-tritium plasma where alpha heating dominates the plasma energetics.
Fionn D Malone
2021 recipient
For developing Monte Carlo methods that overcome the fermion sign problem, leading to the first ab initio data for an electron gas under warm dense matter conditions.
The membership of APS is diverse and global, and the nominees and recipients of APS Honors should reflect that diversity so that all are recognized for their impact on our community. Nominations of members belonging to groups traditionally underrepresented in physics, such as women, LGBT+ scientists, scientists who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), disabled scientists, scientists from institutions with limited resources, and scientists from outside the United States, are especially encouraged.
Nominees for and holders of APS Honors (prizes, awards, and fellowship) and official leadership positions are expected to meet standards of professional conduct and integrity as described in the APS Ethics Guidelines. Violations of these standards may disqualify people from consideration or lead to revocation of honors or removal from office.