Dissertation Award

The SNL Dissertation Award was established to honor researchers who completed outstanding research leading to their PhDs and hold the promise of making significant contributions to the field. SNL awards one Dissertation Award each year at the annual meeting. The recipient is selected from among nominations put forward by the membership.

Award Eligibility

To be eligible, an applicant must conduct research into the neurobiology of language and must defend their dissertation in the year between last year's and this year's SNL meetings. For SNL 2026, anyone who has defended or will defend their dissertation between July 1, 2025 and September 14, 2026 can apply.

Nominations

Nominations must be made by a current SNL member. Self-nominations are welcome. Nominations are open from April 2, 2026 through May 4, 2026.

Nominations are reviewed by an Award Committee consisting of SNL members. Members of the Award Committee and of the current SNL Board cannot serve as nominators.

Nominations should include:

• A CV
• A short (1000 word) description of the nominee’s research during their PhD
• Up to three significant publications
• One letter of recommendation either from the primary academic advisor or another academic familiar with their work should comment on the independence/creativity of the student in their dissertation work and speak to the applicant's research potential

The Award Committee announces the recipient approximately one month following the nomination deadline. The award is presented at the SNL Annual Meeting. The winner receives a prize of $1,000 and is invited to deliver a presentation of their work at the Annual Meeting.

Award Schedule

Nominations Open: April 2, 2026
Nominations Close:  May 4, 2026
Recipient Announced: June 19, 2026