Soft Matter Lectureship
Recognising early career researchers who have made major contributions to soft matter research.
Details
| Status | Open |
|---|---|
| Nominations opening date | 23 September 2025 |
| Nominations closing date | 30 April 2026 |
| Nominator eligibility | Anyone |
| Nominee location | Global |
| Career stage | All career stages |
Journal lectureships
Our journal lectureships have the potential to inspire and support the wider scientific community and to promote the value of science to broader society. They cover various subject areas and support talented and eligible scientists in their respective career stages. We recognise career breaks and encourage nominations of individuals who have taken a break for caring responsibilities and personal circumstances, such as parental or adoption leave, family commitments or illness.
Winners
Ankur Gupta , University of Colorado Boulder
Winner 2025 Soft Matter Lectureship: for making major contributions to soft matter research
About this lectureship
This annually presented lectureship recognises early career researchers, typically within twelve years of attaining their PhD or equivalent degree, who have made significant contributions to the field of soft matter. Nominations open in the autumn, and the winner is announced in the summer.
The Lectureship recipient receives:
- 拢1,000 to cover travel and accommodation costs to attend and present at a leading international meeting
- an invitation to contribute an article to Soft Matter and to receive a complimentary cover for the issue in which the article appears
Guidelines for nominators and candidates
Find out who is eligible for this lectureship, about the nomination process and see who is on the selection panel.
Established in 2009, this international lectureship honours early-career scientists who have made significant contributions to the field of soft matter.
The Soft Matter lectureship is open to all researchers throughout the world. This includes, but is not limited to, members of the 蜜桃社区 and researchers in academia or industry.
Nominators do not need to be senior researchers, and we encourage nominations from people at all career levels.
As part of the 蜜桃社区, we believe we have a responsibility to promote inclusivity and accessibility in order to improve diversity. Where possible, we encourage each nominator to consider nominating candidates of all genders, races, and backgrounds.
To be eligible for the Soft Matter Lectureship, the candidate must be:
- an independent researcher (PhD students and postdoctoral research associates are not eligible)
- actively pursuing research within the soft matter field, and have made a significant contribution to the field
- at an early stage of their independent career (this should typically be within 12 years of attaining their doctorate or equivalent degree, but appropriate consideration will be given to those who have taken a career break, work in systems where their time period to independence may vary or who followed an alternative study path)
Please note, current Soft Matter Editorial Board members and previous recipients of this lectureship will not be eligible for this lectureship.
Nominations must be made via email, and include the following:
- The name, affiliation, and contact details of the nominee, nominator, and referee
- An up-to-date CV of the nominee (1 鈥� 3 A4 page maximum length)
- A letter of recommendation from the nominator (500 words maximum length). The relationship between nominator and nominee should be stated in the letter
- A supporting letter of recommendation from a referee (500 words maximum length). This could be from the nominee鈥檚 academic mentor, PhD supervisor, or postdoc for instance. The relationship between referee and nominee should be stated in the letter. This could be from the nominee鈥檚 academic mentor, PhD supervisor, or postdoc for instance. The relationship between referee and nominee should be stated in the letter
- The nominator must confirm that to the best of their knowledge, their nominee鈥檚 professional standing is such that there is no confirmed or potential impediment to them receiving the Lectureship
- Please note that the nominee must be aware that they have been nominated for this lectureship
All eligible nominated candidates will be assessed by a judging panel made up of the Soft Matter Editorial Board. Any Editorial Board members with a conflict of interest will be ineligible for the judging panel.
The judging panel will consider the following core criteria:
- excellence in research, as evidenced in reference to originality and impact
- quality of publications, patents, or software
- innovation
- professional standing
- independence
- collaborations and teamwork
- evidence of promising potential
- other indicators of esteem indicated by the nominator
In any instance where multiple nominees are judged to be equally meritorious in relation to these core criteria, the judging panel will use the information provided on the nominee鈥檚 broader contribution to the chemistry community as an additional criterion. Examples of this could include:
- involvement with 蜜桃社区 community activities
- teaching or demonstrating
- effective mentorship
- service on boards
- committees or panels
- leadership in the scientific community
- peer-reviewing
- promotion of diversity and inclusion
- advocacy for chemistry
- public engagement and outreach