IACS New Recruit Award
At the Institute for Advanced Computational Science, our goal is to provide a springboard for students to reach for and obtain optimal career opportunities associated with the relevant emerging fields of graduate study. The New Recruit Award is a competitively-selected recruitment incentive to help Stony Brook bring in stellar students with outstanding potential - indicated, for instance, by high undergraduate GPA, strong letters of recommendation, an active research record, and an interest in computation.
Who is eligible?
The applicant’s background, and plans for study and research, must be aligned with research currently undertaken by a core or affiliate faculty member of the IACS Nominees must be new, incoming, full-time doctoral graduate students who will receive full financial support from their home department and/or advisor. The departments whose students are eligible for this award are:
| Applied Math and Statistics | Mechanical Engineering |
| Art | Music |
| Biomedical Informatics | Neurobiology and Behavior |
| Chemistry | Physics and Astronomy |
| Civil Engineering | Political Science |
| Computer Science | Psychology |
| Ecology and Evolution | School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) |
| Electrical and Computer Engineering | School of Social Welfare |
| Geoscienes | Sociology |
| Linguistics | Technology, AI, and Society |
| Materials Science and Engineering |
This award is available to both domestic and foreign students.
What does the award provide?
In addition to the benefits of direct affiliation with IACS, including a desk in our Grad Bay, the IACS New Recruit Award provides an allowance to be used for research-related expenses, such as conference travel and equipment. In Year 1, awardees receive a $3,000 allowance. If renewed for a second year, the awardee allowance is an additional $2,000. In general, award funds must be spent in the award year they were issued, and do not carry over from year to year.
IACS award recipients will also:
- Be assigned an IACS mentor in addition to their departmental/program advisor(s),
- Be identified on the IACS website and in IACS publications, and
- Have their work highlighted in IACS workshop and conference proceedings.
What are our expectations?
IACS New Recruit Award winners will
- Participate in student organized activities, including IACS Student Association and/or SIAM chapter
- Attend IACS student and faculty seminars
- Meet annually with the IACS Director, and with the Educational Programs Manager
- Identify an affiliate or core IACS faculty member to work with starting in Year 2
What are the requirements for continuation?
Continuation of the IACS New Recruit Award for a second year is contingent upon
- The approval of an IACS core or affiliate faculty member as a research supervisor who, if a TA is not available, will pay the full-time department-level Research Assistant (RPA) or Graduate Assistant (GA) stipend;
- A strong evaluation letter by that faculty member, including how involvement with IACS has impacted the nominee’s education and how that nominee will engage with IACS in the second year
- Presentation to the IACS New Recruit Committee
- Maintaining at least a B+ GPA in Y1, receiving no less than a B in any graduate course, and
- The availability of funds
Application: The initial application for a second year of IACS New Recruit Award funding will consist of a cover letter summarizing the student’s engagement with IACS in their first year and plans for the second year of funding, a copy of the student's transcript, and the faculty evaluation letter. These items should be sent to the IACS mailbox iacs@stonybrook.edu and must be received by IACS no later than June 1.
Presentation: Candidate applications for renewal are evaluated by the IACS New Recruit Award Committee. Upon passing the initial screen, candidates will be invited to give a presentation (up to 10 minutes in length, followed by Q&A) to the Committee.
For students who have been given an IACS New Recruit award but subsequently receive
a fellowship, for example from NSF or DoE, continuation of the IACS New Recruit Award
will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
How does one apply for the first year?
In the first year, IACS New Recruit Award recipients are nominated directly by the eligible graduate program to which they applied. The award nomination must include a letter or statement from an IACS core or affiliate faculty member indicating the computational aspect of the student’s intended studies and endorsing the application as fitting with the IACS mission. Applicants are selected on a competitive basis by the IACS New Recruit Award Committee. Departments will be notified of the selected candidates, and the IACS will issue award letters to the successful nominees
NOTE: The recipient of the award is responsible for determining if any payments received, such as reimbursement for travel expense, are taxable or non-taxable income when filing their individual income tax return. It is suggested that the recipient seek professional advice from the IRS or income tax advisors regarding this matter.
View Deadlines and Further Details
PAST WINNERS
- 2024
Derek Fucich
Ecology & Evolution 
Joshua Martin
Physics & Astronomy 
Melissa Rasmussen
Physics & Astronomy 
Alina Shabaeva
Linguistics - 2023
Derek Fucich
Ecology & Evolution Melissa Rasmussen
Physics & Astronomy 
Michael Rivera Serrano
Linguistics 
Adil Soubki
Linguistics Alina Shabaeva
Linguistics - 2022
Kenneth Berard
Chemistry 
Megan Hott
Physics & Astronomy Adil Soubki
Linguistics - 2021
Kenneth Berard
Chemistry 
Magdalena Markowska
Linguistics 
Hongji Gao
Applied Mathematics & Statistics - 2020
Hongji Gao
Applied Mathematics & Statistics 
Dakotah Lambert
Linguistics 
Magdalena Markowska
Linguistics 
Jiaxi Zhao
Applied Mathematics and Statistics - 2019
Grace Kim
Physics and Astronomy Dakotah Lambert
Linguistics 
Michael Wethington
Ecology and Evolution - 2016
Dongwon Han
Physics and Astronomy 
Alexander Borowicz
Ecology and Evolution - 2015
Eric Raut
Applied Mathematics and Statistics
