Forest Fungal Ecology Research Award

Forest Fungal Ecology Research Award

Application Deadline: February 15th by midnight, Pacific Time

The Forest Fungal Ecology Research Award supports ecological studies of fungal interactions in old growth forests or other unique or endangered ecosystems. Proposals should address innovative approaches to examining fungal systems or interactions of individuals, or groups of fungi, with hosts or substrates in old growth forests or other sensitive ecosystems. Floristic and systematic studies will not be considered. 

2021 Forest Fungal Ecology Awardees

(click on photo for awardee name and full picture)

The Forest Fungal Ecology Research Award is administered by the Research Awards Committee. 

For a list of all awards offered by the Mycological Society of America, see the MSA Awards Chart. 

Award Requirements

  1. Applicants must be students working on their Masters or PhD degrees or be recent recipients of a PhD. 
  2. Honors these for BA/BS degree students may be considered. 
  3. Applicants must be current members of MSA or must have applied for membership at the time of the award application. 

Documents Required

  1. Application Form
  2. A curriculum vitae that includes at least (maximum 3 pages):
    • Name, contact address, email address, and phone number
    • Education and professional history
    • Previous awards and honors
    • Publications and other significant professional output (if available)
    • Service (if available)
  3. A detailed plan of study. The text of study must be no longer than 5 pages; including tables, figures, and references. Applications that include proposals exceeding the 5-page limit will not be considered. The text of this proposal should be single-spaced and printed in a regular sized font (10cpi or 12 point) with one-inch margins on all sides. Section headings and double spacing between paragraphs may be used to make your proposal easier to read. The proposal must include:
    • Abstract (200-250 words)
    • Introduction: explains what you want to do and why it is interesting or important
    • Objectives
    • Methods: demonstrates that the project is feasible and describes how the study will be conducted
    • Significance and preliminary results, if available (be concise in your explanation)
    • Budge and budget justification. Include in this section a timeline to complete the proposal (generally one year) and a plan for dissemination of results
    • References
  4. Copy of the permit or letter requesting a permit if it is needed to work in a sensitive site (as part of the PDF file)
  5. A letter of support from the major professor addressing the student’s abilities and potential, and briefly summarizing the student’s research and the appropriateness of the award. The reference letter should not be sent directly by the individual writing the letter, not the applicant. 

To Apply

Complete the application, being sure to include items 1-5 listed above. The application file should be organized in the same order as described in “Documents Required” and should not exceed more than 8 MB. The file name should contain: the last name of the applicant-“award name” Application (e.g. Smith-Forest Ecology Application).

Confidential letters of reference should be sent separately to: msafungi@reesgroupinc.com. The letter of reference file name should contain: the last name of the applicant-award name-referee letter (e.g. Smith-Forest Ecology-Jackson Letter). The application will be considered to have arrived once all electronic files have been received by the deadline. All documents must be in English to be considered with the exception of the collecting permit.  

Note: Applicants can expect a notification from the Awards Committee regarding the outcome of their application within approximately 45 days of the application deadline, in time to register for the annual MSA meeting. We expect all award winners to make every effort to attend the annual meeting and encourage all applicants to concurrently apply for an MSA Travel Award in support of that. Presence at the MSA meeting to accept the award gives awardees the opportunity to meet the mycological community, and it gives MSA members an opportunity to meet the awardees.

Award Terms

Indirect cost is not allowed on MSA awards. 

  1. All awardees must provide a short biography (100-200 words) and a photo (if possible) within two weeks of notification from the Awards Coordinator, using the Awardee Document Submission Form. These will be requested at the appropriate time. Photos and biographies will be published in Inoculum.
  2. The award check must be deposited or cashed within 5 months. 
  3. Each award recipient is required to complete a W-9 form prior to receiving their award funds. Awardees will be contacted by the management company regarding this process. (This only applies if you have a U.S. Social Security Number).
  4. Keep copies of your W-9 and all receipts and expenses that are part of this award. These documents are important and may be necessary for tax purposes.
  5. Each awardee will contribute a short article about their research to MSA within a year of receiving the award. Articles should be written for a general audience and may be published in Inoculum or other MSA venues (e.g. MSA website). This will be a great opportunity to promote your research to the MSA community. Articles will be requested by the Awards Coordinator at the appropriate time
  6. Please acknowledge MSA in any products that result from this support (e.g. poster presentations, oral presentations, and scientific articles).

Diversity Statement

MSA encourages and welcomes nominations of all individuals regardless of race and ethnicity, country of origin, sex, gender identity, religion, age, education level, socioeconomic status, marital status, parental status, physical ability, neurological differences, political affiliation, and sexual orientation. See full MSA Diversity Statement

See a list of past Forest Fungal Ecology Research Awardees