MSA Climate Change Research Award

MSA Climate Change Research Award

Application Deadline: February 15th by midnight, Pacific Time

The Climate Change Research Award supports research that can potentially lead to practical, viable solutions to mitigate the fundamental causes of global climate change caused by human activity. Appropriate research is broadly defined as any climate research in which fungi and their many functions and/or output are essential, elemental aspects of the research. Creative and novel areas of fundamental and/or translational fungal-climate research will be considered, including work examining aspects of fungi not previously studied in detail.

Award Requirements

  1. Applicants must be current members of MSA or must have applied for membership at the time of the award application. 
  2. Undergraduates, graduate students, and post-doctoral scientists at US institutions of higher learning are eligible.
  3. Applicants whose research will include partnership with foreign individuals and/or groups must include a lead researcher(s) currently residing in the US.
  4. Results of research funded by the MSA Climate Change Research Award will be made available to the global scientific community free of charge.

The Climate Change Research Award is administered by the MSA Research Awards Committee. 

Award Amount: $10,000 USD

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

Documents Required

  1. Application Form
  2. A curriculum vitae (maximum 3 pages) that includes:
    • 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 proposal text must not exceed 5 pages; including tables, figures, and references. Applications that include proposals exceeding the 5-page limit will not be considered. The text should be single-spaced and printed in a regular sized font (10 cpi 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 research 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 needed to conduct research in a sensitive location (as part of the PDF file)
  5. A letter of support from the major professor / mentor addressing the applicant’s abilities and potential, and briefly summarizing the research and appropriateness of the award. The letter of reference should be sent directly by the individual writing the letter, not the applicant (see instructions below). 

To Apply

Complete the application, being sure to include items 1-5 listed above. The application document should be organized in the same order as described in “Documents Required” and not exceed 8 MB. The pdf document name should contain: the last name of the applicant_award name Application (e.g. Smith_Climate Change Research Application).

Confidential letters of reference should be sent separately to msafungi@reesgroupinc.com. The letter of reference document name should contain: the last name of the applicant_award name_referee’s last name Letter (e.g. Smith_Climate Change Research_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 except for 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 provides awardees the opportunity to meet members of 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 of receipt of the award. 
  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 US 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 two years of receiving the award. Articles should be written for a general audience and may be published in Inoculum or similar (e.g., MSA website). This will be a great opportunity to promote your research to MSA and the greater mycological 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 journal 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.

Apply Now!