The Michael J. Pelczar Award for Excellence in Graduate Study

After earning multiple degrees at the University of Maryland culminating with a doctorate in 1941, Dr. Michael J. Pelczar’s professional career at the University began in 1946 and spanned over 30 years. He was a Distinguished University Professor of Microbiology and served as Vice President for Graduate Studies and Research for many years. In honor of Dr. Pelczar’s retirement in 1977, the Michael J. Pelczar Graduate Award was established from contributions made by friends and alumni and the award is intended to honor excellence in graduate studies.

The Michael J. Pelczar Award for Excellence in Graduate Study offers $2,500 to an outstanding doctoral candidate who has demonstrated excellence beyond his or her course work, and who has served at least one academic year as a teaching assistant with a commendable performance.

NOMINATION DEADLINE: To be announced.

*Eligible students must contact their department for the department’s internal deadline.

Eligibility Information
A nominee must:

Be a doctoral student advanced to candidacy by April 1, 2027;
Have demonstrated a high level of accomplishment in research;
Have demonstrated excellence beyond course work (e.g., a dissertation that makes a significant contribution to a discipline, publications in national or international journals, election to honorary societies, and honors or awards by other groups);
Have served at least one academic year as a teaching assistant with commendable performance; and
Submit a personal statement of 1,000-1,500 words describing his or her accomplishments and other activities demonstrating excellence beyond course work. This statement should be written for a non-specialist audience.

Nomination Instructions
Nomination packets must include:

A completed nomination cover sheet;
A personal statement (1,000 - 1,500 words) describing the nominee’s community involvement and how the funds will be used to support dissertation research in the social sciences with potential benefits for small and/or disadvantaged communities. The statement should be written for a non-specialist audience;
The student’s curriculum vitae (2 page limit); and
Letter of support from the student’s advisor describing the accomplishments of the student.

Each program may nominate one candidate.

Nomination packets must be submitted through the Graduate School Awards Portal by the specified deadline.

Contact Information: Please direct questions to Ms. Robyn Kotzker, Program Director for Office of Funding Opportunities, at 301-405-0281 or rkotzker@umd.edu

Award Recipients

2026 M Valle Pease, Psychology
   Manuel Teran Hernández, Counseling Psychology, School Psychology, and Counselor Education
2025 Shannon Grogans, Psychology
   Mohammad Ali, Information Studies
2024 Mira An, Counseling Psychology
Molly Ellenberg, Psychology
2023 NaYeon Yang, Psychology
Alexander Dittman, Astronomy
2022 Suhana Chattopadhyay, Environmental Health
  Jared Strange, Theater, Dance and Performance Studies
2021 Thomas Le, Psychology
Usman Fiaz, Electrical and Computer Engineering
2020 Konstantino Pozoukidis, English
Katchen Lachmayr, Chemistry
2019 Taehyuk Keum, Counseling, Higher Education, and Special Education
2018 Zexin Ma, Communication
Matthew Thum, Chemistry
2017 James Andorko, Bioengineering
Irina Iles, Communication
2016 Krista Smith, Astronomy
2015 Kaitlyn Crawford, Chemistry
2014 Brandi Townsend, History
2013 Lindsey Vansandt, Animal and Avian Sciences
2012 Douglass Ishii, American Studies
2011 Zhao Zhang, Mechanical Engineering
2010 Nathan Orloff, Physics
2009 Rebecca Thorpe, Government and Politics
2008 Kimberly Williams, Women’s Studies
2007 Guy Ziv, Government and Politics
2006 Bu Zhong, Journalism