UF/IFAS Office of the Dean for Research

Hand watering growing plants; Funding and Award Opportunities

Awards of Excellence for Graduate Research

Submission Deadline: January 22, 2025

Overview: The UF/IFAS Office of the Dean for Research is committed to recognizing the best thesis and best dissertation completed during each calendar year. In addition to identifying overall best thesis and overall best dissertation, we also identify best thesis and best dissertation in each of our major focus areas: (1) Agricultural, (2) Natural Resources, and (3) Human Systems.

Plaques will be presented to all winners as part of the UF/IFAS Florida Agricultural Experiment Station’s Annual Research Awards Ceremony on May 20, 2025. Supervisory committee chairs will also be recognized with a plaque as part of the ceremony. Overall best thesis and overall best dissertation awardees will also receive cash awards ($1,500 Doctorate; $1,000 Master).

Eligibility: All theses and dissertations completed under majors granted in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences are eligible (see below). Each M.S. and each Ph.D. major listed by program is allowed to submit one nomination. The nominee’s supervisory chair or co-chair must have a tenure home in UF/IFAS.

Selection Process: Two committees will be established of three faculty members each to evaluate the nominations and select both overall and each program area’s best M.S. thesis and best Ph.D. dissertation based on the following criteria:

1. The quality of the thesis or dissertation presentation (i.e., organization, style, clarity, and writing).

2. The quality of the research (i.e., thoroughness, contribution to the field, importance, originality, depth, and scope).

The relative value of each of the criteria is the decision of the selection committee.

Nomination Process: All nominations must go through the academic lead for the major (typically your Department Chair) and submitted by the Chair or designee at the following website by January 22, 2025: https://ufresearch.infoready4.com/#ifas.

The information requested includes:

1. Nomination form (online):

a. Nominee information (name, UF ID#, major, title, email, and current mailing address)

b. Supervisory Committee Chair/Co-chair (name and email information)

c. Nominator (name and email information)

d. Focus area: (1) Agricultural, (2) Natural Resources, and (3) Human Systems.

2. Uploaded PDF files:

a. Letter of nomination

b. Thesis or dissertation

c. Supporting materials (e.g., statement by chair or departmental selection committee, or list of

presentations, publications, or other outputs derived from the research)

Submission Process: Upon submission, all nominators will receive an immediate email confirmation. If you have any other questions, please contact Dr. Damian Adams, Associate Dean for Research, at dcadams@ufl.edu. For technical issues concerning the website, contact Brian Gray ( seven7@ufl.edu).

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2024 IFAS/CALS Majors

Master of Science (M.S.) Thesis	Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Dissertation
Agricultural and Biological Engineering	Agricultural and Biological Engineering
Agricultural Education and Communication	Agricultural Education and Communication
Agronomy	Agronomy
Animal Molecular and Cellular Biology	Animal Molecular and Cellular Biology
Animal Sciences	Animal Sciences
Entomology and Nematology	Entomology and Nematology
Family, Youth and Community Sciences	Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences	Food and Resource Economics
Food and Resource Economics	Food Science
Food Science and Human Nutrition	Forest Resources and Conservation
Forest Resources and Conservation	Genetics and Genomics
Horticultural Sciences – Environmental Horticulture	Horticultural Sciences – Environmental Horticulture
Horticultural Sciences – Horticultural Sciences	Horticultural Sciences – Horticultural Sciences
Interdisciplinary Ecology	Interdisciplinary Ecology
Microbiology and Cell Science	Microbiology and Cell Science
Plant Pathology	Nutritional Sciences
Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences	Plant Breeding
Wildlife Ecology and Conservation	Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology
	Plant Pathology
	Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences
	Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
	Youth Development and Family Sciences

2023 Best Thesis Winners

	Author	Title	Chair(s)
Agricultural Systems	Jessica Griesheimer	Beetle Herding: Optimizing the biological control of Dioscorea bulbifera using semiochemicals.	Xavier Martini Carey Minteer
Natural Resources (and Best Overall)	Kaili Gregory	Population modeling as decision support science for two species of imperiled freshwater turtle.	Conor McGowan
Human Systems	Rachel Biderman	An exploration of self perceived leadership styles of small-operation farmers.	Laura Greenhaw

Author

Title

Chair(s)

Agricultural Systems

Jessica Griesheimer

Beetle Herding: Optimizing the biological control of Dioscorea bulbifera using semiochemicals.

Xavier Martini

Carey Minteer

Natural Resources (and Best Overall)

Kaili Gregory

Population modeling as decision support science for two species of imperiled freshwater turtle.

Conor McGowan

Human Systems

Rachel Biderman

An exploration of self perceived leadership styles of small-operation farmers.

Laura Greenhaw

2023 Best Dissertation Winners

	Author	Title	Chair(s)
Agricultural Systems (and Best Overall)	Clebson Dos Santos Tavares	Midgut surface proteome of Diaphorina citri and toxicity of gut-targeting insecticidal proteins for use in citrus greening management.	Bryony Bonning
Natural Resources	Fernando Aristizibal	High resolution flood inundation mapping from remote sensing observations and hydrology models at continental scales.	Jasmeet Judge
Human Systems	Alexandra Bastidas	Lactobacillus johnsonii N6.2-Purified lipids as bioactive components of immunoregulation.	Claudio Gonzalez

UF/IFAS Office of the Dean for Research

UF/IFAS Office of the Dean for Research

Awards of Excellence for Graduate Research

Click here for the full list of Best Theses - M.S. in UF/IFAS from 1987-2021.

Click here for the full list of Best Dissertations - Ph.D. in UF/IFAS from 1987-2019.