John Dawson Award for Excellence in Plasma Physics Research

To recognize a particular recent outstanding achievement in plasma physics research. The award consists of $5,000 to be divided equally in the case of multiple recipients, and includes a certificate citing the contributions made by the recipient or recipients, and an allowance for registration and travel to the Division of Plasma Physics Annual Meeting. It will be awarded annually.

Prior to 2007, this award was originally named Award for Excellence in Plasma Physics.

Establishment & Support

This award was established in 1981 with support from friends of the Division of Plasma Physics. Since 2007, UCLA has provided generous funding made possible through donations from family, friends and colleagues of John Dawson.

Rules & Eligibility

Nominations are open to scientists of all nationalities regardless of the geographical site at which the work was done. It may be a given to a set of individuals as well as to individual scientists, as appropriate, to honor those who make essential contributions to the cited research achievement. Nominations will be considered for three review cycles provided the nominator re-certifies the nomination before the next deadline.

Nomination & Selection Process

Deadline: Monday, April 1, 2024

The nomination package must include:

  • A letter of not more than 5,000 characters evaluating the qualifications of the nominee(s)

In addition, the nomination should include:

  • A biographical sketch.
  • A list of the most important publications.
  • At least two, but not more than four, seconding letters.
  • Up to five reprints or preprints.

To start a new or update a continuing nomination, please see the Prize & Award Nomination Guidelines.

2023 Selection Committee Members: Hui Chen (Chair), Jan Egedal, Alex Zylstra, Ilya Dodin, Warren Mori

The membership of APS is diverse and global, and the nominees and recipients of APS Honors should reflect that diversity so that all are recognized for their impact on our community. Nominations of members belonging to groups traditionally underrepresented in physics, such as women, LGBT+ scientists, scientists who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), disabled scientists, scientists from institutions with limited resources, and scientists from outside the United States, are especially encouraged.

Nominees for and holders of APS Honors (prizes, awards, and fellowship) and official leadership positions are expected to meet standards of professional conduct and integrity as described in the APS Ethics Guidelines. Violations of these standards may disqualify people from consideration or lead to revocation of honors or removal from office.

2023 Recipients

Eric Sonnendrücker
Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics

Hong Qin
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton University

Philip J. Morrison
The University of Texas at Austin



Past Recipients

2022: National Ignition Facility’s (NIF) Burning Plasma Team
2021: Fionn D Malone
          Michael Bonitz
          Simon Groth
          Tim Schoof
          Tobias Dornheim
          Travis Sjostrom
          William Matthew Colwyn Foulkes
2020: Anatoly Spitkovsky
          Christoph Niemann
          Dmitri Ryutov
          Frederico Fiuza
          Gianluca Gregori
          Hideaki Takabe
          Hye-Sook Park
          James Steven Ross
          R Paul Drake
          William Fox
          Youichi Sakawa
2019: Alexander Schekochihin
          Donald Lamb
          Dustin Froula
          Gianluca Gregori
          Petros Tzeferacos
2018: Max E. Fenstermacher
          Richard Moyer
          Todd E. Evans
2017: Andrew James MacKinnon
          Chikang Li
          Fredrick H. Seguin
          Marco Borghesi
          Oswald Willi
          Richard D. Petrasso
2016: James Bailey
2015: Bob Nagler
          Hyun-Kyung Chung
          Justin Wark
          Orlando Ciricosta
          Philip Heimann
          Richard W. Lee
          Roger Falcone
          Sam M. Vinko
2014: Chris Hegna
          Hartmut Zohm
          James D. Callen
          Olivier Sauter
          Robert J. LaHaye
2013: Howard Wilson
          John R. Ferron
          Philip Snyder
          Thomas H. Osborne
2012: Debra Ann Callahan
          Edward Williams
          George Kyrala
          Laurent Divol
          Nathan Meezan
          Pierre Michel
          Robert Kirkwood
2011: Daniel Silveira
          Dirk Van der Werf
          Francis Robicheaux
          Jeffrey Hangst
          Joel Fajans
          Jonathan Wurtele
          Makoto Fujiwara
          Michael Charlton
          Niels Madsen
          Paul Bowe
          William Bertsche
2010: Cameron Geddes
          Carl Schroeder
          Csaba Toth
          Eric Esarey
          Simon Hooker
          Wim Leemans
2009: Yitzhak Maron
2008: Michael C. Zarnstorff
          Stewart C. Prager
2007: Andrea M. Garofalo
          Edward J. Strait
          Gerald A. Navratil
          Michio Okabayashi
2006: Kazuo Tanaka
          Max Tabak
          Peter Norreys
          Ryosuke Kodama
          Scott Wilks
2005: Howard M. Milchberg
2004: (Frank) Chio Zong Cheng
          Edward J. Strait
          King-Lap Wong
          Liu Chen
          William Walter Heidbrink
2003: Siegfried Glenzer
2002: Hantao Ji
          Masaaki Yamada
          Scott Hsu
          Troy Carter
2001: Edmund J. Synakowski
          Edward Doyle
          Keith H. Burrell
          Richard Joseph Groebner
2000: Daniel H.E. Dubin
          John J. Bollinger
1999: Raymond John Fonck
1998: Gilbert Wilson Collins
          Luiz B. Da Silva
          Peter Martin Celliers
          Robert C. Cauble
1997: Fred Michael Levinton
1996: Chandrashekhar Joshi
          Christopher E. Clayton
1995: Bruce A. Remington
          Charles Peter Verdon
          David Herbert Munro
          James Philip Knauer
          Joseph D. Kilkenny
          Russell John Wallace
          S. Gail Glendinning
          Stephen Vance Weber
          Steven W. Haan
1994: Edward J. Strait
          Lang Li Lao
          Ronald Stambaugh
          Tony Stephen Taylor
1993: John M. Soures
          Kunioki Mima
          Robert H. Lehmberg
          Stanley Skupsky
          Stephen Obenschain
          Yoshiaki Kato
1992: Nathaniel J. Fisch
1991: Charles F. Driscoll
          John H. Malmberg
          Thomas M. O'Neil
1990: Dennis L. Matthews
          E. Michael Campbell
          Mordecai D. Rosen
          Peter L. Hagelstein
          Szymon Suckewer
1989: Donald A. Gurnett
1988: James D. Strachan
          Richard J. Hawryluk
          Robert J. Goldston
1987: Fritz Wagner
1986: John Bryan Taylor
1985: Alfred Y. F. Wong
1984: Forrest C. Jobes
          Jack J. Schuss
          James E. Stevens
          Miklos Porkolab
          Robert W. Motley
          Schweikhard von Goeler
          Shigetoshi Tanaka
          Stanley C. Luckhardt
          Stefano Bernabei
          Takashi Maekawa
          William McClure Hooke
          Yasushi Terumichi
1983: Bruce Montgomery
          Bruno Coppi
          Robert Taylor
          Ronald R. Parker