George E. Valley, Jr. Prize

To recognize one individual in the early stages of his or her career for an outstanding scientific contribution to physics that is deemed to have significant potential for a dramatic impact on the field. The prize will be presented biennially. The prize consists of $20,000 and a certificate citing the contribution made by the recipient. It shall be awarded to one individual who has received his/her PhD no earlier than 5 years before April 1 of the year of the nomination deadline.

Establishment & Support

The prize was established by the APS Council in 2000 under the terms of a bequest by George E. Valley, Jr.

Rules & Eligibility

Nomination documents must include a statement from the nominator or from the candidate's department certifying the date of the candidate's PhD. Unsuccessful nominations can be carried over to the next time that the prize is awarded provided that: a) the requirement specified above is still met; b) the nominators update the dossiers of the candidates to include the elapsed two years.

Note: Work done by a graduate student for his/her thesis is eligible for consideration if it is demonstrated that the student's contributions have been crucial to an important piece of research.

Selection Committee:

The selection committee shall be composed of the current President of APS, the two immediate past Presidents of APS and the chair of the committee to be elected each prize cycle by the Council. If the current President or any of the past Presidents is not able to serve on the committee, the President of APS will select an appropriate designee. In addition, George C. Valley will participate as a non-voting member of the committee in the awarding of the first three prizes.

Process:

Nominations received by APS will be distributed to the selection committee for review. The selection committee may solicit advice from Divisional and Topical Group Executive Committees. This may also include inviting representatives approved by the units to participate in the selection process as non-voting members when appropriate. The selection committee's recommendation will be forwarded for approval by the APS Council or Executive Board and upon such approval a notification letter will be sent to the recipient. The Prize will be presented at the next appropriate meeting of the APS at which the recipient will also be invited to present a lecture.

Nomination & Selection Process

Serving a diverse and inclusive community of physicists worldwide is a primary goal for APS. Nominations of qualified women, members of underrepresented minority groups, and scientists from outside the United States are especially encouraged.

This year’s deadline has passed. Nominations will be accepted in the Fall of 2013.

2012 Selection Committee: Pierre Meystre; Curtis Callan, Jr; Barry Barish; Robert Byer; Shina Tan