Neil Ashcroft Early Career Award for Studies of Matter at Extreme High Pressure Conditions

The award recognizes outstanding theoretical or experimental contributions by an early-career scientist to studies of matter at extreme high pressure conditions. This includes static and/or dynamic compressions within the disciplines of Physics, Chemistry, Materials Science, Earth and Planetary Science, Soft Matter and Biology.  The honor is conferred annually and includes of a $5000 stipend, a certificate citing the contributions of the recipient, and an allowance for travel to an APS meeting to receive the award to deliver an invited lecture at either the biennial SCCM Conference or the APS March Meeting.

Nominations for the inaugural prize open on April 15, 2022 and close on the date below. The first Ashcroft Award will be conferred in 2023.

Establishment & Support

The award is established in 2022 with a generous endowment from Judith Ashcroft and the Ashcroft family.

Rules & Eligibility

The award is open to early-career scientists with at most 10 years of full-time activity between obtaining a PhD and the nomination deadline, allowing for career breaks (e.g. due to child or dependent care, illness, military service, etc.). from all disciplines that engage in research of matter at extreme pressures. The nomination package should describe how the nominee's unique background, ideas and/or experience contribute to our diverse physics community. Nominations must explicitly state the date that the nominee obtained their PhD, and any career breaks.

The prize will be awarded to a single individual either for a single piece of work, or for a sum of contributions. Nominations are active for three years provided the the nominator re-certifies the nomination before the next deadline and all eligibility criteria are still met.

Nomination & Selection Process

Deadline: Monday, June 3, 2024

  • Suggested Citation
  • Nomination Letter
  • CV or Biographical Sketch
  • Support Letters: At least two and up to four additional letters
  • Publication List (Optional): A list of the nominee’s most important publications
  • Publications (Optional): Up to five reprints or preprints.

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

2024 Selection Committee: Nenad Velisavljevic (Chair), Cynthia Bolme, Norimasa Ozaki, Justin Wark, Eva Zurek, and Sakura Pascarelli

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.

2024 Recipient

Mitchell A Wood
Sandia National Laboratories


Past Recipients

2023: Richard Kraus