Early Career Faculty Award for Scholary Excellence

The College of Arts and Sciences Early Career Faculty Award for Scholarly Excellence recognizes one outstanding early career faculty member from each of the College’s three pillars: Arts and Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences, and Math and Sciences. The award recognizes outstanding scholarly, research and/or performance achievements that are innovative and demonstrate broad impact and a clear research trajectory.

2024 Winner — Rosemary Avance

Dr. Avance's research trajectory is clear and promising. Since joining OSU in 2020, she has set a broad and impactful agenda that is influencing multiple fields. Her five-year research plan aims to expand her media research collaborations across OSU and beyond, pushing the boundaries of media and communication research in new and exciting directions. In fact, the impact of Dr. Avance’s work extends far beyond academia, exemplifying OSU's land-grant mission. Her research on rural Oklahomans' access to and engagement with news and information has had direct implications for civic engagement and community resilience. Her work not only advances our academic understanding but also embodies the very essence of OSU's land-grant mission.

2024 Winner — Lindsay Wilhelm

Professor Wilhelm matches her scholarly excellence with the excellence of her teaching and her university service. Rarely do you find someone who excels in all three areas. For Professor Wilhelm, her research excellence complements these areas, making her more conscientious in the classroom and more service minded and dedicated to the university’s mission. Lindsay’s interest areas include the global 19th century, popular literature, Victorian literature and science, aestheticism and decadence. In fact, she just released her latest book, “Evolutionary Aestheticism in Victorian Culture” with Cambridge University Press. While the Early Career Award is meant to recognize scholarly achievement alone, in Professor Wilhelm’s case, it also honors her ability to use her scholarly excellence to benefit the university in all phases.

2024 Winner — Elizabeth McCullagh

Dr. McCullagh has been a highly valued member of the integrative biology department since her arrival in 2020, making an impact at multiple levels including promoting an environment of inclusion and the development of a stellar research program. Her success at every level of her faculty position makes her outstanding research program that much more impressive. Additionally, Dr. McCullagh has had a huge impact on our students. She has a small army of undergraduates working in her lab — at least 40 students since she started — helping her research how the brain processes sound location information. Dr. McCullagh’s energy and stellar mentorship are part of what make her deserving of this award.