Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Awards Program

 

Please note that program guidelines were updated on February 25, 2026.

 

Important Dates

Deadline: August 6, 2026
Announcement: Early November 2026

 

Overview

The Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Awards Program supports the research and teaching careers of talented early-career faculty in the chemical sciences at primarily undergraduate institutions. The award, which requires an institutional nomination, is based on accomplishment in scholarly research with undergraduates, as well as a compelling commitment to teaching, and provides an unrestricted research grant of $75,000.

 

Eligibility

The Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Awards Program is open to faculty who meet all of the following criteria:

  • From academic institutions in the States, Districts, and Territories of the United States of America that grant a bachelor’s or master’s degree in the chemical sciences, including chemistry, biochemistry, materials chemistry, and chemical engineering.
  • In departments that do not grant a doctoral degree. A potential nominee is ineligible if there is active participation or substantial research productivity in a Ph.D. program of another department or institution, or in an interdisciplinary Ph.D. program.
  • Hold a full-time tenure-line academic appointment focused on the chemical sciences.
  • Are after the fourth and not after the twelfth years of their independent academic careers at the time of the submission of the nomination, and engaged in independent research and teaching primarily with undergraduates. Experience has shown that awardees tend to be close to the end of their eligibility window, but all eligible candidates are welcome to apply.

Institutions may submit only one Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award nomination annually. Renominations are accepted.

The Foundation will consider extensions to the window of eligibility for official tenure clock stops, for reasons including but not limited to parental leave, military leave, medical leave, and pandemic related reasons. Any exceptions should be clearly discussed at the beginning of the letter of nomination. We encourage you to reach out to [email protected] to discuss these exceptions prior to nomination submissions.

If you feel that there are special circumstances that may apply to your nomination, please contact the Foundation office at [email protected].

 

Selection

The Foundation seeks Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholars who, as independent faculty members, have demonstrated leadership in original scholarly research of outstanding quality, substantially carried out with undergraduates, as well as innovation in and dedication to undergraduate education.

Recommendations for awards are based upon evidence of outstanding educational efforts and the nominee’s scholarly research achievements with undergraduates, as assessed by a review panel of distinguished faculty in the chemical sciences. The three outside letters of support (see below for details) are of particular value to the reviewers. Other considered factors are: awards and honors, publication of research achievements in leading journals, success in attracting research funding, and service to the larger community in chemical education.

Nominations recommended for approval are presented to the Foundation’s Board of Directors, and approved awards are announced by early November.

 

Nomination Procedure

Institutions may make only one nomination annually for the Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Awards Program. All nomination materials and letters of support must be received at the Foundation office by the deadline.

If you have any questions about the nomination process, or would like to discuss best practices for applying with a member of the Foundation’s team, please reach out to [email protected]. The Foundation especially encourages institutions new to the award process to reach out for a discussion.

The nomination consists of:

  1. The online nomination form.
  2. A letter of nomination (limited to two pages) from an institutional representative (e.g., the department chair or dean) highlighting the nominee’s research and teaching accomplishments. In addition, this letter may contain institutional and departmental descriptive information.
  3. A summary description of the nominee’s research accomplishments as an independent faculty member and a description of future research plans (limited to six pages, including references).
  4. A statement that illustrates the nominee’s efforts in education in the chemical sciences (limited to two pages).
  5. A CV (limited to five pages), which includes a list of publications in which the corresponding author and undergraduate and graduate student coauthors are clearly and separately identified. Research support should be indicated.

While the Foundation does not have any specific formatting requirements for the nomination PDF, it is expected that applicants use a reasonable font size for reading and printable margins.

Send all above materials by the deadline as a single PDF to: [email protected].

Note: If a nominee has significant developments in their career, teaching, or research after the deadline, the Foundation will allow a one paragraph appendix no more than three weeks past the deadline. This paragraph can be sent as a PDF via email to [email protected]. No other additional materials will be accepted.

 

 

Letters of Support

  • Three letters of support should be requested by the nominator and sent directly to the Foundation from individuals who can address the nominee’s capabilities and accomplishments as an independent faculty member.
  • A letter from either the candidate’s Ph.D. advisor or a postdoctoral advisor is acceptable but should also discuss the nominee’s accomplishments as an independent investigator.
  • One letter may be from the candidate’s home institution.
  • Letters from a former advisor or the home institution will not be given the greatest weight.
  • Typically, letters from students are not impactful.
  • The letters of support should not be received with the nomination package, but instead should be sent by the deadline as a PDF directly to: [email protected].
 

Frequently Asked Questions

Eligibility

  1. The candidate’s department does not grant Ph.Ds., but there are other departments at the institution that do. Are they eligible for this Award?
    This alone does not exclude a candidate from being the institution’s nominee. However, if they receive significant benefits from the Ph.D. programs – post-docs, funding, etc. – they may be eligible for the Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Awards. The Foundation encourages reaching out to [email protected] to discuss.
  2. Does a candidate have to have a primary appointment in a chemistry-focused department?
    While candidates from departments that are not primarily chemistry-focused are eligible to be an institution’s nominee, reviewers will be evaluating nominations through the lens of “advancing the chemical sciences.” Therefore, any materials submitted to the Foundation should be specifically tailored to highlight accomplishments related to the chemical sciences. And, as only one nomination is accepted per institution each year, it is strongly recommended that candidates connect with other departments that may also be planning on submitting a nomination to determine the best selection for the institution.
  3. How is the first year of eligibility determined?
    The Foundation generally counts the fourth year after a candidate started their first tenure track position as the first year of eligibility. This means that, if they have moved institutions, they will need to count that experience as well. If a candidate has had extensive non-tenure track experience (e.g., industry experience, research positions, and lectureship positions), that may also factor into how reviewers consider the nomination. We encourage reaching out at [email protected] if there are any questions.
  4. Does promotion to tenure exclude a candidate from applying?
    No. If the candidate meets the program requirements, they are eligible to apply.

Nomination Form

  1. When will the nomination form generator be available?
    The Foundation opens the generator approximately three months prior to the deadline each year.
  2. How does the nomination form work?
    The nomination form serves two purposes after hitting “submit”: 1) It generates a PDF including some of the information that will serve as the cover sheet of the proposal. 2) It sends the information, through the back end, for use by the Foundation in its databases.
  3. Can the nomination form be revised and resubmitted before the deadline?
    Yes, the nomination form can be submitted multiple times if revisions are needed. The Foundation will use the information from the last submission as the database information.

Nomination Package

  1. Who should write the letter of nomination?
    The letter of nomination can be from any institutional representative at the University. Generally, this is the department head, but sometimes the dean, provost, etc. is also selected. The key to choosing a good nomination letter writer is picking a person who has a background that would allow them to understand and speak about the candidates work – making a strong case they are one of the top early career chemists in the country. More succinctly, someone with a background in the chemical sciences is ideal. Joint letters are allowed if the nominating institution feels it is necessary.
  2. Is a budget required?
    As this is an unrestricted research grant, no budget is needed. The Foundation does not allow any materials that are not in the above guidelines.
  3. Who should send the nomination package to the Foundation?
    The Foundation does not have a requirement for who sends the nomination package. However, it is strongly recommended that the nominee and nominator are copied on the email to ensure everyone is aware the proposal has been submitted and to quickly assist with any possible issues.

Letters of Support

  1. Who requests the letters of support?
    The nominator or nominee must request the letters of support by reaching out directly to the letter writers. The Foundation does not notify letter writers.
  2. Should the letters of be added to and sent with the nomination package PDF?
    No. The letters of support should be sent by each letter writer directly to the Foundation by emailing to [email protected].
  3. When are the letters of support due?
    The letters of support must arrive to the Foundation on the same deadline day as the nomination package PDF.
  4. What makes a good letter writer?
    A good letter writer is someone who is familiar with and can speak substantially about a nominee’s accomplishments as an independent faculty member. For this reason, a former mentor may or may not be a good choice (and is limited to one letter of three) depending on how familiar they are with the nominee’s current work. Only one letter is allowed from the nominee’s home institution to show a more “arm’s length” view of the nominee’s accomplishments. Letters from students are typically not impactful. Candidates should also consider the following questions: 1) Will this person write a positive letter? 2) What will this person’s qualifications do to support my nomination? 3) Will a variety of topics be covered in these letters (vs. three letters restating the same information)?
  5. Can a letter writer support more than one nominee?
    Absolutely. The Foundation understands that there are many competitive candidates for this Award.
  6. How can a nominator/nominee prepare a letter writer to craft an impactful letter?
    While the content is ultimately up to the letter writers, we encourage nominators/nominees to think critically about how each letter will contribute to the argument that the nominee is one of the top early career faculty members in the chemical sciences. Instead of three letters that restate the CV of the nominee, guidance can be given on what specifically could be called out in each letter given the expertise and experiences of the particular letter writer.

Misc.

  1. If an Award is made, how should the $5,000 for departmental expenses be used?
    This portion of the Award is at the discretion of the grantee in the advancement of the chemical sciences. Rather than general expenses (office supplies, etc.), something that adds activities or function to their department is ideal. A common approach is expanding existing programs (e.g., if the department usually send 5 students to the ACS regional meeting, the funds could be used to send 6; if it usually provides 3 summer scholarships, 4 could be provided; etc.). But ultimately, as this is an unrestricted grant, it’s up to the grantee to consider where funds could be most impactful.
  2. Will the Foundation provide feedback on declined nominations?
    No, the Foundation does not share information about Award deliberations. If a candidate is planning to resubmit, the Foundation is happy to set up a call to discuss best practices

 

Guidelines for Use of Funds

  • The Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award provides a $75,000 unrestricted research grant to the Awardee.
  • Of the total amount, $5,000 may be allocated for departmental expenses associated with research and education.
  • Charges associated with indirect costs or institutional overhead are not allowed.
  • Defrayal of academic-year salary is not permitted. Summer salary is allowed.
  • Funds are normally expended over a period of five years.
  • If the awardee leaves the institution, the transfer of the remaining funds requires prior Foundation approval.
 

 

Reports

A set of final reports is due at the end of the fifth year. Interim reports are due to the Foundation as requested. For questions about reporting, contact [email protected].

 

 

Additional Information

  1. Publications and presentations describing work supported by the award should acknowledge The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation.
  2. Recipients of the award are designated Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholars.
  3. For questions, please contact the Foundation office by e-mail at [email protected] or by telephone at 212-753-1760.