The Andrew S. Wilson Prize for Excellence in Research is awarded in early fall to a graduate student nearing completion of the Ph.D. dissertation who demonstrates the high standards for research and scholarship exemplified by Professor Andrew S. Wilson. The student must be applying for jobs in astronomy during the upcoming academic year and must be advised by a member of the Department of Astronomy. (He/she may be based in another department, however.) Selection is made by the Department faculty based on research quality. To apply, please submit your CV and a statement of your dissertation research (two pages maximum) to the graduate director. The deadline is the same as the final day of the qualifying exam, which is typically in mid-August. The selected candidate receives a $500 award.

Professor Andrew S. Wilson joined the Department in 1977 and passed away on May 24, 2008, at the age of 61. His scientific work on active galactic nuclei spanned the entire electromagnetic spectrum from the radio to the X-rays. For more information, Prof. Wilson's obituary is available online. Major donors for the Wilson Prize fund include Mrs. Kaija A. Wilson, Prof. Wilson's widow, and Dr. Martin N. Wilson, Prof. Wilson's brother.

Prize Winners

• 2023: Alex Dittmann
• 2022: Milena Crnogorčević
• 2021: Weizhe Liu
• 2020: Rebecca Levy
• 2019: Pradip Gatkine
• 2018: No Award
• 2017: J. Drew Hogg
• 2016: Krista Smith
• 2015: Maxime Rizzo & Thomas Shimizu
• 2014: Rodrigo Herrera Camus
• 2013: Kari Helgason
• 2012: Hannah Krug
• 2011: Hao Gong
• 2010: Edmund Hodges-Kluck
• 2009: Stacy Teng