To promote research excellence among graduate students the department offers support for various research-enhancing activities. All awards are granted on a competitive basis subject to fund availability.

• Huffaker Travel Scholarships

  Thanks to the generosity of The Huffaker Family Fund, the department provides support to graduate and undergraduate students who are traveling to attend national and international conferences in physics and astronomy. Funds are available to students presenting their research findings at conferences or workshops. Senior students will be given priority in the selection process. Typical award amount is $500.

  To apply email Prof. Terrance Draper with your conference details. Please, apply a few weeks before your conference dates as there will be further processing required by the A&S Business Center for travel requests before you leave.

  All research-active physics and astronomy students are encouraged to apply.

• The Department's Invited Speaker Travel Scholarships

  The department supports graduate students who are invited to present their research at conferences or other academic events. Unlike general conference participation, this fund specifically targets invitation-only speaking opportunities, such as plenary talks or featured presentations. Brief contributed talks (like 5-minute presentations at the APS March Meeting) do not qualify.

  The award aims to fully cover the travel expenses. To apply, email the DGS with the event details, and estimated expenses. 

• The Department's Summer Travel Scholarships

  The department supports graduate students attending topical (and advanced) summer schools and workshops, directly aligned with the student's research area. Senior students will be given priority in the selection process. The aim is to cover the travel entirely, with a limit of 3k per trip. To apply, email the DGS with the event details, and estimated expenses.     

• The Department's  Publication Fee Fund

  The department provides financial support to cover publication fees for articles in high-impact journals (such as those from the Nature family). This funding is available when a graduate student is either the lead author or has made essential contributions documented in the paper's contribution statement. To apply, email the DGS with the manuscript details, journal information, proof of acceptance, and the exact publication fee amount. Applications should be submitted as soon as the paper is accepted for publication.

Research Excellence Fellowship

This bi-annual award recognizes outstanding research achievements by graduate students during the previous year. Qualifying accomplishments typically include publication in high-impact journals and/or delivering invited talks at reputable conferences. Recipients receive a stipend supplement (typically 3k). The fellowship selection is made by the department's fellowship committee (Prof. Plaster, Prof. Murthy, Prof. Dymarsky) based on faculty nominations.