Skip to Content

nav = Current Students

Current Students:

Dissertation Awards

GSBS recognizes two graduates for outstanding their PhD dissertation research with two annual awards:

Alfred G. Knudson, Jr., Outstanding Dissertation Award to honor an outstanding GSBS PhD graduate whose advisor was based at MD Anderson Cancer Center

Michael R. Blackburn Outstanding Dissertation Award to honor an outstanding GSBS PhD graduate whose advisor was based at UTHealth.

Each recipient receives a $5,000 award at the annual GSBS Student Research Day (GSRD) award ceremony and is invited to serve as a GSRD judge. GSBS will pay travel expenses for recipients who no longer live in Houston. GSRD attendance is not a requirement, though – GSBS is happy to simply mail a check to the recipient!

Selection Process

In early January each year, GSBS Faculty are sent a list of PhD students that graduated during the previous calendar year. Faculty are asked to consider nominating their own students and/or those on whose committees they served.

Nominees are contacted by GSBS and asked to submit an updated CV and request that two letters of recommendation be sent to GSBS. GSBS will obtain the student’s dissertation from the TMC Digital Commons, unless it has been embargoed, in which case the student is asked to submit a PDF of the final dissertation.

MDACC and UTHealth faculty reviewers judge the applications of their institution’s nominees. The selection of award winners is based on the overall impact of the student’s dissertation, not the quality of the writing per se.