About the Award
The Allen G. Marr Prize was established in honor of Allen G. (Jerry) Marr's 20-year contribution as Dean of Graduate Studies and Research and his commitment to the highest standards of scholarship and professional ethics. An annual prize is awarded by Graduate Studies to a present or past UC Davis doctoral student in honor of superior dissertation work. Each year the competition is in different discipline areas. The prize is patterned after the Council of Graduate Schools/ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award.
Submit An Application (OPEN for 2025)
The fields of competition for the 2025 award are biological and life sciences; and humanities and fine arts. The application deadline for the 2024-25 Academic Year is Monday, May 5, 2025.
- SELECTION CRITERIA
- The fields of competition for the 2425 award are the biological and life sciences; and humanities and fine arts. The applicant's dissertation should represent original work making an unusually significant contribution to the disciplines. Both methodological and substantive quality will be judged.
- 2025 FIELDS OF COMPETITION
There are two broad fields of competition for the 2025 dissertation awards. Under each broad field, we provide a non-inclusive list of fine fields that are considered to belong to the broader fields under consideration.
Biological Sciences/Life Sciences
biology; botany; zoology; ecology; embryology; entomology; genetics; nutrition; plant pathology; plant physiology; anatomy; biochemistry; biophysics; microbiology; pathology; pharmacology; physiology; and related fields (health sciences). Also included are agriculture, forestry, zoology; and related fields.
Humanities and Fine Arts
history; philosophy; language; linguistics; literature; archaeology; jurisprudence; the history, theory and criticism of the arts; ethics; comparative religion; and those aspects of the social sciences that employ historical or philosophical approaches.
If a dissertation is multi- or interdisciplinary in nature, a significant portion of the work must be comprised by at least one of the 2025 fields of competition.
- ELIGIBILITY
- The applicant's effective date of degree award, or the completion of doctoral degree requirements and dissertation, must fall in the period of July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2025. Such degree award or completion will be confirmed by the UC Davis Dean of Graduate Studies or another administrative officer responsible for doctoral degree programs. DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: Monday, May 5, 2025 by 11:59 p.m..
- REQUIRED MATERIALS
- • Each applicant must prepare a dissertation abstract (not to exceed 5 double-spaced pages).
• Appendices containing non-textual material, such as charts or tables, may be included (not to exceed 5 pages).
• Three letters of recommendation evaluating the significance and quality of the nominee’s dissertation work. One of these letters is to be from the applicant's dissertation supervisor, another from a member of the applicant's dissertation committee, and the third from a person of the applicant's choice.
• The applicant’s curriculum vitae (not to exceed five pages). - AWARD AND SUBMISSION DETAILS
- The Allen G. Marr Award consists of:
• $3,000 prize
• Will be the campus’ nominee for the CGS/ProQuest award
• Announcement of the awardee
The completed application must be submitted via InfoReady no later than 11:59 pm on May 5, 2025. if you have any questions or concerns, contact Internal Fellowship Analysts Heidi West and Lauren McDiarmid at internalfellowships@ucdavis.edu.