Skip to main content

Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Awards

Instructions for ORAU Member Councilors

Who is eligible?

Full-time assistant professors within two years of their initial tenure track appointment (Jan. 1, 2022 to Jan. 7, 2024) at the time of application at an ORAU member institution are eligible. The award amount provided by ORAU is $5,000. The applicant’s institution is required to match the award with at least an additional $5,000. This is a one-year grant (June 1 to May 31).

What do councilors and member institutions need to do?

  1. Select up to two junior faculty members to be considered for the award.
  2. Request a nomination letter from the chair or dean for each junior faculty member to be considered. This letter will be uploaded as part of the application in the PeerNet intake system.
  3. Prepare a councilor email of support and send to nominees along with a link to the PeerNet intake system (link sent to councilors via UPO listserv) and the nomination letter from the chair/dean. The councilor email will NOT be uploaded as part of the application in the PeerNet intake system, but will be used to track nominees and ensure they have been approved by the Councilor. A template for the councilor email of support was sent via UPO listserv along with the link to the PeerNet intake system. Copy poweawards@orau.org on this email so we can track the nominees.
  4. Have nominees complete proposal application.

Special note on file formats

ORAU requests that all documentation submitted for the Ralph E. Powe Awards, except for the application form, be submitted in PDF format. If this is unacceptable for any reason, please notify university.partnerships@orau.org and see if other arrangements can be made to handle the document format.

If a Councilor is unable to submit documentation from the Councilor’s email address, please send a letter of designation to poweawards@orau.org with the name and email address of the person sending the information.

Impact Areas

Interested in being a reviewer for this year’s Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Awards process? Complete this brief contact form, including your specific area of expertise, and someone will be in contact with you.

Interested in being a Powe reviewer graphic

Contact us

For more information about the Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Awards, contact the University Partnerships office at (865) 576-6513 or PoweAwards@orau.org.