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Awards

Photo of a man accepting a framed award certificate from a woman on a stage.

Winners of the 2024 User Meeting awards

Each year during the ALS User Meeting, the Users’ Executive Committee (UEC) recognizes outstanding scientific research, technical achievements, and user support through the ALS User Meeting Awards. Everyone is encouraged to submit nominations, which can be resubmitted in subsequent years. A complete list of previous recipients is available here.

Additionally, students presenting in the poster session at the User Meeting are eligible for the Neville Smith Student Poster Award, named after the former Scientific Director for the ALS (1994–2006). See Posters for more information.

The ALS Outstanding Scientific Achievement Awards

Recognize the outstanding scientific contributions, resulting from work performed at the ALS, through the David A. Shirley Award and the ALS Early Career Award.

The David A. Shirley Award was established in 1998 and recognizes the scientific contributions of researchers who are at least mid-career. David Shirley was a professor of chemistry at UC Berkeley and director of LBNL from 1980 to 1989, and was instrumental in having the Advanced Light Source built. He passed away in 2021. The winner of the Shirley Award must be available to deliver a scientific talk on their work at the plenary session of the User Meeting.

The ALS Early Career Award was established in 2024 to recognize significant scientific contributions from early-career investigators who have performed original and independent research at the ALS. The winner of the Early Career Award is given the opportunity to deliver a scientific talk at the plenary session of the User Meeting.

Eligibility and Judging Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

  1. The nominees may be affiliated with any organization.
  2. Individuals or teams can be nominated.
  3. The David A. Shirley Award: The principal nominee/team leader (and presenter of the Shirley Award lecture) must be at least a mid-career researcher.
    The ALS Early Career Award: The principal nominee/team leader (and presenter of the Early Career Award lecture) must be no more than twelve years post receiving their highest degree.
  4. Members of the ALS Users’ Executive Committee are not eligible while serving on the committee.

Judging Criteria

The winner will be selected by the UEC with input from individuals outside the committee based on the following criteria:

  1. Significance and impact on the global user community: How has the work impacted research at the ALS and at other light sources around the world? The contribution may be broad (e.g., the entire user community) or deep (e.g., focused on one beamline/technique).
  2. Broader impacts: What is the significance and impact of the work on advancing the science of the broader (not only synchrotron-based) research community?
  3. Significance of the candidate’s specific role on the project: How deep and/or novel is the contribution?

Nominations can be made by anyone: users, students, PIs, or LBNL staff. To nominate someone, complete the nomination form, highlighting how the candidate’s contribution fits the criteria above and providing contact information for two references who can support the nomination. Letters of support may be requested following an initial review of the nominations.

Klaus Halbach Award for Innovative Instrumentation at the ALS

Klaus Halbach was a senior staff scientist at LBNL who pioneered the development of undulators using permanent magnets, and other innovations in accelerator physics. Even though he retired from LBNL in 1991, he remained active in lab projects and student training until his death in 2000.

Eligibility and Judging Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

  1. The nominees may be affiliated with any organization.
  2. Individuals or teams can be nominated.
  3. Members of the ALS Users’ Executive Committee are not eligible while serving on the committee.

Judging Criteria

The winner will be selected by the UEC with input from individuals outside the committee based on the following criteria:

  1. Scientific impact on the user community: Does the instrument or software serve a lot of users? Or, equally qualifying, was the innovation something more specific that was not possible before?
  2. Significance of the candidate’s specific role on the project: How deep and/or novel was the contribution?

Nominations can be made by anyone: users, students, PIs, or LBNL staff. To nominate someone, complete the nomination form, highlighting how the candidate’s contribution to the ALS user community fits the criteria above and providing contact information for two references who can support the nomination. Letters of support may be requested following an initial review of the nominations.

Tim Renner User Services Award for Outstanding Support to the ALS User Community

Tim Renner was a beamline scientist at the ALS who died at an early age, and who during his career touched everyone who knew him with his caring attitude to others and his larger-than-life personality. This award recognizes the services of others across the ALS organization who, like Tim, have made outstanding contributions to the ALS user community.

Eligibility and Judging Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

  1. The nominees must be LBNL employees.
  2. Individuals or teams can be nominated.
  3. Members of the ALS Users’ Executive Committee are not eligible while serving on the committee.

Judging Criteria

The winner will be selected by the UEC with input from individuals outside the committee based on the following criteria:

  1. Impact on the user community: How impactful was the nominee’s contribution? Please consider that contributions could be broad (e.g., the entire user community) or deep (e.g., focused on one beamline).
  2. Significance of the candidate’s specific role on the user project: Did the nominee go above and beyond the usual expectation for user support?

Nominations can be made by anyone: users, students, PIs, or LBNL staff. To nominate someone, complete the nomination form, highlighting how the candidate’s contribution to the ALS user community fits the criteria above. Letters of support may be requested following an initial review of the nominations.