AERA is pleased to announce the call for nominations for 2021 AERA Fellows. The AERA Fellows Program honors education researchers for their exceptional contributions to, and excellence in, education research. The program is intended to be inclusive of the scholarship that constitutes and enriches education research as an interdisciplinary field.

Fellow status is typically awarded for a person’s significant scientific or scholarly contributions. It may also be awarded for substantial and innovative contributions to the field through the development of research opportunities and settings. With rare exception, nominees will be considered only after at least 12 years of postdoctoral contribution. It is also expected that AERA Fellows will continue to contribute to the advancement of the field through research, mentoring of junior scholars, and other forms of leadership and that they will uphold the highest standards of professional ethics in their work. The list of AERA Fellows is available on the AERA website.

All nominees, nominators, and endorsers must be current AERA members. Most helpful in the consideration of nominees is that nominators and endorsers have expertise in the area of the nominee’s significant, scholarly contributions or can speak knowledgeably about its significance. Either the nominator or one of the endorsers of a nominee must be an AERA Fellow. Nominators and endorsers may be from the same institution as a nominee. Members of the AERA Fellows Committee are not eligible to serve as nominators or endorsers. Self-nominations will not be accepted. Two persons should not knowingly nominate each other. 

The Fellows Committee encourages those advancing nominations to ensure that the nomination packet includes letters from those with expertise germane to the nominee’s research areas. It is also essential to the committee for the letters and documentation to point to the nominee’s specific research accomplishments and their significance to the nominee’s area of scholarship as well as to the field of education research more broadly. Letters should address explicitly the nominee’s substantial, significant, or seminal contribution that merits recognition as a Fellow. All letters must include a signed statement attesting to the fact that the nominator or endorser has no knowledge of conduct that would preclude a nominee from being honored as an AERA Fellow.

To nominate an outstanding researcher for Fellow status, please go to the submission site and submit the following online by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time, December 15, 2020:

1. 2021 AERA Fellow Nomination Form. Nominators are asked to include up to five major scholarly publications, research and scholarly contributions, awards and honors, and other contributions in support of the nomination;
2. One letter of nomination with a detailed explanation of the nominee’s substantial, significant, or seminal contributions, including the signed statement;
3. Two letters of endorsement from AERA members who have made outstanding contributions to education research and are familiar with the nominee’s work and research accomplishments; these letters should provide their own unique perspective on the nominee’s contributions rather than merely affirm the content of the nominator’s letter (two letters only), including the signed statement;
4. One article by the nominee (sole author or first author, if co-authored) that exemplifies the significance of the nominee’s contribution specifically addressed in the nomination letter (provide information about the journal, if needed; a book chapter may alternatively be provided);
5. Two or three sentences (no more than 100 words) that effectively capture the significance of the nominee’s research contributions;
6. The nominee’s current curriculum vitae

All nominations will be treated confidentially by the AERA Fellows Committee. The committee will review the nominations and subsequently submit a list of recommendations to the AERA Council for approval. Nominators will be notified of the final decision. Only those nominees selected for Fellows distinction will be notified by the committee. 

Please direct any questions regarding the nomination process to fellows@aera.net.

• View this call as a PDF
• Nominator and Endorser Signed Statement

The purpose of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Fellows Program is to honor education researchers with substantial research accomplishments, to convey the Association’s commitment to excellence in research, and to enable the next generation of emerging scholars to appreciate the value of sustained achievements in research and the breadth of scholarship worthy of recognition. The program is intended to recognize excellence in research and be inclusive of the scholarship that constitutes and enriches education research as an interdisciplinary field. Fellows are nominated by their peers, selected and recommended by the Fellows Committee, and approved by the AERA Council, the Association’s elected governing group.