AFS Fellows Program

AFS designates as Fellows of the Society certain members who have made outstanding or meritorious contributions to the diversity of fields that are included in the American Fisheries Society.  Contributions can include, but are not restricted to, efforts in leadership, research, teaching and mentoring, resource management and/or conservation, and outreach/interaction with the public.

Eligibility Criteria

• Any current regular member of AFS who has been a regular member of AFS for at least the five (5) consecutive years immediately prior to his or her nomination is eligible to be nominated to be an AFS Fellow.  For these purposes, a regular member is defined as a non-student, dues-paying member or Life Member.
• A nominee is expected to have been a member of the profession for at least fifteen (15) years. This may be time since the PhD degree, but in cases where the PhD degree is not the terminal degree, it can be interpreted as after attaining the terminal degree.
• Demonstrated excellence of contributions to one or several of the following areas: (1) research and discovery, (2) communication and outreach, education and pedagogy, (3) application of fisheries science to management and/or policy, (4) leadership and/or advancement of the profession.
• AFS Presidents will automatically become Fellows upon their procession to past-president, if they are not Fellows already.

Nomination Procedures

The nomination of an individual to be an AFS Fellow can be made by any three members of AFS except members of the Fellows Selection Committee.  No AFS member can nominate more than two individuals in a given year.  Nomination packets will be considered for three years in a row without resubmission, although nominators are strongly encouraged to submit updated nominations.

Nominations shall be submitted through the online form and will require the following information:

1. The names of the three nominators
2. The name of the nominee and year she/he earned a PhD. or terminal degree.
3. A citation of at most 50 words proposed for use if the nominee is selected to be a Fellow.
4. A letter of nomination that describes the nominee’s most significant contributions and her/his impact in one or more of the areas identified above in the Eligibility Criteria. Additional details regarding the criteria used by the Selection Committee for evaluating significant contributions and impact can be found below.
5. Up to two additional letters of support may be included to provide detailed insight about a nominee’s professional accomplishments and contributions. These letters can come from anyone, including non-members.
6. A curriculum vitae of at most four pages. The CV should include evidence of outstanding contributions as outlined under the eligibility criteria and should be organized as listed below.  Note that the CV should include all of the following that apply, and be presented in this order:

• Education,
• Positions held
• Awards and honors
• 10-15 select publications (and total number)
• Current & recent grants
• Professional service
• Communication & outreach activities
• Teaching & pedagogy experience and activities
• Management & policy activities. 

Criteria for Evaluating Significant Contributions and Impact 

Below are some possible indicators of excellence that the selection committee will consider in selecting Fellows, so nominators and letter writers should speak to these in crafting their letters; these should not be viewed as an exclusive or complete list. Bear in mind that restricting CV length to 4 pages means that much of the nominee’s relevant efforts and accomplishments must be illustrated in the letters.

Indicators of Excellence Include but are not Restricted to the Following:

Research and Discovery: Exceptional intellectual contributions (e.g., as described by nominator and letter writers), high quality publications, high impact publications (e.g., high number of citations), high numbers of publications, large numbers of significant grants, evidence of exceptional leadership in research (e.g., leadership on major collaborative projects).

Communication/Outreach, Education/Pedagogy: Creation of media for the public that effectively communicates science, significant engagement with stakeholder groups, organization of citizen science efforts, legislative testimony, large numbers of graduate students and postdocs mentored, placement of graduate students and postdocs in competitive positions, high quantity of undergraduate students mentored, high quality of undergraduate student mentorship (e.g., publication/professional meeting attendance with undergraduates), leadership in training/mentoring (e.g., at a programmatic level), significant grants related to communication/outreach or education/pedagogy, leadership in communication/outreach or education/pedagogy, leadership in producing national and international reports, exceptional service to the discipline (e.g., editorships, holding executive positions in societies).

Application to Management/Policy: Significant development and codification of policy or management strategies; outstanding work within agencies, NGOs, or the private sector to effect policy or management change; significant and outstanding service on advisory boards to agencies (e.g., state, federal), NGOs, or businesses; other evidence of contributions to the application of fisheries to management or policy.

Leadership/Advancement of the Profession:  Significant effort and outstanding service related to mentoring and development of fisheries professionals, increasing diversity and inclusion within the fisheries profession, to advance and elevate the fisheries profession; significant contributions to the status, relevance, and influence of fisheries agencies, the American Fisheries Society or other fisheries-related professional organizations, NGOs, or the private sector.

-Please confirm that your nominee is a current member of AFS.  If necessary, check with the AFS office to conform.

2023 Award Nominations should be submitted online at https://afsawards.awardsplatform.com/

Nomination deadline: April 1, 2023

Contact: TBD

AFS Fellows by Class Year

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023