The Living Our Values (LOV) Committee reviews the Nadia Chaudhri Rising Scholar Award nominations. NCRSA travel awards are an opportunity for graduate students and *postdoctoral fellows from backgrounds that are wide-ranging, under-resourced, marginalized, or traditionally under-represented in psychosocial (defined broadly, i.e., sociological and clinical research) and biomedical (defined broadly, i.e., basic and biological human research) sciences to attend the RSA Annual Meeting. Graduate students or *postdoctoral fellows are eligible. NCRSA awardees will be selected based on an evaluation of the complete application (please see details below).

NCRSA awardees will be publicly announced at the RSA Closing Ceremony, invited to participate in the graduate student or postdoctoral events, and paired with mentors who have committed to helping NCRSA awardees successfully navigate the Annual Meeting. NCRSA awardees will have the opportunity to present their research as a poster or oral presentation at the RSA Annual Meeting. Applicants must be first and presenting author on the submitted abstract, and only one application per person and per abstract may be submitted.

*Postdoctoral fellow: no more than four (4) years past graduation year (current CV must show graduation date)

ELIGIBILITY: 
Current Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Fellows from the following groups

• • Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, American Indian, Alaska Native, Indigenous Peoples of Canada (e.g., First Nations, Inuit, Métis)
  • South Asian (e.g., Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, the Maldives, Sri Lanka) and Southeast Asian descent (e.g., Cambodian, Filipino, Hmong, Lao, Vietnamese), and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
  • LGBTQ+ individuals
  • Individuals with a disability(ies)
  • From a historically marginalized or disadvantaged background

NCRSA includes up to $2,000 reimbursement (awardees MUST submit one PDF document of all original receipts) of the following expenses:

• • Taxi or rideshare services, excludes car rental and premium services
  • Airfare (economy class or equivalent)
  • Airport parking (5 days maximum)
  • Meal per diem ($50/day, 5 days maximum)

RSA provides waiver of the following expenses:

• • RSA Meeting registration fee (automatically waived by the RSA Executive Office)
  • RSA abstract publication fee (refunded post-award notification)
  • Lodging (5 nights maximum at an RSA contracted hotel(s); one-half room fees and taxes)

*If your institution, employer, or visa status prohibits you from receiving reimbursements after the meeting, please contact info@researchsocietyonalcohol.org before applying.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS/PROCESS:

• • Poster or speaker abstract submitted by deadline.
  • 500-word cover letter (statement of interest), CV, letter of recommendation, and 1-page budget (not used in award evaluation) submitted by deadline.
  • The evaluation committee, which includes at least one graduate student or postdoctoral trainee representative, judges abstracts and selects NCRSA recipients.
  • Award notifications to be sent via email in March.

NOTE:  Applicants may also apply for an RSA Student Merit Travel Award (applicants for that award must be the presenting author). Any individual selected to receive both a Nadia Chaudhri Rising Scholar Award and a Student Merit Travel Award shall receive only the NCRSA.

Before you begin, be sure to have the following materials ready for inclusion:

IMPORTANT: All submitted files must be in PDF format for file upload.

1. 1. Abstract ID Number: This MUST be submitted in the current meeting year from your Poster Abstract for the RSA Annual Scientific Meeting.
   2. Cover Letter: In 500 words or less, please describe your reasons for applying for this award and indicate how you meet the eligibility criteria.
   3. Academic curriculum vitae (CV).
   4. Letter of Recommendation: (on letterhead; 2-page limit) Letter should be from your mentor, advisor or an individual familiar with your work at your current institution. The letter should confirm your status as a graduate student or postdoctoral fellow, certify your qualifications and describe your contributions to the research you are presenting at RSA.
   5. Budget: To give us an indication of your financial need, please provide a budget table (1 page max) indicating proposed expenses and any other guaranteed sources of funding. Appropriate expenses include: RSA abstract publication fee, travel, accommodation, and meal per diem. If childcare is required to enable meeting attendance, please include this information for consideration. This information will not be used in the award evaluation.