APPLICATION DEADLINE WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2025
Award Description
The Warren Huff Clay Science Pathway Award is a newly endowed award of The Clay Minerals Society, intended to support the development of the next generation of clay scientists as they begin to build their careers in clay science research by encouraging their involvement in CMS activities and in the annual meeting.
Application Guidelines
Applicants should submit applications directly. No nominator is needed. Applicants must be at the stage of an early-career researcher (ECR), as defined in the broadest sense, and must be researching a clay science topic. Typically, an ERC will be within 5 years of receiving the latest graduate degree (not including career breaks) and must apply for the award within that time period. Up to 2 reapplications will be allowed and must be within 5 years of the first application. As with all awards from CMS, awardees may receive the award only once.
The application will consist of a five-minute presentation (video, narrated PowerPoint) and a CV which provide the following information:
- Biographical and educational background.
- Research topic(s) and accomplishments, e.g. published abstracts, refereed publications, thesis/dissertation title, conference presentations, etc.
- Past involvement, if any, with CMS (e.g. reviewer for the journal Clays and Clay Minerals, a member of CMS committees, attendance and presentations at annual meetings, recipient of a CMS grant, etc.) or with the broader clay community.
- Specific plans for attending the upcoming annual meeting.
The deadline for applications will be 8 months prior to the opening day of the next Annual Meeting of CMS. Submit the application by November 17, 2025, by e-mail to:
Professor Joseph W. Stucki
Awards Committee Chair
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 217-333-9636
Selection
Selection of the awardee will be made by the CMS Awards Committee, and the awardee will be informed no less than 6 months prior to the start of the annual meeting. All proposals that seek to enhance the involvement of the applicant in clay science and CMS, and especially the annual meeting, will be considered.
Expectations
The award will be made to support the applicant in the promotion of a clay-related research topic at the annual meeting of the society. This may take any form, ranging from a standard presentation of research findings to the organization or chairing of a scientific session or a workshop or other networking event.
Award Amount
The award will consist of a $1000 honorarium and three years of regular CMS membership.
Current Recipient
Awardee: Dr. Xiaojin Zheng
Presented:The CMS 2025 Annual Meeting, Dublin, Ireland
Affiliation: Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States
Lecture Title: “Unravelling Smectite Clay Nanoparticle Aggregation: Microstructure, dynamics, and Coupled Material Properties”
Past Recipient
2025 – Xiaojin Zheng