Fellows of the Society

Fellows are elected for outstanding contributions to the sphere of sexual knowledge. Election is by the Board of Directors upon recommendation of the Fellows Committee. Members may apply on their own initiative or may be invited to apply by the Fellows Committee or by members of the Board of Directors.
 

Nominating Individuals for SSSS Fellow

Deadline: March 15 of each calendar year.

The SSSS Awards and Fellows Committee welcomes nominations for Fellows on or before March 15.

Fellow Criteria

Fellows are selected for outstanding contributions to the sphere of sexual knowledge. Election is by the Board of Directors upon recommendation of the Fellows Committee. Members may apply on their own initiative or may be invited to apply by the Fellows Committee or by members of the Board of Directors.

A member may be named a Fellow on the basis of unusual and outstanding contribution to the scientific study of sex, being defined as formal investigation designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge. It should be noted that the existence of relevant publications is not enough – they must report impressive work, have impact upon the work of others, and have been referred appropriately. The type and quality of publications should be equal, for example, to that of a full professor at a research intensive university. Citation of the applicant’s work by others may be an important indicator of the impact of his/her contributions. Accumulation of impact and performance over time must be demonstrated. Conducting and organizing workshops, and offices held in relevant associations or political and legislative activity, are not in themselves evidence of outstanding contribution to the scientific study of sexuality.

The applicant must have been a member of The Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality for three years preceding the date of the application. Applicants must ordinarily have five years of professional experience in sexual science since the granting of their earned advanced degree and must be actively engaged at the time of their application in the advancement of the scientific study of sexuality. Fellows are required to have an advanced degree from a recognized college, university, or other higher education institution.

Award nomination guidelines, as modified by the SSSS Board of Directors in November 2008:

1. “The Awards Committee is committed to avoiding potential conflicts of interest. Hence, members of the Awards Committee and Executive Committee of The Society’s Board of Directors are ineligible for consideration for any/all Society awards considered by the Awards Committee during their term of service.”

2. All Society award nominations require the following materials in a single evidence file: the award candidate’s current vita and two letters of support by Society members. Fellow nominations require that at least one of the letters of support be prepared by a current SSSS Fellow.
3. The individual who assumes responsibility for nominating a particular candidate for an award (not the Awards Committee) bears responsibility for locating individuals willing to support the nomination and for submitting the complete evidence file for a candidate to the Awards Committee Chair. S/he agrees to collect all necessary information and transmit this electronically to the Chair of the Fellows/Awards Committee on or before the March 15 deadline. The Awards/ Fellow Committee Chair will not take this role. 
4. Each nominator assumes responsibility for collecting appropriate data on an award candidate without a candidate’s knowledge of the nomination to prevent disappointment and safeguard confidential discussion of qualifications. The only exception to this is if a Society member nominates him or herself for Fellow recognition.
5. The official deadline for complete files (all information needed for the Awards/Fellows Committee to consider a candidate for a potential award or fellow status) is March 15. The Committee will not consider incomplete files and late nominations following the March 15 date.

6. Please use email to address any questions and nomination materials to Mandy Peters  at mlpeters@sexscience.org