We are pleased to announce that the call for nominations for the 2026 KSEAUK Outstanding Research Awards is now open. These prestigious awards recognise exceptional contributions to science and technology by Future Leaders (FLs). The Awards recognise three distinct categories of members who have established a distinguished record of work experience, research, scholarship, or creative activities throughout their careers.

The 2026 KSEAUK Outstanding Research Awards offer certificates to recipients in each category and cash prizes of £100 for JFLs, £200 for RFLs, and £300 for AFLs.

 

The three award categories are:

Junior Future Leaders (JFLs) Award

Academic track: Open to PhD researchers within 3 years of obtaining their final degree (e.g. MSc, MRes, etc).

Industry track: Open to industry-based researchers (e.g. engineers, scientists, data analysts, etc.) within 3 years of obtaining their final degree (e.g. BEng, MSc, etc.).

 

Rising Future Leaders (RFLs) Award

Academic track: Open to researchers with up to 5 years of post-PhD research experience by the submission deadline.

Industry track: Open to researchers with up to 8 years of experience in industry by the submission deadline.

Applicants must hold a permanent or fixed-term position within academia, a non-profit research organisation, or an industrial sector (e.g. engineering, software development, IT security, data analysis, etc.).

 

Advanced Future Leaders (AFLs) Award:

Academic track: Open to researchers with up to 12 years of post-PhD research experience by the submission deadline.

Industry track: Open to researchers with up to 15 years of experience in industry by the submission deadline.

Applicants must hold a permanent or fixed-term position within academia, a non-profit research organisation, or an industrial sector (e.g. engineering, software development, IT security, data analysis, etc.).

 

Who can apply

Ethnic Korean scientists or engineers. 

Affiliated or employed at research universities/institutions or industrial/government labs in the UK. 

Members of the Korean Scientists and Engineers Association in the UK (KSEAUK). 

 

How to apply

Nominations must include the following materials to be considered for the award. In addition, all materials submitted for the evaluation must be in English.

The nomination package should include:

• Nomination form - Please write a nomination letter accessible to those unfamiliar with the nominee’s research field. The nomination form in MS Word format can be downloaded from the dedicated KSEAUK webpage.  
• CV, including a list of the nominee’s scientific publications.  
• For Junior Future Leaders (JFLs), there is no need for supporting letters or publications for the nominee’s application.  
• For Rising Future Leaders (RFLs), the most (one) important publication from the list + one supporting letter for the nominee’s application from fellow researchers/supervisors/line managers.  
• For Advanced Future Leaders (AFLs), the two most important publications from the list + two supporting letters for the nominee’s application from fellow researchers/supervisors/line managers. 

All application documents, including supporting letter(s), must be submitted electronically in a single PDF file to the KSEAUK secretary at secretary@kseauk.org by 11.59 pm UK time on 31 July 2026 (BST). 

 

How to select

Applications will be evaluated by the KSEAUK Award Evaluation Committee, and the recipients will be selected based on their scientific and career excellence in their dedicated field and potential to become a leader in their area. The selection criteria include the quality of rationale in the nomination letter and the impact of the early career scholarship. The recipients will be announced on the KSEAUK web page https://www.kseauk.org/ and via email by 31 August 2026.

 

Award ceremony*

The KSEAUK Outstanding Researcher Award ceremony in 2026 will be held during the Annual KSEAUK Conference event on the 24th of October 2026. Attendance at the award ceremony is mandatory for awardees or the award can be cancelled.

For any questions, please contact KSEAUK secretary via secretary@kseauk.org.