This annual award recognizes two individuals who have completed dissertations deemed by the Awards Committee as with significant impact on the field in terms of methodological and substantive contributions.
Two awards are given annually to doctoral degree recipients or candidates from two broad academic areas. The four fields of competition alternate each year, as specified by the National Council of Graduate Schools.
2025 The Winifred and Louis Lancaster Dissertation Awardees
Biological and Life Sciences
Nora Wolcott
PhD Candidate
Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (MCDB)Hippocampal Structure and Function are Modulated by a Dynamic Endocrine Environment
Advisors: Michael Goard, Ikuko Smith, Emily Jacobs, and Julie Simpson
Humanities and Fine Arts
Christopher Erdman
PhD `24
ClassicsVoting Culture and Political Theater in Late Republican Lawmaking
Advisor: Robert Morstein-Marx
Biological and Life Sciences
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology; Marine Science; OR Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology
Humanities and Fine Arts
Classics, Comparative Literature, East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies, English, Film and Media Studies, Hispanic Languages and Literatures, History, History of Art and Architecture, Linguistics, Media Arts and Technology, Music, Philosophy, Religious Studies, or Theater and Dance
Nomination Deadline and Selection Process
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Only faculty can nominate students.
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To be eligible for this year’s competition, dissertation completion must fall in the period of July 1, 2023-June 30, 2025 (no exceptions)
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Nominations must include:
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An abstract of the nominee’s dissertation (not to exceed five double-spaced pages). Appendices containing other material, such as charts, tables, and/or references, may be included as additional pages (not to exceed five pages).
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Three letters of recommendation evaluating the significance and quality of the nominee’s dissertation work. One of these letters is to be from the nominee's dissertation supervisor, another from a member of the nominee's dissertation committee, and the third from a person of the nominee's choice.
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The nominee’s curriculum vitae (not to exceed five pages).
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The deadline for nominations has passed.
A subcommittee of the Graduate Council reviews entries. The winner is selected based on impact on the field in terms of methodological and substantive contributions, as determined by content of dissertation abstract and letters of recommendation.
Award Details
One dissertation will be selected for each of the two categories. The two Lancaster Award dissertations will be entered into a national competition sponsored by the Council of Graduate Schools. Award recipients will be members of the Graduate Division Commencement Ceremony’s Platform Party, where they will be presented with a plaque and a check for $1,000.
About Winifred and Louis Lancaster
The UC Santa Barbara Winifred and Louis Lancaster Dissertation Awards are named after two community leaders who contributed time, talent, and financial resources to UC Santa Barbara for more than half a century. Winifred and Louis Lancaster were civic-minded philanthropists who played a central role in establishing the UC Santa Barbara Foundation and providing support to other key nonprofit organizations in the Santa Barbara area.
For more information about the Winifred and Louis Lancaster Annual Dissertation Awards, please contact the Graduate Division.