This annual award recognizes completed dissertations that the Awards Committee deems to have made significant methodological and substantive contributions to the field. Two awards are given to doctoral degree recipients or candidates from two broad academic areas.
The deadline for 2026 Commencement nominations has passed.
2026 The Winifred and Louis Lancaster Dissertation Awardees
Math, Physical Sciences, and Engineering
Alexander Davydov, PhD `25
Mechanical EngineeringContraction Theory in Control, Learning, and Optimization
Advisor: Francesco Bullo
Social Sciences
Sienna Helena Parker
PhD Candidate
Technology ManagementRetiring From, Working Through: Retirement–Work Orientations and Organizing Later-Life Careers on an Online Labor Platform
Advisor: Paul Leonardi
About the 2026 Fields of Competition
To be eligible for this year’s competition, the effective date of the degree awarded, or the completion of the doctoral degree requirements and dissertation, must lie in the period of July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2026.
Mathematics, Physical Sciences and Engineering
Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Computer Science, Earth Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Environmental Science and Management, Mathematics, Material Science, Mechanical Engineering, Media Arts and Technology, Physics, OR Statistics
Social Sciences
Anthropology, Chicana and Chicano Studies, Communication, Counseling, Clinical and School Psychology, Economics, Education, Environmental Science and Management, Feminist Studies, Geography, Global Studies, Political Science, Psychology, OR Sociology. Please note that for purposes of this competition, history is classed within the humanities and is not a field of competition this year.
Nomination Deadline and Selection Process
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Only faculty can nominate students. The deadline for nominations is Wednesday, April 1, 2026.
- All faculty letters of support and nomination materials must be submitted to graddeans@graddiv.ucsb.edu. Please include "Mathematics, Physical Sciences and Engineering OR Social Sciences Lancaster Dissertation Competition" in the subject line of your email.
- To be eligible for this year’s competition, the effective date of the degree awarded, or the completion of the doctoral degree requirements and dissertation, must lie in the period of July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2026.
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).
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 medal 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.