AEC Awards

Professionals

Practitioner of the Year Award

Sponsored by OccuCare Injury Prevention, this award recognizes achievements in the creative application of ergonomics, including process improvement, education, applied instrumentation and product development. Awarded for a specific achievement or for a series of achievements.

• $3,000 will be awarded to an individual or a group of individuals.
• The award winner will receive complimentary conference registration.
  
• Winner will be invited to be a Featured Speaker at the 2026 Applied Ergonomics Conference.

What is needed to submit a nomination for the Practitioner of the Year Award?

• A minimum of one (1) letter, maximum of two (2), with a narrative description of the achievement. Each letter from your colleagues should be no more than three (3) pages in length.
  • Each nomination letter should include two (2) versions that name the nominee and a version with the name redacted. The AEC Awards Committee will review the name-redacted letter(s) for an unbiased decision.
  • The candidate's curriculum vitae (CV).
    • Two versions required: a full/standard CV and a CV with the nominee's name redacted.
  • Submission and receipt of supporting documentation via the submission form by deadline.

  Deadline EXTENDED: Dec. 31, 2025

  Submit a Nomination

  Congratulations to the 2025 Winner

  Murray Gibson
  Saturn Ergonomics Consulting                                                                                                
  

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  Young Professionals

  

  Applied Ergonomics Conference/Texas A&M Center for Worker Health Young Investigator Award

  Sponsored by the Texas A&M Center for Worker Health and the Applied Ergonomics Conference, this award recognizes a faculty member demonstrating outstanding contributions through applied research.

  • $1,000 awarded to faculty member.
  • Candidate must be within 10 years of graduation with a terminal degree in a related field.
  • Materials required to support the nomination include curriculum vitae and a nomination letter from a college highlighting the candidate's significant contributions through applied research to the field of ergonomics.
  • The award will be presented at the 2026 Applied Ergonomics Conference.

  What is needed to submit a nomination for the Young Investigator Award?

  • A minimum of (1) letter, maximum of two (2), with a narrative description of the achievement. Each letter from your colleagues should be no more than three (3) pages in length.
  • The candidate's curriculum vitae (CV).

  Deadline EXTENDED: Dec. 31, 2025
  

  Submit a Nomination

  Congratulations to the 2025 Winner

  Oshin Tyagi
  University of Michigan

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  Students

  

  Student of the Year Award

  Sponsored by CNA Insurance, this award recognizes achievements in ergonomics application or research, including process improvement, education, applied instrumentation and product development as submitted for presentation in a poster or oral presentation at the Applied Ergonomics Conference.

  • Awarded for a specific achievement or for a series of achievements submitted for presentation in a poster or oral presentation at the Applied Ergonomics Conference.
  • $1,000 awarded to four students, for a total of $4,000.
  • The award winners will receive complimentary conference registration.
  • The award will be presented at the 2026 Applied Ergonomics Conference.

  What is needed to be considered for the Student of the Year Award?

  All students who submit an abstract for an oral presentation session or a poster session and are accepted to present at the Applied Ergonomics Conference 2026 will be considered for the award. The top finalists will be notified and may be asked to answer a short essay question. Example questions include:

  • Why have you chosen to go into the field of Ergonomics?
  • What excites you about the field of Ergonomics?
  • Where do you see the field of Ergonomics headed?

  Deadline: September 19, 2025

  Congratulations to the 2025 Winners

  • “CLUMM: A Contrastive Learning Framework for Unobtrusive Motion Monitoring” – Pius Gyamenah, Arizona State University
  • “Addressing Exoskeleton Architectural Diversity in Ergonomic and Biomechanical Studies” – Kathy Min, University of California at Berkeley
  • “Enhancing Ergonomics in Construction: A Data-Driven Approach to Reducing Worker Strain and Increasing Safety” – Hamidreza Mohammadhosseinzadeh Golabchi, University of Alberta
  • “Ergonomic Analysis of Lifting and Carrying Milling Screens” – Lukas Peterson, Minnesota State University