B L Turner II Award for Doctoral Research in Human-Environmental Science
Deadline for the 2027 awards: October 15, 2026 (by midnight, Eastern Time)
Over a distinguished career spanning more than five decades, B L Turner II has fundamentally shaped our understanding of human-environmental interactions, land systems, sustainability, and socio-environmental vulnerability. Drawing on rigorous field-based and quantitative and mixed method approaches, his pioneering work on land change/systems, sustainability, and coupled human-natural systems helped to solve various research problems and created intellectual pathways that continue to guide research across multiple disciplines and space-time scales.
Beyond his scholarly achievements, Turner mentored generations of students and colleagues, fostering a collaborative research approach that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries. His guidance shaped not only research agendas but entire career trajectories, instilling in his mentees a commitment to rigorous scholarship that bridges theory and practice.
The Award
This award is designed to support scientific research in human-environmental science. The award will be made every year to a PhD candidate who has successfully defended their proposal, demonstrating geographical or related motivation with particular attention to rigorous science drawing on fieldwork and mixed or emerging methods. Although primarily designed to stimulate human-environment system-oriented scientific investigations within the discipline of geography, this award is open to doctoral candidates examining problems of human-environmental systems regardless of the discipline in question, membership in the American Association of Geographers (AAG), or country of the degree-granting institution.
The B L Turner II Award for Doctoral Research in Human-Environmental Science consists of a cash award of $10,000, a certificate of recognition, a one-year mentorship from one of B L Turner II’s mentees, past awardees, or a scholar identified by the Award Trustees, and recognition at the AAG Annual Meeting during its awards ceremony (registration and travel expenses not included).
Eligibility
- Applicants must have completed all Ph.D. requirements except the final defense (ABD), no more than one year before the award application deadline.
- The research problem in question must contribute to the advancement of problem solving and theory and/or methods relevant to human-environment systems.
- There is no limit with respect to the number of students who can apply from each institution.
- Applicants for the award do not need to be members of the American Association of Geographers, but membership is encouraged.
- As with all other AAG awards, eligibility also rests on the candidate being in compliance with the AAG Professional Conduct Policy. Nominations may be rescinded, and the award may also be revoked for any candidate or awardee who is found in violation of the AAG’s Professional Conduct Policy.
Applications
A complete application must be received no later than the close of business on the deadline (Eastern Time).
- A cover letter containing contact information (name, address, email, and phone number) and a statement of intent to apply for the award.
- An abstract of the dissertation that explicitly identifies the individual’s contribution to human-environment systems, including theory/methods.
- The applicant’s academic curriculum vitae.
- A recommendation letter from a member of the student’s dissertation committee or other faculty member from the student’s Ph.D. degree-granting institution.
For questions or difficulties, please contact grantsawards@aag.org or call the AAG at 202-234-1450.
B L Turner II Award for Doctoral Research in Human-Environmental Science Committee
Applications will be reviewed by the B L Turner II Award for Doctoral Research in Human-Environmental Science Committee. The committee consists of three members, appointed by the Trustees. The committee is charged with reviewing the applications and recommending awards to the Trustees. The Trustees will make the formal awards.
This award, together with the 
The Association of American Geographers (AAG) and Gamma Theta Upsilon (GTU) have partnered to raise funds to support student attendance at the AAG annual meeting. The AAG-GTU Student Travel Awards provide travel subsidies of $200 to help undergraduate and graduate student members of GTU attend AAG meetings.
Melvin G. Marcus, past president of the American Association of Geographers and an internationally recognized physical geographer, structured his career around a balance of field work, theory development, teaching, and enjoyment of the geographic endeavor. Making physical geography accessible to everyone with a love of the outdoors, including women, minorities, and the less privileged, was one of Mel’s life-long objectives.