The Cements Division’s Early Career Award recognizes an outstanding early career scientist who is conducting research in the field of cement and concrete in an academic, industry, or government funded laboratory.
Nomination Process
Criteria and eligibility:
- Nominee must be a member of the ACerS Cements Division, or become a member before the nomination deadline;
- Nominee must have completed their terminal academic degree no more than 10 years previous to July 15, 2027.
- Nominee must be working primarily in the field of cement and concrete science;
- Self-nominations are not permitted.
*Extension of the maximum age can be given for circumstances that have caused a delay of the scientific career of the applicant (e.g., birth or adoption of a child, medical leave, military service, etc.). Please contact the Cements Division Chair and/or the Early Career Award Committee Chair at least one month before the deadline to provide justification of the request. All requests will be reviewed and decided by the Early Career Award Committee. A maximum of three years extension under extenuating circumstances is allowable.
The selection of the awardee will be based on the nomination and accompanying evidence of scientific contributions, such as a list of publications, selected abstracts, and receipt of other awards or recognitions.
Nomination materials must include:
- Cover page containing name, affiliation, confirmation of ACerS Cements Division membership, and year of terminal academic degree of the nominee, along with the name and affiliation of the nominator;
- Written statement summarizing the scientific contributions and other qualifications of the nominee – not to exceed 500 words;
- A copy of the nominee’s current academic-style CV (i.e. long-form) giving professional background, professional achievements, publications, presentations, etc.
The awardee will be announced at the annual Advances in Cement-Based Materials Meeting.
Contact
The nomination should be submitted electronically to Kendra Erk, Chair of the Cements Division, and to Vicki Evans, ACerS Cements Division Liaison. The subject heading should read “ACerS Early Career Award Nomination.”
All nominators should have received a confirmation email from Kendra Erk. If you did not, please contact Kendra at erk@purdue.edu.
Award Winners
Warda Ashraf
Warda Ashraf, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington. She earned her Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Purdue University in 2017 and received both her B.S. and M.S. degrees from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET).
Dr. Ashraf’s research focuses on the design and development of sustainable, high-performance cementitious materials through the integration of fundamental materials science, cement chemistry, and multiscale characterization techniques. Her work seeks to advance the understanding of cementitious composites while enabling the development of infrastructure materials that combine durability, scalability, and environmental sustainability.
She is the recipient of several prestigious awards, including the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Director’s Fellowship Award (2022), the DARPA Young Faculty Award (2020), the Lawrence Stephens Award for Outstanding Research Achievement from the University of Texas at Arlington College of Engineering (2024), and Purdue University’s College of Engineering Outstanding Graduate Research Award (2017).
Elena Tajuelo Rodriguez