Young Investigator Award

The Young Investigator Award aims to encourage masters level students to focus their area of research on anti-doping issues.

WADA will allocate four prizes of US$2,000 each for outstanding and innovative research projects that will contribute to the development of effective doping prevention strategies.

Note that this is not a grant for funding a research project but a prize to reward outstanding work completed in the area of anti-doping social science research.

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Who can apply?

Students who have completed a masters level research project (thesis, thesis equivalent or internship report) in the year of the call for proposals (e.g. in 2012 for the 2013 call for proposals) or who will complete a masters level research project by January 10 of the following year (e.g. January 10, 2013 for the 2013 call) in order to cater for both South and North hemisphere academic years.

Student projects must explore an aspect of anti-doping from a social science perspective (e.g. sociology, psychology, education, etc.).

There is no age limit to apply.

What is the process?

Step 1 - Submission of Application

Students are required to provide WADA with a general overview of their project, completed or intended, using the application form designed for this purpose, available in the Download Center to the right. Project overviews and final reports will only be accepted in English or French.

Step 2 – Conditional Selection of Projects

The submitted projects will be ranked according to quality, contribution to the field and potential use by WADA and its stakeholders. WADA will then invite shortlisted students to submit their completed projects for consideration for a Young Investigator’s Award. WADA will advise those selected when to submit their completed report.

Step 3 – Submission of Completed Research Project

The selected students will submit their completed thesis for the final appraisal phase. Only completed theses will be considered.

What will be awarded?

In addition to receiving a monetary award of US$2,000, the top four young investigators will have their profiles added to the Young Investigators' Award Recipient page.

When and where should the application be submitted?

The 2013 call for applications will close on June 6, 2012. The 2014 call will be posted on WADA’s Web site in March 2013.

The timeline for the 2013 Program are included below:

June 6, 2012: Initial applications to be submitted by email to ssr@wada-ama.org
July 8, 2012: Shortlist of selected students published on WADA Web site. Applicants notified.
January 10, 2013: Completed project to be submitted to WADA by email at ssr@wada-ama.org
March 2013: Winners are selected and notified. Awards will only be granted to projects WADA deems appropriate.

The 2014 Program will follow similar timelines.

2013 Shortlisted candidates

Durst, Olivia: “Athletes’ Values, Attitudes and Justifications for the Doping Ban: A Canadian Perspective” - Canada

Durst, Olivia: “Athlete, Coach and Sport Administrator Perceptions of the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport” - Canada

Erickson, Kelsey: “Are there protective factors and/or clusters of shared protective factors amongst competitive level athletes with regards to performance enhancing drugs (PEDS) in sports?” - UK

Gumenyuk, Alexandr: “Evaluation of adaptive regulatory athletes’ status, as a marker of the influence of doping on the prospects” - Russia

McKensie, Arusha: “Building Effective Doping Prevention Strategies through Educational Campaigns amongst Jamaican Athletes” - Jamaica

2012 Young Investigator Award Recipients


	Blank, Cornelia Title/Responsibility in Institution PhD Student, Junior Research Scientist Institution and Country Institute for Sports Medicine, Alpine Medicine & Health Tourism Department for Medical Sciences and Health Systems Management Private University for Health Sciences, Medical Informatics and Technology Austria Contact E-mail: cornelia.blank@umit.at
Main Field of Research Health Sciences and Sports Medicine
Research Interests Major sport events, doping prevention, management of medical services, health tourism focusing on physical and psychological recreation
Current projects Management and delivering of Medical Services at Major Sport Events Austrian Moderate Altitude Study (AMAS) III – Effects of short-vacations in moderate altitude on psycho-physiological regeneration capacity. Evaluation of Knowledge and Attitudes of Junior Athletes, Parents and Trainers regarding Doping and Doping Prevention in Sports
Future projects/projects Research in Doping Prevention with focus on Sports Physicians outside Austria

	Earl, Mike Title/Responsibility in Institution n/a Institution and Country UEFA, Switzerland Contact E-mail: michaelgearl@hotmail.co.uk

Main field of research: Anti-doping education and psychology, sport motivation, morality and doping.
Research interests: Factors influencing the effects of anti-doping education on knowledge, behaviour and doping intention. Application of sport motivation and morality theories to doping.


	Thanou, Adamantia Title/Responsibility in Institution n/a Institution and Country Athens Medical School, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens Greece Contact 10 Ag. Dimitriou str, 22100 Tripoli, Greece Tel.: +30 6977 707452 E-mail: athanou@med.uoa.gr

Main field of research: Public health, elite sport, doping epidemiology
Research interests: Doping prevention, doping use among the general population and the impact on public health, improved methods of performance enhancing drugs prevalence.

2011 Young Investigator Award Recipients


	Barouillet, Bertrand Title/Responsibility in Institution PhD Student Institution and Country Université de Nice Sophia-Antipolis France Masters Thesis Le dispositif français de lutte antidopage au prisme des droits sportifs, étatiques et supra-étatiques.


	Hansen, Per Øystein Title/Responsibility in Institution PhD Student Institution and Country Norwegian School of Sport Sciences Norway Contact E-mail: per.oystein.hansen@nih.no
Main Field of Research Elite sport, anti-doping
Research Interests Sensemaking, sport policy, expert performance, leadership in sports, High Reliability Organizations
Masters Thesis Hansen, P.Ø. (2009): How do a group of athletes evaluate and interpret the whereabouts information system?
Other Making the Best Even Better http://www.nih.no/templates/projects____9551.aspx


	Ong, Chin Wei Title/Responsibility in Institution PhD Student in Sport Psychology Institution and Country Singapore Sports School Singapore Contact E-mail: onchinwei@gmail.com
Main Field of Research Sport Psychology, Youth Sport, Talent Development, Narcissism
Research Interests Sport Psychology, Youth Sport, Talent Development, Narcissism
Masters Thesis The role of narcissism in moderating the relationship between perceived motivational climate and cheating attitudes


	Stipis, Catherine Johanna Title/Responsibility in Institution PhD Student Institution and Country James Cook University Australia Masters Thesis Athlete’s attitudes towards performance enhancing and recreational drug use in sport: The difference in attitudes among users and non-users