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SPSSI Fellows

Recognition of outstanding contributions to the psychological study of social issues and to SPSSI is conferred through the granting of SPSSI Fellow status, which is an honor valued by many members. Depending on a SPSSI member's current status, there are three different ways to become a Fellow of SPSSI.

  1. SPSSI members who belong to APA but are not currently APA Fellows in any division can be considered for APA Initial Fellow status if they meet both the APA and SPSSI requirements listed below.
  2. SPSSI members who are already APA Fellows through another division can be considered for SPSSI Fellow status if they meet the SPSSI requirements listed below.
  3. SPSSI members who do not belong to APA can be considered for SPSSI Fellow status if they meet the SPSSI requirements listed below.

The Process in Brief:
Potential Fellows must be nominated (self-nominations are welcome), and then must submit additional application materials. Nominees who are not already APA Fellows must submit supporting letters (including the evaluation worksheet) from at least three current Fellows. For nominees who are already APA Fellows in another division, such letters are optional but encouraged.

Detailed procedures for submitting are described below and further explained in the various documents that can be downloaded from the Forms and Resources page.

Eligibility: APA and SPSSI each have requirements for members to be elected as Fellows.

The APA requires potential Fellows to meet all of the following criteria:
1.  Membership in APA for at least one year.
2.  Five or more years of acceptable post-doctoral experience.
3.  Current engagement in the advancement of psychology.
4.  Evidence of unusual and outstanding contributions or performance in the field of Psychology. 

The APA Fellows Committee has usually interpreted  “unusual and outstanding contributions” to mean those who have had demonstrable national impact in the field of psychology. They suggest that the evidence for this criterion might be provided by specific examples of work that has had a strong impact through:

  • highly-cited publications

  • community service

  • documented innovations

  • presentation of papers, chairing of symposia, conducting of workshops

  • holding office in psychological organizations

  • influencing legislation

  • receiving major awards or grants

For a more detailed discussion of this criterion, see the Manual for Nominating Fellows of APA, especially pages 4-8.

SPSSI further requires potential Fellows to meet the following criteria:
1.  Member of SPSSI/Division 9 for at least 1 year.
2.  Evidence of outstanding contributions or performance in at least one of the following areas:

  • Application of the methods of psychology and social sciences to research on socially relevant issues

  • Dissemination (including teaching) of relevant research information bearing on social issues

  • Application of research results to the resolution of social issues

  • Outstanding contribution to the resolution of social issues at the action level

  • Major contributions to SPSSI as an organization.

Nominations:

SPSSI invites nominations for potential Fellow status in the American Psychological Association (APA), or in SPSSI independent of APA. Nominations may be made by any current SPSSI member or Fellow. Self-nominations are also welcome.  

The deadline for receipt of nominations for 2025 is December 15, 2024. Nominations should be emailed to jbelsley@spssi.org with the words "2025 Fellow Nomination" in the subject line, also copying the nominee. The Nomination should include the nominee’s name, professional affiliation, and contact information (including their e-mail address), and a brief statement concerning the nominee’s eligibility, based on the requirements listed above. In addition, please indicate the nominee’s current APA membership status (i.e., member, Fellow, or nonmember).

Application Materials:

HOW TO APPLY:

  1. Important: APA members seeking APA Initial Division 9 Fellow status must apply directly through the APA Fellows Application portal here, once nominated. The APA Fellows Portal is here.

  2. APA Fellows and SPSSI Members who are not APA members should apply online through the SPSSI award portal. Online submissions are the preferred method. IMPORTANT: Select the radio button "SPSSI Fellows" when applying online and please limit the number and size of files uploaded when applying.  The SPSSI online portal is here.

Application Deadline:

The deadline for receipt of all application materials for 2024-25 selection (nominee’s materials and endorser letters, if applicable) is January 8, 2025.

Important Note to APA Members:  Please note that any deadline listed on the APA Fellows Portal is a final deadline for Division Chairs to submit your potentially approved application to the APA for their approval.  Therefore, all consideration materials, including endorsements, must be uploaded to the APA Fellows Portal annually by January 8 for consideration by the Division 9 Fellows Selection Committee.

Recent Fellows since 2020 are here.

Who's a Fellow? The SPSSI Fellows Report is here. Please note this data is self-reported by our members' SPSSI profiles as they populated them. If a member update is needed to this report, please login into your SPSSI profile and update it.  Your update will be included in the next SPSSI Fellows Report.