James S. Jackson Distinguished Career Award

The University of Michigan is proud to award the James S. Jackson Distinguished Career Award biennially.

This award recognizes a senior University of Michigan faculty member who has made significant contributions to understanding issues related to access and opportunity through research, teaching, and mentoring. This prestigious honor celebrates the University's commitment to inclusivity and fosters ongoing dialogue on critical issues.

This award is named after James S. Jackson whose career epitomized the type of dedication and accomplishment that we envisioned in founding the award. He was the inaugural recipient of the award in 2017. Dr. Jackson served as the director of the Institute for Social Research at the University from 2005 to 2015. Dr. Jackson played an instrumental role in the life of ISR over his long and illustrious career. He was a giant in the social sciences, producing a steady stream of path-breaking research and training generations of social science researchers.

Dr. Jackson’s leadership roles spanned not only the social sciences, but also in health, medicine, and science. One of the most notable is his appointment by President Obama to the National Science Board of the National Science Foundation, which advises Congress and the president on national science and engineering policy.

Every other year, a senior faculty member will be selected to receive the award and give a public lecture or performance based on their work.