Fellow of The Society

The nomination material is reviewed by the three-person Scientific Achievement Subcommittee. The Committee Chair and members of the Subcommittee are not eligible to be named a Fellow. The Subcommittee makes recommendations to the Board of Directors for final approval. If a member of the Board is nominated for Fellow in that year, that Board member will abstain from the vote.

A SSSS member can be named a Fellow based on unusual and outstanding contribution to the scientific study of sex, defined as formal investigation designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge.

Fellows must report a large body of scholarly work and demonstrate that their work has had impact on the work of others. The number and quality of publications should be equal, for example, to that of a full professor at a research-intensive university. Citation of the applicant’s work by others can be an important indicator of the impact of his/her contributions. Accumulation of impact, and performance over time, must be demonstrated.

Although conducting and organizing workshops, offices held in relevant associations, or political and legislative activity are not in themselves evidence of outstanding contribution to the scientific study of sexuality, such activities may be considered secondarily as evidence of the nominee’s commitment to advancing the field of sexuality research.

Fellows should function as scholarly leaders in SSSS and are expected to use their expertise to promote and advance the next generation of sexuality scholars through that involvement. For example, because of their scholarly expertise, Fellows are ideal to serve on a Subcommittee for the awards and grants, review abstracts for the Annual Conference, volunteer their time during an event for the Mentorship Program and/or Continuing Education E-Learning Program, bring their students and mentees to the SSSS Annual Conference, and more.

Up to two Fellows may be named each year, although there is no requirement to name a Fellow in any given year. Individuals who are nominated but not awarded Fellow status in a given year may be considered for Fellow status in future years.

Active and Emeritus Fellows
Fellows of The Society are only “current” for as long as they maintain an active membership in SSSS. “Emeritus Fellows” are Fellows who are retired or deceased and are no longer maintaining an active membership (but were in good standing at the time of retirement or death). All “current” and “Emeritus” Fellows of The Society are listed on the SSSS website as an “Active Member” of The Society.

Inactive Fellow
Fellows of The Society that do not continue their membership will be listed on the website, but not as an active member. Fellow status can be removed by a majority vote of the Board of Directors in cases of confirmed scientific misconduct or serious breaches of professional ethics, including sexual misconduct or other forms of discrimination (see SSSS Values and Expectations).

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In the year an individual is named a Fellow of The Society, they receive:

• Commemorative plaque
• Complimentary conference registration
• Invitation to give a "Fellows Talk" during a concurrent session of the Annual Conference that highlights their recent scholarly work.

Nomination Period:

The nomination period is open from January 1 - March 15 each year.


Nominator Guidelines and Process

Nominations are welcome from any SSSS member. Self-nominations are welcome.

A nominee must be a SSSS member for three consecutive years immediately preceding the year of their nomination.

A nominee must hold an advanced degree from a recognized college, university, or other institution of higher education.

A nominee must have five years of professional experience in sexual science since the granting of their advanced degree, and must be actively engaged, at the time of their nomination, in the advancement of the scientific study of sexuality.

The nominator bears responsibility for recruiting individuals who support the nomination and for collecting and submitting the complete evidence file for the nominee.

The nominator must complete an online form and attach the following documents:

• Nominee's current CV
• Two letters of support from SSSS members. If the nomination is not a self-nomination, one letter can come from the nominator. The letters of support can be from two SSSS members or from a SSSS committee and one additional SSSS member. 

Fellows of The Society

* = Active Member

Emeritus Fellows of The Society