# Richard Bird Distinguished Dissertation Award

**URL:** <https://discuss.ocaml.org/t/richard-bird-distinguished-dissertation-award/18215>\
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**Created:** [June 3, 2026, 1:02pm UTC](https://discuss.ocaml.org/t/richard-bird-distinguished-dissertation-award/18215 "2026-06-03T13:02:18Z")\
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**Post date:** [June 3, 2026, 1:02pm UTC](https://discuss.ocaml.org/t/richard-bird-distinguished-dissertation-award/18215/1 "2026-06-03T13:02:18Z")

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Hello fellow users of OCaml,  
If you or your students have defended a PhD in 2025 on a topic related to functional programming, then you may apply for the (new) Richard Bird Distinguished Dissertation Award. Announcement copied below.

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CALL FOR NOMINATIONS

Richard Bird Distinguished Dissertation Award 2025

Deadline: 31st August 2026

> **[Richard Bird Distinguished Dissertation Award](https://people.cs.nott.ac.uk/pszgmh/jfp-bird-award.html)**

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OVERVIEW

The Journal of Functional Programming is pleased to establish  
the Richard Bird Distinguished Dissertation Award, to recognise  
an outstanding PhD dissertation in functional programming.

Richard Bird (1943-2022) was one of the leading figures in  
functional programming. He was a Professor in Oxford, where  
he founded the Algebra of Programming group, and served as  
Director of the Computing Laboratory. Richard is renowned  
for his many books and pearls on functional programming,  
which set a lasting standard for clear and elegant writing.  
It seems fitting that an award be established in his name  
to further encourage these values in the field.

The award includes a prize of £1,000. Funding for the prize  
is supported by a generous donation from Richard himself to  
further the cause of functional programming.

CRITERIA

Eligible dissertations must have been completed in 2025.  
Depending on the institution, this may be the date of the viva,  
corrections being approved, graduation ceremony, or otherwise.

The award is open to all topics within the remit of JFP, with  
a particular emphasis on dissertations that reflect Richard’s  
own values of clarity, simplicity and elegance. For a  
dissertation to be considered for the award it should:

- Reach a high standard of exposition;

- Make a noteworthy contribution to the subject;

- Place the results in the wider context of computer science.

NOMINATIONS

Please submit the following information to the award chair,  
[graham.hutton@nottingham.ac.uk](mailto:graham.hutton@nottingham.ac.uk), by 31st August 2026:

- Two letters of support, explaining why the dissertation  
should be considered for the award. One letter should be  
from the advisor/supervisor, and one from an independent  
source with no conflict of interest with the candidate,  
such as an external examiner or other expert in the field.

- A copy of the dissertation itself.

AWARD COMMITTEE

Graham Hutton (chair), University of Nottingham  
Matthew Flatt, University of Utah  
Jeremy Gibbons, University of Oxford  
François Pottier, INRIA  
Wouter Swierstra, University of Utrecht  
Ningning Xie, University of Toronto

The JFP editors-in-chief serve as observers of the committee.

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