Sharon Nicholson has been selected by Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Germany to receive the Humboldt Research Award. The award is granted to researchers whose fundamental discoveries or insights have had a significant impact on their discipline and who are expected to continue producing cutting-edge achievements in the future.
The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, named for the 18th-century Prussian naturalist and explorer, specializes in cultivating scientific exploration and collaboration between German researchers and contemporaries around the world. The Humboldt Research Award consists of a $66,000 prize and an invitation to conduct research at a German institution for up to one year.
Dr. Nicholson is a meteorology professor in the department of earth, ocean and atmospheric science at Florida State University. She recently completed a two-month research visit to Africa, where she studied rainfall and fog.
Professor Nicholson came to Florida State in 1985. At that time she was the only woman faculty member in the department. She was promoted to full professor in 1991. She holds bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in meteorology, all from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.