The William A. Owens Creative Research Awards recognizes an established investigator whose research/creative accomplishments at UGA and overall scholarly body of work have had a major impact on the field of study and have established the investigator’s international reputation as a leader in the field. Awards are given annually to honor outstanding faculty, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students, and to recognize excellence in UGA research, scholarly creativity, technology commercialization and entrepreneurship. Award winners are selected by accomplished faculty peers who give their time and energy to help honor well-deserving researchers at UGA.

Christina Boyd, Thomas P. and M. Jean Lauth Professor of Political Science, is one of the nation’s most important scholars researching diversity in the courts. She has published 34 refereed journal articles and two books, including “Supreme Bias: Gender and Race in U.S. Supreme Court Confirmations” (Stanford University Press, 2023). In “Supreme Bias,” Boyd and her co-authors examine the dynamics of gender and race at Supreme Court confirmation hearings held before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The authors use extensive new data and qualitative evidence to highlight how female nominees and people of color nominees have faced significantly more challenges during the confirmation process than their white male colleagues, revealing that race and gender bias exist even at the highest echelon of U.S. legal power. With rigorous and empirically credible research, Boyd also has explored how judicial diversity, like gender and race, shapes some judicial outcomes and processes.