Science & SciLifeLab Prize for Recent Ph.D.'s in Biology

Announcement for a young scientist award:

Science & SciLifeLab Prize for Young Scientists

This Prize was created to recognize that global economic health is dependent upon a vibrant research community and we need to encourage our best and brightest to continue in their chosen fields of research.

• About
• How to Enter
• Current Winners
• Past Winners

The Prize is awarded annually to one young scientist for outstanding life science research for which he/she was awarded a doctoral degree in the previous two years. The topic of the entrant's thesis research must be in one of the following categories: Cell and Molecular Biology, Genomics and Proteomics, Ecology and Environment, Translational Medicine. Eligible entrants must have been awarded their doctoral degree in 2014 or 2015, and the subject of their thesis should match one of the Subject Tracks below. The winners from each category will compete for the grand prize.
Prize money: US$30,000 for the grand prize winner, US$10,000 for each of the category winners.
Publication: The grand prize winning essay will be published in Science and essays from the each of the category winners will be published online.
Application deadline: August 1, 2016

Rules of Eligibility

• Entrants for the 2016 prize must have been awarded their Ph.D. between January 1 2014 and December 31 2015. As a rule, we will only accept submissions once within this time period.
• The research described in the entrant’s thesis must fall within one of the following categories (Subject Tracks):
  • Cell and Molecular Biology: research in this category will include cellular and molecular processes at levels ranging from single molecule to single cell to tissue and organ systems,
  • Genomics and Proteomics: research in this category focuses on analyses of gene- and protein-related events, at the scale of gene or protein networks to the complete set of genes or proteins in an organism,
  • Ecology and Environment: research in this category encompasses interactions between organisms and their environment, and how these processes are influenced by human activity,
  • Translational Medicine: research in this category builds on in vitro or animal model studies of biological processes to develop potential therapies or medical procedures.
• The prize will only recognize work that was performed while the entrant was a graduate student.
• The prize will be awarded without regard to sex, race, or nationality.
• Employees of SciLifeLab, Science/AAAS, and collaborators in the management or sponsorship of this Prize and their relatives are not eligible to compete.

Procedures for Entry

The entrant must submit the following items:

• A completed Entry Form.
• An essay, written by the entrant, describing the thesis work and its implications for research in the selected Subject Track. The essay must not exceed 1,000 words in length and may include one figure or table.
• A one-page reference letter from your advisor or a member of your thesis committee. The letter should include an assessment of the applicant and comment on the significance of the applicant’s research.
• The abstract of the thesis (not to exceed four double-spaced typed pages).
• A list of the following:
  • Full citations of all published or in press papers on the research described in the essay;
  • Academic and professional awards and honors that the entrant has received; and
  • Relevant professional experience.

The Entry Form and additional submission materials must be submitted electronically through our prize management system here.
Below is a timeline for the prize selection process. You will be contacted only if there are additional materials or information needed.
August/September: Compilation and Review of Submissions
October/November: Selection of Prize Winner
December: Announcement of Prize Winner & Awards Ceremony in Stockholm

Deadline for Entries

August 1, 2016

Judging Procedures

First, Science editors will screen the essays and select three finalists from each Subject Track. Next, a committee of scientists chaired by the Editor-in-Chief of Science will select a winner for each Subject Track. The four winners will then compete for the grand prize. The grand prize winner and three category winners will be decided by October. Science will control both the evaluation process and the announcement of the winners.

Questions/Inquiries:

SciLifeLabPrize@aaas.org