Eppendorf & Science Prize for Neurobiology
The international Eppendorf & Science Prize for Neurobiology is awarded annually to one young scientist who is not older than 35 years for the most outstanding neurobiological research based on methods of molecular, cellular, systems, or organismic biology conducted by him/her during the past three years.
Prize money: US$ 25,000
Eppendorf & Science Prize Winner 2025
Congratulations to Cheng Lyu, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow at the University Stanford, California, USA, on winning the 2025 Eppendorf & Science Prize.
Dr. Lyu won the Prize for his work on rewiring the olfactory neural circuit in fruit flies, which alters the animal’s courtship behavior.
Cheng Lyu’s research uncovered how the fly’s olfactory circuit reduces a seemingly intractable 3D wiring problem into simpler 1D choices. By systematically tracing, quantifying, and perturbing neuron development across many cell types, Cheng and his colleagues revealed that partner selection occurs along constrained trajectories, greatly simplifying the molecular codes for specificity. Building on this framework, he demonstrated that by tuning the combinatorial balance of attraction and repulsion, it is possible to rewire single neuron types to form alternative connections.
Read more about Cheng Lyu’s work here.
Finalists
Dr. Constanze Depp
Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, USA
Sara Mederos, Ph.D.
Sainsbury Wellcome Centre, University College London, London, UK
About the Prize
The Eppendorf & Science Prize for Neurobiology acknowledges the increasing importance of this research in advancing our understanding of how the brain and nervous system function - a quest that seems destined for dramatic expansion in the coming decades.
Eppendorf and Science/AAAS established this international prize in 2002. The Prize is intended to encourage and support the work of promising young neurobiologists who are not older than 35 years. It is awarded annually to one young scientist for the most outstanding neurobiological research based on methods of molecular, cellular, systems, or organismic biology conducted during the past three years, as described in a 1,000-word entrance essay.
Journal Science
Eppendorf is proud to present this prize with the journal Science.
Click here to visit the Science homepage.
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Prize money US$ 25,000
The grand prize winner of the Eppendorf & Science Prize for Neurobiology is selected along with up to three finalists by an independent board of scientists that is chaired by Science's senior editor, D. Peter Stern. The winner is awarded US$ 25,000. This is a personal gift. The grand prize winner‘s essay is published in Science and on Science Online. Furthermore, the winner receives a complimentary 10-year AAAS Membership, a 10-year digital subscription to Science as well as US$ 1,000 in complimentary Eppendorf products.
The award is announced and presented at a ceremony in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience. Eppendorf provides full support for the grand prize winner to attend this event. The winner is also invited for a later trip to Hamburg to visit Eppendorf.
The finalist essays are published on Science Online. The finalists receive full support to attend the prize ceremony. Furthermore, the finalists receive a complimentary 5-year AAAS Membership, a 5-year digital subscription to Science as well as US$ 1,000 in complimentary Eppendorf products.
All federal, state and local taxes, and any other costs and expenses associated with the receipt or use of the prize, are the sole responsibility of the winner.
Entry details & judging procedures
Rules of eligibility
- The Eppendorf & Science Prize for Neurobiology is an international research prize.
- Entrants must be an early career neurobiologist who holds an advanced degree (M.D., Ph.D., or M.D./Ph.D.) received in the last 10 years and you are not older than 35 years of age at the time of entry.*
- The entrant’s essay must describe contributions to neurobiological research based on methods of molecular, cellular, systems, or organismic biology.
- The entrant must have performed or directed the work described in the essay.
- The research must have been performed during the previous three years.
- Text generated from AI, machine learning, or similar algorithmic tools cannot be used to generate or edit the submission nor its accompanying figures, images, or graphics. Limited editing with tools such as Grammarly is acceptable but must be declared. During submission, entrants will be required to declare they have not used AI inconsistent with this requirement. Entrants are accountable for the accuracy of the entry and for ensuring that there is no plagiarism. They must also ensure that all sources are appropriately cited and should carefully review the work to guard against bias that may be introduced by AI. Editors may decline to consider an entry if AI is used inappropriately.
- While the research may be part of a larger team effort, an eligible entrant must be a single individual and the essay must focus on their contribution.
- An entrant may not win more than one Science prize using the same essay or a similar essay on the same research.
- Essays on the same research cannot win more than one Science prize regardless of who the entrant is.
- Past winners of a Science prize cannot be eligible for another Science prize until at least 5 years have passed since the award. For a full list of Science prizes please see here. https://www.science.org/content/page/prizes-and-awards.
- Employees of the Eppendorf Group, Science and AAAS, and their relatives are not eligible for the prize.
*The eligibility threshold can be extended for the following documented circumstances:
- Maternity leave: 18 months extension for each child born. If the applicants can document a longer total maternity leave, the eligibility period will be extended by the documented time of actual leave(s) for all children taken.
- Paternity leave: extension by the documented time of paternity leave for each child born.
- Disability, long-term illness (absence from academic activity of more than six consecutive months in a year).
- National or civilian service: extension by the documented amount of leave taken by the applicant.
- Clinical training: extension by the documented time of clinical training received by the applicant up to a maximum of 2 years.
Procedures for entry
All entrants must submit the following items in English:
- A completed entry form
- An essay written by the entrant that describes research with relevance to and in keeping with current methods and advances in the field of neurobiology. The essay must not exceed 1,000 words in length. The applicant must have done or directed all of the work and this work must have been performed in the past three years.
- A one-page letter of recommendation from his/her postdoctoral adviser, supervisor, or other senior colleague who is familiar with the entrant's work.
- A Curriculum Vitae that includes the following:
- Full citations of papers that the entrant has published on the research described in the essay;
- Academic and professional awards and honors that the entrant has received; and
- Relevant professional experience
- Copies of two of the entrant's papers that are most relevant to the essay
The entry form and additional submission materials must be submitted electronically through the prize management system.
Below is a timeline for the prize selection process. You will be contacted only if there are additional materials or information needed. Please note: If your contact information changes after submission then you must inform eppendorfscienceprize@aaas.org or call +1 202326 6513.
June-August: Compilation and review of submissions
November: Announcement of winner and Prize ceremony
The winner and finalists will be informed no later than the end of August. All applicants will be informed by the end of October. The winner and finalists will be officially announced at the prize ceremony.
Deadline for entries
June 15, 2025
Judging procedures
Editors from Science are responsible for the initial evaluation of the essays. The top 10 percent of the essays are forwarded to the judging panel. The judging panel is composed of prominent international researchers in the field of neurobiology and is chaired by Science's Senior Editor, Dr. Peter Stern. Most of the judges are appointed based on nominations from the Society for Neuroscience. The essays are rated in two areas: scientific quality and significance, and clarity and style of the writing.
Contact information
Selection Committee for the
Eppendorf & Science Prize for Neurobiology
Science
Attention: Maryrose Madrid, Rm. 1049B
1200 New York Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20005
United States
Phone: +1 202326 6513
E-mail address: eppendorfscienceprize@aaas.org
2025 Prize Winner & Finalists
Prize Winner
Cheng Lyu, Ph.D.
University Stanford, California, USA
Finalists
Dr. Constanze Depp
Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, USA
Sara Mederos, Ph.D.
Sainsbury Wellcome Centre, University College London, London, UK
Past Winners
2024 Prize Winner
Laura Seeholzer, Ph.D.,
Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California, San Francisco, USA
2023 Prize Winner
Marissa Scavuzzo, Ph.D.
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, USA
2022 Prize Winner
Ann Kennedy, Ph.D.
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, USA
2021 Prize Winner
Amber L. Alhadeff, Ph.D.
Monell Chemical Senses Center and University of Pennsylvania, USA
2020 Prize Winner
Christopher Zimmerman, Ph.D.
Princeton Neuroscience Institute, USA
2019 Prize Winner
Lauren Orefice, Ph.D.
Massachausetts General Hospital & Harvard Medical School, USA
2018 Prize Winner
Johannes Kohl, Ph.D.
Harvard University, USA
2017 Prize Winner
Flavio Donato, Ph.D.
Kavli Institute Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway
2016 Prize Winner
Gilad Evrony, M.D.
Harvard Medical School / Boston Childrens‘ Hospital and Mount Sinai Hospital, USA
2015 Prize Winner
Shigeki Watanabe, Ph.D.
University of Utah, USA & Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany
2014 Prize Winner
Eiman Azim, Ph.D.
Columbia University, USA
2013 Prize Winner
Michael Yartsev, Ph.D.
Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, USA
2012 Prize Winner
Marlene R. Cohen Ph.D.
University of Pittsburgh, USA
2011 Prize Winner
Tiago Branco, M.D., Ph.D.
University College London, United Kingdom
2010 Prize Winner
Christopher Gregg, Ph.D.
Harvard University, USA
2009 Prize Winner
Richard Benton, Ph.D.
University of Lausanne, Switzerland
2008 Prize Winner
Mauro Costa-Mattioli, Ph.D.
Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
2007 Prize Winner
Rachel Wilson, Ph.D.
Harvard Medical School, USA
2006 Prize Winner
Doris Tsao Ph.D.
University of Bremen, Germany
2005 Prize Winner
Pingxi Xu, M.D., Ph.D.
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, USA.
2004 Prize Winner
Miriam B. Goodman, Ph.D.
Stanford University, California, USA.
2003 Prize Winner
Michael Ehlers, M.D., Ph.D.
Duke University, North Carolina, USA.
2002 Prize Winner
Anjen Chenn, Ph.D.
Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, USA.
Advice from past winners
"If you have contributed a new idea to the brain research field, you should apply for this award. Over the past ten years, the Eppendorf & Science Award has emerged as the premier venue for young neuroscientists to share their vision of the future. It is a competition that emphasizes creativity, communication and inspiration. I am extremely grateful that a colleague encouraged me to apply and take the opportunity to share my passions and ideas! Few of us ever thought we would be selected as finalists or winners…"
-Dr. Christopher Gregg, Winner 2010
"Just as there's no one type of neurobiologist, I don't think that there's a single type of prize winner. What's important is to be able to convey your discoveries in whatever field you research, succinctly, simply, and enthusiastically!"
-Dr. Richard Benton, Winner 2009
“This prize is special because the judges care as much about your passion for an interesting problem as the brand name of where you‘ve published. This gets to the heart of why it is exciting to be a scientist – you get to be the first to learn something about how the world works, and you get to tell everyone about it.“
-Dr. Maxwell G. Heiman, Finalist 2009
“I applied for the Prize because a colleague suggested it. At the time I thought it was a bit silly because I thought there was little chance that I could win. Now I realize that everybody thinks this…but of course someone always does win! Everyone who thinks they might have a chance of winning should just give it their best shot. It‘s a challenge to describe your research clearly to the readership of Science magazine because you have to pitch your work broadly and you can‘t just write for people in your small field. But this is good practice anyhow, so even if you don‘t win you‘ll certainly have learnt something from the experience.“
-Dr. Rachel Wilson, Winner 2007