Nemko Prize in Cellular or Molecular Neuroscience

Gily Ginosar, PhD (right), of the Weizmann Institute of Science was awarded the Nemko Prize in Cellular or Molecular Neuroscience in 2023.

The Nemko Prize in Cellular or Molecular Neuroscience, supported by The Nemko Family, recognizes a early career neuroscientist's outstanding PhD thesis advancing understanding of molecular, genetic, or cellular mechanisms underlying higher brain function and cognition.

Recipients receive a $2,500 prize and complimentary registration, transportation (economy air or ground), and two nights hotel accommodations for the SfN annual meeting. The SfN president presents the prize at a lecture at the meeting.

For more information, please review the Awards and Prizes FAQs.

Nomination Criteria & Materials

Nomination Criteria:

• Nominations must be made or endorsed by an SfN member.
• Nominees do not need to be SfN members.
• Self-nomination is not permitted.
• No person may nominate more than one candidate.
• Current SfN officers and councilors are ineligible for nomination.
• Due to the potential conflicts of interest, members of the selection committee may not be the nominees and they cannot serve as nominators nor write letters of recommendation

Nomination materials include the following:

• One nomination letter from the nominee's PhD mentor(s) (no additional letters will be accepted)
• Thesis abstract with names and departmental affiliations of thesis committee members; four to six pages, double-spaced
• In the case of any collaborative work, a list of attributions explaining which portions were the nominee’s contributions compared to his/her co-workers
• Current CV, including date of thesis defense

All nomination materials must be in English, including full theses if invited for the second-round review. For nominees with theses in a language other than English, the selection committee will accept an extended abstract and peer-reviewed publication, both written in English.

Eligibility

Nominees must have on official record a doctoral degree or certificate awarded between January 1 and December 31 of the preceding calendar year.

Past Awardees

• 2024: Marisol Soula, PhD
• 2023: Gily Ginosar, PhD
• 2022: Jenny Lu, PhD
• 2021: David Tingley, PhD
• 2020: William Allen, PhD and Ashley Lepack, PhD
• 2019: Lauren Mackenzie Reynolds, PhD
• 2018: William Muñoz, PhD
• 2017: Katrin Franke, PhD
• 2016: Sebnem Tuncdemir, PhD
• 2015: Joshua Levitz, PhD
• 2014: Steffen Benjamin Eggert Wolff, PhD
• 2013: Shigeki Watanabe, PhD