ALBA-Elsevier Award Lecture on Brain Sciences

Back to list

Apply now

This award, established in 2021, recognises yearly research achievements of outstanding quality by a PhD- or MD- qualified scientist who is actively working at the frontiers of brain research, who has made contributions to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) issues in their career, and who is currently working in a country underrepresented among neuroscience publications and conferences. In addition to highlighting the awarded individual’s scientific excellence, this prize will support regional diversity and increase visibility of both the scientist and their institution.

2025 nomination window: 26 August - 9 October 2024. Deadline extended until 23 October 2024.

Prize

The awardee receives 3000€ in prize money.
The 2025 and 2026 ALBA-Elsevier Award winners will each deliver a Special Lecture at the next biennial FENS Forum, Europe's premier neuroscience event, taking place on 4-8 July 2026 in Madrid, Spain. The lecture will be advertised by ALBA and by Elsevier.
Registration to the FENS Forum 2026 is waived and a lump sum of 1300€ is provided to contribute towards accommodation and travel to the Forum.

Eligibility

The award is open to PhD- or MD- qualified active scientists of any origin, working in a research institution in countries underrepresented¹ among neuroscience publications and conferences. Candidates who have not run their own lab for at least 5 years are requested to wait and apply at a later stage.

Procedure

Candidates can either self-nominate or be nominated by fellow neuroscientists. Current members of the ALBA Board of Directors and ALBA Awards working group are ineligible for this award. Selection of the award winner will be made by an ad hoc committee set by the ALBA Network.

Criteria

Nominations will be assessed based on (a) the scientific accomplishments of the candidate (b) their contributions to mentorship and DEI issues in their career (c) the proposed content of the lecture which should be appealing to the broad neuroscience audience of the FENS meeting.

The successful candidate will be notified about a month after the nomination deadline. Candidates who have not received notification by this date should assume that they have not been successful.

Application materials required

Candidates should submit the following:

Candidate’s CV (max. 10 pages) which should include: (a) A record of previous and current positions (b) A list of selected oral presentations in the last 10 years only. These should be invited talks at conferences or invited seminars outside your home institute. (c) A list of selected publications (max. 15) including those in which the candidate is a senior/corresponding author (preferred) and additional publications if necessary
Proposed title and abstract (max. 500 words) for their potential ALBA-Elsevier lecture. The proposed lecture should be one that has a significant component of research from the candidate’s own lab. The talk should be aimed at the broad neuroscience audience of the FENS meeting and should bring out the excitement of their particular field and own contribution as well, i.e., breadth and depth. For reference, see abstract examples from FENS2022 and FENS2024. Include a link to one YouTube video of any scientific lecture given by the candidate.
Short personal statement (max. one page) describing their eligibility and how this award will impact their career in science.
Short description (max. one page) of their outreach activities, DEI initiatives and engagement with underrepresented groups to promote (neuro)science. Please include appropriate links (website, YouTube, etc.) of any outreach activities they have been involved in, if available.
A brief letter of endorsement (max. one page) by a prominent neuroscientist, outlining the suitability of the candidate for the award, should accompany the nomination.

Applications must be submitted as a single, consolidated electronic document in an A4/letter PDF format, using a standard font size not smaller than 11 points and with 2.54 cm (1 inch) margins.