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Prof. Dr. Mackenzie W. Mathis and Prof. Dr. Alexander Mathis were 2023 winners.
The Hertie Foundation in cooperation with the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS), is pleased to announce the opening of nominations for the Eric Kandel Young Neuroscientists Prize 2025.
The prize includes the Prize money of € 50,000 for personal use, a research funding of € 50,000 and the invitation to give the Eric Kandel Prize Lecture at the FENS Forum 2026 in Barcelona. All European neuroscientists under the age of 40, who have demonstrated outstanding and independent scientific creativity and productivity, as documented by multiple and excellent publications in leading scientific journals, are eligible. The age limit may be extended for specific circumstances such as maternity and paternity leave (max. 2 years per child).
Candidates must be nominated by the head of their university/research institute or by an internationally renowned neuroscientist. Self-nomination is not possible. Nominations must include the following documentation: 1) a letter of recommendation (not exceeding two pages), 2) the candidate’s curriculum vitae including, 3) a publication list, 4) three key publications in PDF format with at least one independent publication from the candidate’s lab.
The deadline for nominations is July 24, 2025. Nominations must be submitted by E-Mail to the Hertie Foundation to Prof. Alexander Grychtolik (Grychtolikaf@ghst.de). An international jury of leading neuroscientists will select the candidate. The winner will be officially announced in autumn 2025 under www.fens.org with the publication of the congress program for the FENS Forum 2026. The prize will be awarded on 7 July 2026 at the FENS Forum in Barcelona during the Eric Kandel Prize Lecture.
The prize was established in 2009 to recognise outstanding work by young researchers in any field of neuroscience. The prize includes:
- Award money of €50,000.00 for personal use,
- Research funding of €50,000.00,
- The Eric Kandel Prize Lecture at the FENS Forum 2026 in Barcelona, Spain.
Eligibility
All European neuroscientists under the age of 40, who have demonstrated outstanding and independent scientific creativity and productivity, as documented by multiple and excellent publications in leading scientific journals, are eligible. The age limit may be extended for specific circumstances such as maternity and paternity leave (max. 2 years per child).
Candidates must be nominated by the head of their university/research institute or by an internationally renowned neuroscientist. Self-nomination is not possible.
Nomination procedure
Nominations must include the following documentation:
- a letter of recommendation (not exceeding 2 pages),
- the candidate’s curriculum vitae including,
- a publication list,
- three key publications in PDF format with at least one independent publication from the candidate’s lab.
The deadline for nominations is 24 July 2025. Nominations must be submitted by e-mail to GrychtolikAF@ghst.de.
Further information regarding the nomination procedure can be found here.
Announcement of the winner
An international jury of leading neuroscientists will select the candidate. The winner will be officially announced in autumn 2025 with the publication of the FENS Forum 2026 Conference Programme. The prize will be awarded at the Forum in July 2026.
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