Best PhD Thesis Award

Launched in 2021, the Cells Best PhD Thesis Award aims to recognize young scholars producing outstanding PhD theses in the field of cell biology, molecular biology, or biophysics and to encourage the continuation of their outstanding work and further contribution to their field. The application process for this award is open from September to May every year, and winners are announced in July.

The Prize:
– Award (CHF 800).
– An electronic certificate.

Number of Winners: 1

 
Cells Best PhD Thesis Award
 
Application deadline: 31 May 2026
Winner announcement: 31 July 2026

Eligibility and Requirements

– The candidate must be a PhD student or recently qualified PhD graduate who has produced an outstanding PhD thesis in the field of cell biology, molecular biology, or biophysics.
– The PhD thesis must be their original work.
– The PhD thesis must be or have been defended in 2025.

List of Documents for Application

– An executive summary of the PhD thesis in English of around 3000 words.
– A letter from the PhD supervisor recommending the candidate for consideration for this award.
– The candidate’s CV, including a list of publications connected with the thesis.
– An electronic copy of the PhD thesis.
– A scanned copy of the PhD diploma (or certificate of studying at a school or research institute as a PhD student going to graduate or participate in graduation thesis defenses).
 
Past Winners
 
Year: 

Winner

Nimmy Varghese Thiruthanathil
Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, USA

Award Committee

Dr. Alexander E. Kalyuzhny Chairperson
University of Minnesota

Winner

David Sánchez Porras
University of Granada, Spain

Award Committee

Dr. Alexander E. Kalyuzhny Chairperson
University of Minnesota

Winner

Oguzhan Begik
Centre for Genomic Regulation, Spain

Award Committee

Dr. Alexander E. Kalyuzhny Chairperson
University of Minnesota
Dr. Roger Schneiter
University of Fribourg
Dr. Suleyman I. Allakhverdiev
K.A. Timiryazev Institute of Plant Physiology, RAS, Moscow, Russia
Prof. Fulvio Reggiori
University Medical center Groningen
Prof. Yu Xue

Winner

Anukriti Mathur
Australian National University, Australia

Award Committee

Dr. Alexander E. Kalyuzhny Chairperson
University of Minnesota
Prof. Mark R. Wilson
University of Wollongong
Prof. Fulvio Reggiori
University Medical center Groningen
Prof. Dr. Ziv Gil
Holy Family Hospital Nazareth
Dr. Pablo García de Frutos
Prof. Christian Münz
University of Zürich
Prof. Natascia Tiso
Department of Biology - University of Padova
Prof. Dr. R. Martin Vabulas
Dr. Alessandro Poggi
Molecular Oncology and Angiogenesis Unit, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino
Dr. Christian Dani
Institut Biology Valrose, INSERM/CNRS/UCA
Back to TopTop