Merton Bernfield Memorial Award

About the Award

This award for postdocs and graduate students was established with member donations in memory of Merton Bernfield.

Award Details

The winner will receive a $1,000 stipend, complimentary registration for the Cell Bio 2024 ASCB|EMBO Meeting, and an invitation to speak at the meeting.

Who is Eligible

An outstanding graduate student or postdoctoral fellow (at the time of nomination) who has excelled in research. Nominators and nominees must be ASCB members.

Selection Criteria

• Candidate’s contributions to research in the field of cell biology.
• Candidate’s contributions to achieving additional areas of the ASCB mission (e.g., education, mentoring, public outreach)
• Candidate’s demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion

How to Apply

Application Deadline is June 30

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS:

Candidates may either self-apply or be nominated. If you are nominating another person please obtain all required documentation from the candidate prior to proceeding.

1. A CV or biosketch that follows the NIH (or similar format), no longer than 5 pages.
2. A narrative statement of no more than 2 pages that focuses on the candidate’s research achievements as well as indicating their contributions to one or more other areas of ASCB’s mission as noted above. The statement should be written by the candidate.
3. A statement regarding what lessons have you learned – through either lived or learned experiences – about issues of race, gender, socioeconomic, or other backgrounds, and how those lessons apply to this award.
4. Two letters of support, neither longer than 2 pages. At least one of the supporting letters must be from someone who is neither a collaborator nor mentor of the candidate.  The letters of support should explicitly address whether a nominee’s professional conduct over their career embodies the principles and expectations noted in the Community Code of Conduct, and Honorific Code of Conduct. **If you are self-applying, your letters of support can be sent directly to ASCB. Contact info@ascb.org for more information.
5. Abstract submission for the 2024 ASCB|EMBO Cell Bio Meeting.

Upload .pdf files, 1MB size limit per file.

Please Note

1. ASCB wants to ensure that the pool of award candidates is as diverse and inclusive as possible. The demographic questions are for internal reporting only and are not viewable by award reviewers. The questions are not mandatory, however we would appreciate your responses so that we can assess our level of inclusivity.
2. As a founder of the Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) ASCB does not use journal impact factors or other journal-based metrics in the evaluation process for its awards. ASCB looks at an individual’s research contributions and impact on the field, rather than the prestige of the journals where work is published.

Deadline: June 30, 2024

Apply or Nominate

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