Zebrafish Community News
IZFS member names are in bold
Many members of the zebrafish community have been recognized for their scientific and mentoring contributions in recent months. This list of awardees was selected from a curated list maintained by Zebrafish Rock! and can be found, along with many other causes for celebration, in the Zebrafish Rock! Slack channel.
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David Grunwald (University of Utah) receives George Streisinger Award from IZFS, recognizing his foundational contributions in “establishing zebrafish as a model for research, the development of transformative tools and methodologies that have benefitted the zebrafish community, and for his dedication and service to the research community over the years.”
Yinan Wan (University of Basel) receives Chi-Bin Chien Award from IZFS, recognizing her outstanding contributions to the field of zebrafish research and exemplifying the openness that Chi-Bin stood for.
M. Lisa Manning (Syracuse University), David Grunwald (University of Utah) & Ela Knapik (Vanderbilt University) elected as 2025 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellows.
Paul Riley (University of Oxford) and Walter Marcotti (University of Sheffield) elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Society.
Kara Cerveny (Reed College), Judith Eisen (University of Oregon) & Thomas Schilling (University of California-Irvine) elected members of the Society for Developmental Biology Academy for 2025 cohort.
Leonard Zon (Harvard University) wins 2026 Richard B. Johnston Jr., MD Prize from March of Dimes, for breakthroughs in Developmental Biology and treatments for blood disorders.
Neil Vargesson (University of Aberdeen) awarded 2026 British Society for Developmental Biology (BSDB) Wolpert Medal for his outstanding contributions to the public understanding of chemically-induced birth defects.
Nicole Endlich (University of Greifswald) receives Bundesverdienstkreuz (Federal Cross of Merit) for her special commitment to better diagnostics and therapies for kidney diseases as well as her commitment to research and innovation.
Kevin Eliceiri (Morgridge Institute for Research) receives inaugural Spencer Shorte Legacy Award from the Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities (ABRF) to support the establishment of the Illuminating People Program, a platform for matching experienced mentors and early-career researchers.
Neil Shubin (University of Chicago) awarded 2026 Stephen Jay Gould Prize from the Society for the Study of Evolution for advancing public understanding of evolutionary science and its importance in biology, education, and everyday life.
Kristin Watt (University of Colorado) received H.W. Mossman Award in Developmental Biology from the American Association of Anatomy (AAA), recognizing her outstanding contributions to Biomedical Science through research.
Laura Lorenzo-Orts (Institute of Molecular Biology) awarded 2027 Early Career Research Award from the Biochemical Society.
Karina Yaniv named new Scientific Director at The Helmholtz Institute for Translational AngioCardioScience (HI-TAC).
Erin Schuman named Director of the University College London (UCL) Queen Square Institute from Jan 2027.
Steffen Scholpp (University of Exeter) named Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) Mercator Fellow, joining the Collaborative Research Center (CRC) 1324 “Mechanisms and Functions of Wnt Signaling” in Heidelberg.
Matthew Harris (Harvard University) elected as a Whitman Fellow at Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL).
Ashlan Reid (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) named 2026 Grass Fellow from Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL).
Valentina Di Santo (Scripps Institution of Oceanography) named a 2026 Sloan Research Fellow by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
We have sad news to report as Eric Weinberg (University of Pennsylvania) & Ellen LeMosy (Augusta University) both passed away recently.
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