ibidi Paper Award 2026
Neurobiology
Understanding the nervous system means understanding complexity from single synapses to interconnected neuronal networks.
The ibidi Paper Award 2026 recognizes excellence in neurobiology research. We are inviting Early Career Scientists whose publications have advanced the field to apply. Three candidates will be honored with the ibidi Paper Award 2026 and receive 500 € each. The awardees and their publications will be showcased on the ibidi website. Share your research and take this opportunity to bring your work into focus.
Submission Guidelines
- Eligible participants include early career researchers (undergraduate, postgraduate students, postdocs, junior investigators, or assistant professors).
- Applicants must be the first or last author of a paper published in 2025 or 2026 in the field of neurobiology.
- The submitted paper must cite an ibidi product.
- Publications must be in English and published in peer-reviewed journals.
- The deadline for submission is April 30, 2026.
Selection Process
All submitted papers will first go through a preselection process conducted by ibidi to ensure they meet the submission guidelines and align with the award criteria. Following this, an esteemed external panel of experts will review the preselected papers and identify the top three publications. Please note that the jury's decisions are final and cannot be appealed. Submit your paper today and seize the opportunity to join the ranks of ibidi Paper Award recipients!
Meet the Jury
Henrietta M. Nielsen, PhD
Stockholm University, Sweden
Dr Henrietta M. Nielsen received her PhD in Medicine from Lund University, Sweden, and completed postdoctoral training at VU Medical Center (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) and at Lund University. Before starting her independent career as Assistant Professor of Neurochemistry at Stockholm University, she also trained at Mayo Clinic Florida, USA.
Dr Nielsen is a tenured Associate Professor in Neurochemistry. Her laboratory investigates biological mechanisms that promote and contribute to neurodegenerative dementia, with a major focus on peripheral biology. In particular, the Nielsen lab aims to understand how the APOE4 allele increases the risk of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, with a strong interest in defining APOE4-associated peripheral phenotypes, especially in the liver. Dr Nielsen serves as Senior Editor for Molecular Neurodegeneration and is an Editorial Board Member of Aging Cell. She is a Board Member of the International Society for Molecular Neurodegeneration (ISMND) and currently serves as ISMND President. Since 2024, Dr Nielsen has been part of the Executive Organizing Team of the ADPD conference series.
Moran Amit, M.D., Ph.D.
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, USA
Dr. Moran Amit is a physician-scientist and principal investigator at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, where he leads research at the interface of neurobiology, cancer biology, and immunology. He is a pioneer of cancer neuroscience, a rapidly emerging field that investigates how the nervous system contributes to tumor initiation, progression, and therapy response. His work focuses on neuro–tumor interactions in solid cancers, particularly head and neck malignancies and peripheral nervous system involvement.
Dr. Amit’s laboratory develops experimental models to study neural niche subpopulations and neurobiological signaling pathways within the tumor microenvironment. His research has revealed how cancer cells actively remodel neural circuits and induce nerve injury, thereby influencing inflammation, immune exhaustion, and resistance to immunotherapy. These discoveries have provided new insights into neurobiological mechanisms underlying tumor invasion, metastasis, and treatment failure.
Rosa Chiara Paolicelli, PhD.
University of Lausanne, Switzerland
Rosa obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Medical Biotechnology from the University of Bologna, Italy, followed by a Master’s in Molecular Neuroscience at the University of Bristol, UK. She then completed a PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), before undertaking postdoctoral training at the Institute of Regenerative Medicine at the University of Zurich.
Since 2018, Rosa has been a member of the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Lausanne, where she is currently an associate professor and head of the Microglia Biology Lab. Her research explores the molecular and cellular mechanisms that regulate microglial function in health and disease, with a particular focus on genetic risk factors and metabolic control. Combining complementary in vitro and in vivo approaches, her lab investigates how microglial dysfunction contributes to brain development and neurodegeneration.
Check out the winners of the ibidi Paper Award 2025 (Cell Migration) here.