Flashback Friday: Winners of the first John Kendrew Young Scientist Award
EMBL celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2024, and in so doing, we’re digging through the archives for some fascinating stories from EMBL’s past publications to republish in this blog. EMBL has just announced its 2024 Kendrew Alumni Award recipient. The following recounts the very first time this award was presented – as described in an EMBLetc. article from issue 42 in December 2007.
By Angus Lamond
The EMBL Alumni Association Board is delighted to announce the winners of the inaugural John Kendrew Young Scientist Award. The extremely high standard of applications made the task of selecting a single winner at the Alumni Association Board meeting on 23 October 2007 extremely difficult. After careful consideration, the Board unanimously decided to select joint winners.
Antonio Giraldez was selected for his major contributions to science in studying microRNAs, both as a postdoctoral fellow and as an Assistant Professor at Yale University.
Giovanni Frazzetto was selected for his inspirational and creative achievements: incorporating societal needs in his research as a ‘Society in Science’ Branco Weiss fellow at the BIOS Centre (London School of Economics and Political Sciences), establishing the European Neuroscience and Society Network (ENSN), and creating a science/art exhibition in neuroscience.
Antonio and Giovanni were both former PhD students of the EMBL International PhD Programme, and the Board recognises their remarkable performances since leaving EMBL as well as their complementary achievements in research and science communication. Both will receive their awards and present a public lecture describing their work on EMBL Heidelberg’s lab day on 10 June 2008.
We would like to congratulate both winners, as well as the other applicants who made our selection task so difficult.
This article was originally published in EMBLetc., issue 42 in December 2007. A list of all John Kendrew Young Scientist awardees through the years can be found here.
Update: These days, Frazzetto regularly contributes to a variety of international publications. He has also written short stories and plays and curated science-inspired art exhibitions. His book, How We Feel, about the neuroscience of emotions, was selected as one of The Guardian’s Psychology Books of the Year in 2013 and has been translated in 13 countries.
Giraldez established his laboratory at Yale University in the US in 2007 where he investigates the regulatory codes that shape gene expression during embryonic development. He served as Director of Graduate Studies (2012-2016) and was also Chair of the Genetics Department (2017-2023).