Scholarship for Transformative Change Keynote

About the Award

Nominations/Applications for all 2026 awards are now closed.

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The American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) presents the Scholarship for Transformative Change Keynote Lecture to a researcher whose work explores how varied perspectives influence research effectiveness and outcomes.

The recipient’s work focuses on evidence-based approaches to enhance participation and continuity within the scientific and biomedical research communities, identify personal and organizational factors that influence workforce participation across career stages, and develop scalable strategies to support career advancement across the research workforce.

Award Details

The winner receives a plaque, a $1,000 prize, complimentary meeting registration and abstract submission, and will give the Scholarship for Transformative Change Keynote at the annual Cell Bio meeting.

Who is Eligible

Nominators and self-nominators must be ASCB members, but the candidate need not be. Current voting members of the MAC are not eligible.

Selection Criteria

• Candidate’s history of disseminating scholarly findings
• Candidate’s history of fostering best practices in recruitment and retention that broaden participation in the scientific workforce
• Candidate’s national/international recognition in their discipline

How to Apply

Candidates may either self-apply or be nominated.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION

If nominating someone

1. Letter describing the candidate’s background, contributions, and qualifications for receiving the award, no longer than 2 pages.
2. Letter of support also describing the above, no longer than 2 pages.

If self-applying, or once nominated

1. Narrative statement describing your background, contributions, qualifications for receiving the award, and demonstrated commitment to ASCB’s values, no longer than 2 pages.
2. A letter of support endorsing your application, no longer than 2 pages.
3. Biosketch (NIH format or similar) no longer than 5 pages.

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.

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