ALBA-FKNE
Diversity Prize

ALBA-FKNE
Diversity Prize

Mentoring > ALBA-FKNE Diversity Prize
With this Diversity Prize, the ALBA Network and the FENS-Kavli Scholars wish to highlight a scientist that has made outstanding contributions to promoting equality and diversity in brain sciences.
 
The promotion of equality and diversity — e.g. by gender, race, sexual orientation, class, or culture — in research depends upon leaders and role models that catalyse a full integration of all scientists across academic levels. This annual award will recognise an individual that has made outstanding contributions to this effort, including but not limited to advocacy, mentorship or the creation of diversity-promoting initiatives.
 
Prize: The awardee will receive prize money of €2000 for personal use and additional financial support to cover the awardee’s travel to and participation in the conference where the prize will be awarded.
 
Eligibility: In 2024 we will celebrate we will celebrate the efforts of researchers at all career stages, including students, postdocs and principal investigators. They should be based in Europe and work at least 50% in a European research institution. 
 
Procedure: The call welcomes nominations of an individual by someone as well as self-nomination. Applications should include a statement (max. 1 page) indicating the merits of the nominee on promoting equality and diversity in the field of brain sciences and any relevant activities organised by the nominee to contribute to this goal.
 
The Call for Nominations for ALBA-FKNE Diversity Prize 2024 is now closed.
 
The prize winner will be awarded by the ALBA and the FKNE at the FENS Forum 2024 (25-29 June, Vienna, Austria).
 
Selection Committee for the ALBA-FKNE Diversity Prize 2024:
For further information on the ALBA-FKNE Diversity Prize, please visit the ALBA Network webpage.
 
Previous winners of the ALBA-FKNE Diversity Prize:
 
ALBA-FKNE Diversity Prize 2023
ALBA-FKNE Diversity Prize 2022
ALBA-FKNE Diversity Prize 2021
ALBA-FKNE Diversity Prize 2020

The awardee of the ALBA-FKNE Diversity Prize 2023 was announced during the FENS Regional Meeting 2023 (3-5 May, Algarve, Portugal).

The Winner of the ALBA-FKNE Diversity Prize 2023 is Arish Mudra Rakshasa-Loots

Arish Mudra Rakshasa-Loots

Arish Mudra Rakshasa-Loots is a PhD student at the University of Edinburgh in the UK. His research asks whether neuroinflammation arising from HIV infection in the brain, contributes to the high risk for depression among people living with HIV. To address this, he leads a portfolio of clinical neuroscience studies in South Africa, the UK, and Netherlands.

Arish has been awarded the ALBA-FKNE Diversity Prize 2023 in recognition of his contribution and outreach efforts towards reducing HIV-related healthcare inequities and also in promoting gender, ethnic and regional diversity in mental healthcare, research and teaching.

 Among them, the ALBA Network and the FENS-Kavli Scholars would like to highlight the following achievements:

  • He led the design of a demographic questionnaire which offered participants diverse and culturally sensitive options in isiXhosa to self-report their sexual orientation and gender identity, making a strong case for the increased inclusion of gender and ethnic diversity in participant cohorts.
  • He led the production of the first open-access isiXhosa-language version of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), expanding its use as a culturally specific tool for clinicians serving South African Xhosa speakers to screen for depressive symptoms.
  • He contributes to building science capacity in his hometown in India by organising research skills training programmes for high school students and offers free mentorship support for Project EduAccess, a non-profit initiative that aims to improve access to higher education in the UK for learners from marginalised communities in South Asia. 

For detailed information, please check the ALBA Network website.

Selection Committee for the ALBA-FKNE Diversity Prize 2023:

The next call for ALBA-FKNE Diversity Prize opens in November 2023.

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Dr Mahmoud Bukar Maina (UK)

Mahmoud Bukar Maina

has been awarded the ALBA-FKNE Diversity Prize 2022 for his contribution to advancing diversity and inclusion in brain research. This edition of the prize highlights a European-based student or researcher (who is not a group leader) who has made outstanding contributions to promoting diversity in brain sciences.

Learn more about Dr Mahmoud Bukar Maina and the reasoning of getting the ALBA-FKNE Diversity Prize 2022prize here

With this Diversity Prize, The ALBA Network and the FENS-Kavli Scholars wish to highlight a scientist or group that has made outstanding contributions to promoting equality and diversity in brain sciences.

The promotion of equality and diversity — e.g. by gender, race, sexual orientation, class, or culture— in research depends upon leaders and role models that catalyse a full integration of all scientists across academic levels. This annual award will recognise an individual or group that has made outstanding contributions to this effort, including but not limited to advocacy, mentorship or the creation of diversity-promoting initiatives.

Download the Press Release

For more information, please check:

The call for the ALBA-FKNE Diversity Prize will open in January 2022.

The awardee of the ALBA-FKNE Diversity Prize 2021 was announced during the FENS Regional Meeting 2021 (FRM).

The Winner of the ALBA-FKNE Diversity Prize 2021 is Prof. Marian Joëls

Marian Joëls

Professor of Neurobiology of Environmental Factors, University of Groningen, the Netherlands

Dean of the Faculty of Medical Sciences and Member of the Board of Directors at the University of Groningen

Prof. Joëls received this award for her constant efforts in fostering gender equality in neuroscience.

Watch the video featuring the Winner of the ALBA-FKNE Diversity Prize Winner in 2021

Learn more about Prof. Joëls and why she was awarded this prize here.

The ALBA-FKNE Diversity Prize Selection Committee 2021:

 

The next call for ALBA-FKNE Diversity Prize will open in January 2022.

Congratulations to the Awardee of the ALBA-FKNE Diversity Prize 2020,  Prof. Erin Schuman, Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Germany!

Learn more about Prof. Schuman, and why she was awarded with this prize here.

Watch the video featuring the ALBA-FKNE Diversity Prize 2020 Winner