Young Explorers Award Honors Scholars at Nexus of Life and Social Science

Aiming to spur greater connections between the life and social sciences, Science magazine and NOMIS look to recognize young researchers through the NOMIS and Science Young Explorers Award. This award honors early-career M.D., Ph.D., or M.D./Ph.D. scientists making strides at the intersection of the life and social sciences, using elements of one to inform the other.

Past winners include Michael A. Skinnider, whose work centers around using artificial intelligence to identify emerging designer drugs through training on existing chemical structures and data augmentation. Other winners include Bill Thompson, who utilized mathematical models of evolutionary dynamics and computational theory to better understand human intelligence in experiments mimicking the process of evolution.

One grand-prize winner will receive up to $15,000, an invitation to present a proposal for funding to the NOMIS board, as well as publication of their work in Science. Runner-ups have the potential to win up to $5,000, as well as publication of their work in Science.

To be eligible for consideration, entrants must hold an M.D., Ph.D., or M.D./Ph.D degree, and must have received that degree in the last 10 years. Only work done within the past three years will be considered. Winners will be determined among a committee of Science senior deitors, deputy editors, editors, and editors in hcief based on the scientific merit and quality of the writing submitted.

The deadline to apply for 2024 is May 15, 2024, with winners being selected between July and September. Winners will be announced in November 2024, and will be provided travel and accommodations to attend the award ceremony in 2025.

The NOMIS Foundation says its “vision is to ‘create a spark’ in the world of science by enabling and supporting pioneering research in the natural sciences, social sciences and the humanities that benefits humankind and our planet. Our mission is to support and enable insight-driven science across all disciplines, focusing on researchers who put forth bold new ideas, exhibit a pioneering spirit and seek to inspire the world around them.”