Angelika Amon. Credit: Constance Brukin, courtesy of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Archives
Pioneering geneticist and cell biologist Angelika Amon (1967-2020) was a dedicated mentor, guide, advocate, and friend to many scientists. From her five years as a fellow at the Whitehead Institute and through her time as a faculty member at the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, she trained countless undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and technicians—sharing with them her lifelong passion for fundamental biology and discovery science. The ripple effect of Angelika’s inspiration and counsel is profound. Amon Lab alumni have set up their own labs in numerous universities and research institutes around the world.
The Angelika Amon Young Scientist Award at MIT's Koch Institute is an endowed prize established in 2021 by family and friends and awarded annually to up to two graduate students in the life sciences or biomedical research from institutions outside the United States who embody Dr. Amon’s excellence in research and infectious enthusiasm for basic science. Winners receive approximately 1,000 USD, economy airfare, and hotel accommodations to visit the Koch Institute for several days to network with MIT faculty, postdocs and graduate students working at the top of their fields. The visit culminates with a scientific presentation at MIT and award ceremony.
Sourav Ghosh
Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, India
Kotaro Tomuro
RIKEN Pioneering Research Institute/
Department of Computational Biology and
Medical Sciences and the Graduate School of Frontier
Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Japan
2024
Anna Uzonyi, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel
Lukas Teoman Henneberg, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Germany
2023
Johanna Gassler, Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, Austria & Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Germany
Ruxandra-Andreea Lambuta, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland
2022
Alejandro Aguilera Castrejon, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel
Melanie de Almeida, Research Institute of Molecular Pathology, Austria
Mid- to late-stage PhD students pursuing advanced degrees in the life sciences or biomedical research at non-US institutions, still enrolled within one year of the application deadline, are eligible to apply. Applicants must be available to travel to MIT's campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA for several days (on campus at least Monday, October 26 – Thursday, October 29, 2026, inclusive) and will be provided with economy travel, up to six (6) nights of hotel accommodation near the Koch Institute, and a monetary award.
Please submit application as a single PDF via email to amon_award_ki@mit.edu by 11:59 PM EDT Friday, June 12, 2026.
Required components, to be combined in a single PDF—please follow this order:
Cover page, including applicant information:
name
address
home institution
department/degree program
email
phone
Research summary or abstract of graduate thesis (300 words maximum)
Current CV
Written personal statement (one page maximum) addressing the following questions:
What led you to discovery science?
How did you get to this stage of research?
What do you hope to do next?
How does this award resonate with your goals?
Video (3 minutes, maximum) addressing the question, “what are you most excited about in your research”? Guidelines:
Include footage of you talking about your work, focusing on some aspect of your science—enough to give the committee a feel for how you might deliver an award presentation
Share the video via a YouTube link; the link must be included in your application PDF (functioning hyperlink or full URL)
Set the video’s visibility to public or unlisted so that it may be viewed easily by the members of the selection committee
A sentence letting us know how you learned of the Angelika Amon Young Scientist Award (this to help us learn how best to publicize the award)
Also required are two letters of support, including one letter from the graduate research supervisor, to be sent directly from the writers’ institutional email addresses (not from their personal email addresses) to amon_award_ki@mit.edu:
- The email subject line should include “Amon Award letter of support for [applicant name]”
- In order to have a full and complete application, the applicant will ensure that recommenders submit their letters of support by the deadline
- Messages confirming receipt (without the letter attached), will be sent by reply email to both the letter writer and the applicant.
Please email amon_award_ki@mit.edu with any questions.
Support the Award
Gifts to the Amon Young Scientist Award can be made online or by contacting Karen Sveda, Managing Director of Development, at ksveda@mit.edu or (617) 324-7399.