Society Prizes

The Society is accepting nominations for the 2025 Society prizes. Society members are encouraged to nominate candidates by submitting the required materials in PDF format to SMB Society Secretary Jon Forde (secretary@smb.org). By April 1st, 2024 the nominator must submit:

• Contact information for the nominators and nominee,
• A letter (no more than 4 pages) describing the nominee’s qualifications and commenting on the nominee’s scientific contributions for the society award, and
• The nominee’s curriculum vitae, including all publications.

In addition, please submit:

• Two supporting letters.

by April 30th, 2024. (If preferred, all nomination materials and letters can be submitted by April 1st, 2024.)

Nominees may be affiliated with non-academic institutions, however, please note that Society membership is a requirement for the nominator, and nominee. The Society offers awards in eight different categories:

The Akira Okubo Prize honors outstanding and innovative theoretical work, for establishing superb conceptual ideas, for solving tough theoretical problems, and/or for uniting theory and data to advance a biological subject. The prize is jointly administered by the Society for Mathematical Biology and the Japanese Society for Mathematical Biology. The Akira Okubo Prize consists of a cash prize of $500 and a certificate given to the recipient.

The Okubo Prize winner is expected to give a talk at the joint meeting of the SMB and JSMB, the SMB, or the JSMB annual meetings. This year, the prize will be awarded to a junior investigator (assistant professor or equivalent position). For specific information and eligibility requirements, visit the Akira Okubo Prize site.

*This award does not require society membership for nominees.

The Arthur T. Winfree Prize honors a theoretician whose research has inspired significant new biology. Nominations of individuals to be considered for the prize may focus on a single paper or series of papers which illustrate the close connection between theory and experiments, or may be based upon a larger body of theoretical work produced by the individual which has led to significant new biological understanding affecting observation/experiments.

The Winfree Prize consists of a cash prize of $500 and a certificate given to the recipient. The winner is expected to give a talk at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Mathematical Biology. For specific information and eligibility requirements, visit the Arthur Winfree Prize site.

The Society for Mathematical Biology Distinguished Service Award honors service in the field of mathematical biology, service for the Society of Mathematical Biology, and contributions beyond achievements in research. 

The award recipient will receive a cash award of $500 and a certificate at the award ceremony in the Annual Meeting of the Society. For specific information and eligibility requirements, visit the Distinguished Service Award site.

The H. D. Landahl Mathematical Biophysics Award recognizes the scientific contributions made by a graduate student or postdoctoral fellow who is making exceptional scientific contributions to mathematical biology. The award is acknowledged with a certificate, and a cash prize of USD $500.

The award recipient will receive a certificate at the Society for Mathematical Biology Awards Ceremony, and an invitation to attend to the Annual Meeting of the Society. This year, the prize will be awarded to a postdoctoral fellow. For specific information and eligibility requirements, visit the H. D. Landahl Mathematical Biophysics Award site.

The John Jungck Prize for Excellence in Education is given for significant contributions to education in mathematical biology, including a distinguished record of excellence in classroom instruction, mentorship of research scientists at any level, development of novel educational methods, materials, or programs, promotion of scientific outreach efforts to the public or to youth, a track record of attracting new students to the field of mathematical biology, or creation of an environment exceptionally conducive to education in mathematical biology.

The prize consists of a cash prize of $500 and a certificate given to the recipient. The winner is expected to give a talk at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Mathematical Biology. For specific information and eligibility requirements, visit the John Jungck Prize for Excellence in Education site.

The Leah Edelstein-Keshet Prize recognizes a woman with a demonstrated track record of exceptional scientific contributions to mathematical biology and/or has effectively developed mathematical models impacting biology. The recipient exemplifies a high level of scientific endeavor, and leadership.

The prize consists of a cash prize of $500 and a certificate given to the recipient. The winner is expected to give a talk at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Mathematical Biology. This year, the prize will be awarded to an established scientist (associate, or full professor). For specific information and eligibility requirements, visit the Leah Edelstein-Keshet Prize site.

The Lee Segel Prize honors outstanding contributions to the field of mathematical biology published in the Bulletin of Mathematical Biology. There are two categories: the Best Paper Award, and Best Student Paper Award. The Lee Segel Prizes are awarded every two years in even years. Papers published in the Bulletin of Mathematical Biology published in the previous two years are eligible.

The Best Paper Award consists of $3000 USD and an invitation for one of the authors to present the paper at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Mathematical Biology. The Best Student Paper Award consists of $2000 USD and an invitation for one of the authors to present the paper at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Mathematical Biology. Recipients are selected by the Award Committee without nominations.