Limited Nomination Opportunity 

2026 Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists 

Number of slots: 3 faculty members 

Internal Deadline: September 30th, 2025 

Sponsor submission deadline: December 3rd, 2025 

The Award & Eligibility Criteria 

The Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists recognize the United States' most promising faculty-rank researchers in Life Sciences, Physical Sciences & Engineering, and Chemical Sciences. One Blavatnik National Awards Laureate in each disciplinary category will receive $250,000 in unrestricted funds, and additional nominees will be recognized as Finalists, and will receive $15,000 in unrestricted funds.   

The Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists strive for diverse nominee pools and strongly encourage the nomination of women and members of other historically underrepresented groups in science and engineering (ex. Black, American Indian, Hispanic/Latinx).    

Nominees must: 

• Have been born in or after 1984* 

• Hold a doctorate degree (PhD, DPhil, MD, DDS, DVM, etc.). 

• Currently hold a tenured or tenure-track academic faculty position, or equivalent 

• Currently conduct research as a principal investigator in one of the disciplinary categories in Life Sciences, Physical Sciences & Engineering, or Chemical Sciences. 

Guidance for the Nomination Process 

An internal competition will be held to assign up to 3 slots for SLU faculty, one in each disciplinary category of Life Sciences, Physical Sciences & Engineering, and Chemical Sciences. Interested faculty should submit a 1-2 page Research Summary that is written in the first person by the nominee (please, follow detailed guidance in OpenWater), and a C.V. or biosketch via SLU’s OpenWater tool by 5pm on September 30th, 2025 here: https://slu.secure-platform.com/a/solicitations/218/home 

A SLU faculty selection committee will review and select the most suitable applicants and notify all applicants of the outcome by October 10th, 2025, barring any unforeseen circumstances.   

For further information, including program guidelines and a complete list of requirements, please click here. To learn more about nomination material requirements and online submission instructions, click here. 

For more information or questions, contact the Research Development Group at rdg@slu.edu. 

* Age Limit Exceptions are available in certain circumstances. For details and submission requirements, please visit the sponsor’s webpage.