Following another record year of nominations, the work and contribution of 17 eminent bioscientists, outstanding educators and exceptional early career researchers has been acknowledged in the annual Biochemical Society Awards.

Representing 8 different countries, each recipient has been recognised for excellence in their field as well as a strong commitment to build, support, and nurture future talent. Winners of the 2026 Awards represent a cross-section of the molecular biosciences ranging from plant immunity and glycoscience to neurodegenerative diseases and cell death.

Professor Steve Busby, Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Birmingham, and Chair of the Biochemical Society’s Awards Committee, says: “I want to congratulate each one of the 2026 Biochemical Society Award winners. I also want to thank everyone who has been involved in the process, and especially the nominators. You will see that there is a wide range of different awards, and this is to foster inclusion and diversity. Of course, some of the awards are targeted at senior scientists working in specific research areas, but others target early career researchers, support staff or educators. We are especially happy to be making four awards to early career researchers. During 2026, each of the awardees will be invited to present their work, often at a Biochemical Society conference, so please look out for these events.”

Professor Shina Caroline Lynn Kamerlin, the recipient of the Inspiration and Resilience Award, adds: "Academic CVs rarely, if ever, carry the human stories underlying professional accomplishments. I have chosen to be open about my battles with infertility, and my experiences as a rare disease patient, to help others feel less alone. Because of that decision, receiving this award, which recognises those experiences and their role in shaping my career beyond my visible professional accomplishments, really means a lot to me.”

Professor Alessio Ciulli (ACBI PROTAC collaboration Team), recipient of the Industry and Academic Collaboration Award said: “I am delighted to receive this award on behalf of the entire ACBI (Alessio Ciulli & Boehringer Ingelheim) PROTAC collaboration Team. It is a tribute to the talent and dedication of all scientists at Dundee and Boehringer that have worked hard together to develop new degraders as medicines for cancer patients. I hope that this award will bolster our continued relationship with Boehringer and, more broadly, that it will inspire others to adopt similarly open and fully integrated models of academia-industry partnerships to catalyse innovation and translation.”

The full list of recipients of the Biochemical Society’s 2026 Awards are:

• Biochemical Society Award – Significant Breakthrough or Achievement

Professor Cees Dekker, TU Delft

• Biochemical Society Award – Sustained Excellence

Professor Christine Foyer, University of Birmingham

• The Centenary Award

Professor Kevan Shokat, University of California, San Francisco

• The Colworth Medal

Dr Benjamin Ryskeldi-Falcon, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology

• Early Career Research Award

Dr Georgia Atkin-Smith, WEHI

Dr Nicholas M. Riley, University of Washington

Dr Eduardo Fuentes-Lemus, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile

Dr Juan Carlos De La Concepción, Gregor Mendel Institute

• The GlaxoSmithKline Award

Professor Doryen Bubeck, Imperial College London

• Industry and Academic Collaboration Award

ACBI (Alessio Ciulli – Boehringer Ingelheim) PROTAC collaboration Team, University of Dundee

• Inspiration and Resilience Award

Professor Shina Caroline Lynn Kamerlin, Georgia Tech and Lund University

• International Award

Dr Lykke Sylow, University of Copenhagen

• The Keilin Memorial Lecture

Professor Bill Rutherford, Imperial College London

• The Morton Lecture

Dr Len Stephens, The Babraham Institute

• Research Support Award

Dr Morag Martin, University of Dundee

• Teaching Excellence Award – Early Career

Dr Rebecca Lewis, University of East Anglia

• Teaching Excellence Award – Established Educator

Dr Sophie Rutschmann, Imperial College London

You can read more about the recipients here.

Each year, the Biochemical Society presents a series of prestigious awards that recognise excellence and achievement in both specific and general fields of science. Nine of these awards are presented annually, with the remaining awarded either biennially or triennially. Candidates are nominated by their peers and the winners are agreed by a judging panel of respected scientists from across a range of different scientific backgrounds.

These winners will receive their prize and deliver an award or medal lecture in 2026. All of the awards and medal lectureships carry prize money and winners will be invited to submit an article to one of the Society’s journals. View our events calendar to find upcoming award lectures from our previously announced 2025 winners and stay connected for further updates on our 2026 cohort.

Nominations for the Biochemical Society’s 2027 Awards open in July 2025 and can be made by and for members and non-members alike.