This annually presented lectureship recognises early career researchers, typically within 12 years of attaining their PhD or equivalent degree, who have made significant contributions to the field of biomaterials. Nominations open in the autumn, and the winner is announced in the spring.
The Lectureship recipient receives:
- £1,000 to cover travel and accommodation costs to attend and present at a leading international meeting
- An invitation to contribute an article to Biomaterials Science and to receive a complimentary cover for the issue in which the article appears
Our latest award winner 2022
Yizhou Dong
Yizhou Dong is an Associate Professor in the Division of Pharmaceutics and Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy at The Ohio State University (OSU). He is also a member of multiple globally recognized research initiatives, such as the Translational Therapeutics Program, the Pelotonia Institute for Immuno-Oncology, the Center for Cancer Engineering, and the Center for Cancer Metabolism at the OSU Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Dr. Dong received his B.S. in pharmaceutical sciences from Peking University, Health Science Center and M.S. in organic chemistry from Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry. In 2009, he received his Ph.D. degree in pharmaceutical sciences from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) under the supervision of Professor K.-H. Lee.
From 2010 to 2014, he was a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Professors Robert Langer and Daniel Anderson at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Dr. Dong’s research focuses on the design and development of biotechnology platforms for the treatment of genetic disorders, infectious diseases, and cancers. He has authored over one hundred papers and patents. Several of his inventions have been licensed and are currently under development as drug candidates for clinical trials. Dr. Dong is the recipient of numerous awards, such as the Young Innovator in Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering from the Biomedical Engineering Society, the Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), the Ohio State Early Career Innovator of the Year, and the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) Emerging Leader Award. In 2022, he was elected as a fellow of The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE).
See all previous winners
Guidelines for nominators and candidates
Find out who is eligible for this award, about the nomination process and see who is on the selection panel.
Nominations for the Biomaterials Science Lectureship are open until 31 December 2022.
Established in 2014, this international lectureship honours early-career scientists who have made significant contributions to the field of biomaterials.
Open to all researchers throughout the world
The Biomaterials Science lectureship is open to all researchers throughout the world. This includes, but is not limited to, members of the Royal Society of Chemistry and researchers in academia or industry.
All career levels welcome
Nominators do not need to be senior researchers, and we encourage nominations from people at all career levels
We believe we have a responsibility to promote inclusivity and accessibility in order to improve diversity. Where possible, we encourage each nominator to consider nominating candidates of all genders, races, and backgrounds. Please see the RSC's approach to Inclusion and Diversity.
Please note, current Biomaterials Science Editorial Board members and previous recipients of this lectureship will not be eligible for the current lectureship.
Eligibility
To be eligible for the Biomaterials Science Lectureship, the candidate must:
- Be an independent researcher, PhD students postdoctoral research associates are not eligible
- Be actively pursuing research within the biomaterials field, and have made a significant contribution to the field
- Be at an early stage of their independent career (this should typically be within 12 years of attaining their doctorate or equivalent degree, but appropriate consideration will be given to those who have taken a career break, work in systems where their time period to independence may vary or who followed an alternative study path)
Nominations must be made via email, and include the following:
- The name, affiliation, and contact details of the nominee, nominator, and referee
- An up-to-date CV of the nominee (1 – 3 A4 page maximum length)
- A letter of recommendation from the nominator (500 words maximum length)
- A supporting letter of recommendation from a referee (500 words maximum length). This could be from the nominee’s postdoc, PhD supervisor, or academic mentor for instance
- The nominator must confirm that to the best of their knowledge, their nominee’s professional standing is as such that there is no confirmed or potential impediment to them receiving the Lectureship
- Please note that the nominee must be aware that they have been nominated for this lectureship
All eligible nominated candidates will be assessed by a judging panel made up of the Biomaterials Science Editorial Board. Any Editorial Board members with a conflict of interest will be ineligible for the judging panel.
The judging panel will consider the following core criteria:
- excellence in research, as evidenced in reference to originality and impact
- quality of publications, patents or software
- innovation
- professional standing
- independence
- collaborations and teamwork
- evidence of promising potential
- other indicators of esteem indicated by the nominator
In any instance where multiple nominees are judged to be equally meritorious in relation to these core criteria, the judging panel will use information provided on the nominee’s broader contribution to the chemistry community as an additional criterion. Examples of this could include:
- involvement with RSC community activities
- teaching or demonstrating
- effective mentorship
- service on boards
- committees or panels
- leadership in the scientific community
- peer reviewing
- promotion of diversity and inclusion
- advocacy for chemistry
- public engagement and outreach
Previous winners
Current Winner: Yizhou Dong, Ohio State University, USA
2021: Nasim Annabi, UCLA, USA
2020: Kanyi Pu, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
2019: April Kloxin, University of Delaware, USA
2018: Zhen Gu, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill & North Carolina State University, USA
2017: Zhuang Liu, Foochow University, China
2016: Fan Yang, Stanford University, USA
Contact Biomaterials Science Editorial Office
- Email:
- the team