
ISSNAF annually presents the Young Investigator Awards to exceptional early-career Italian researchers and scholars working in the United States or Canada. These awards celebrate groundbreaking and impactful contributions across a range of academic disciplines.
ISSNAF is proud to announce the five 2025 Young Investigator Awards and sincerely thanks its sponsors for their generous support.
Find out more about the Awards!
APPLICATION PROCESS
Candidates must submit their application through a specific form, including their curriculum, research summary, personal contributions, and two letters of reference.
Applications are evaluated based on the quality and impact of the candidate’s research.
Three finalists are selected for each award category.
Finalists present their research to a distinguished jury, which then selects the award recipients, at virtual Oral Presentations.
Finalists participate in the ISSNAF Annual Event, where they showcase their work through poster presentations.
Winners are announced during the event, held at the Embassy of Italy in Washington, D.C.
ISSNAF YI Awards 2025:
Call is open - fill out the form!
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
1) Italian citizenship;
2) Current affiliation with a research institution in the United States or Canada, with the exception that applicants for the Embassy of Italy Award must work in the USA;
3) PhD received or Medical/Veterinary Residency completed in 2018 or later.
PRIZE AND RECOGNITION
- Winners receive a prize of $3,000.
- Winners and Finalists are invited to attend the ISSNAF Annual Event at the Embassy of Italy in Washington and receive a travel and lodging award.
- Winners and Finalists receive public recognition of their accomplishments via the ISSNAF social media.
NEW TIMELINE!!!
- June 25, 2025: Call is open
- August 25, 2025: Call is closed
- September 2, 2025: Letters of reference are due
- September 7, 2025: Applicants are notified whether their application has been accepted
- September 22, 2025: Applicants are notified whether they have been named Finalists
- October 2025: Finalists present their research at the Young Investigator Online Oral Presentation
- First half of November 2025: Winners receive their Award at 2025 ISSNAF Annual Event
CONTACT
For questions and information, please contact awards@issnaf.org
EMBASSY OF ITALY AWARD
FOR RESEARCH IN QUANTUM TECHNOLOGY
Established in 2020, this year’s edition recognizes outstanding contributions from Italian researchers in the USA active in the broad field of quantum technologies, recognizing groundbreaking research that advances our understanding and application of materials, algorithms and platforms for quantum computing, sensing and imaging.
Chair
Andrea Alù, CUNY
INFN BRUNO TOUSCHEK AWARD
FOR RESEARCH IN FUNDAMENTAL PHYSICS
Established in 2022 by Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, this award honors the memory of Prof. Bruno Touschek for his pioneering work in the fields of elementary particle physics and particle accelerators. It recognizes contributions in the fields of fundamental interactions of matter, such as elementary particle physics, nuclear physics, cosmology and the physics of particle beams.
Chair
Patrizia Rossi, Jefferson Lab
MARIO GERLA AWARD
FOR RESEARCH IN COMPUTER SCIENCE
Established by the Gerla family in 2019, this award is in memory of Dr. Mario Gerla, pioneer in computer networking, professor of Computer Science at UCLA and ISSNAF founding member.
Chair
Leila De Floriani, University of Mariland
PAOLA CAMPESE AWARD
FOR RESEARCH IN HEMATOLOGIC MALIGNANCIES
Established by Stefania and Vito Campese in 2011, this award is in memory of their young, talented and generous daughter Paola.
Chair
Alessandra Ferrajoli, MD Anderson Cancer Center
RnB4CULTURE AWARD
FOR INNOVATION IN THE STUDY OF ITALIAN CULTURE
Established in 2021 by RnB4Culture, this award recognizes the vibrancy of research in Italian culture and its evolving nature expressed in a variety of ways such as innovative uses of technology, or originality of approach, or contribution to wider questions and trends in the Humanities at large.
Chair
Franco Pierno, University of Toronto