ISSNAF is pleased to announce the 2026 Call for Young Investigator Awards.
These prestigious awards recognize outstanding early-career Italian researchers and scholars (within eight years of completing their highest degree) working in the United States or Canada who have made significant, innovative contributions to their fields .
The Young Investigator Awards reflect ISSNAF’s commitment to celebrating excellence across disciplines, from STEM to the humanities.
Applicants may apply to one of the following five awards.
EMBASSY OF ITALY AWARD
FOR RESEARCH IN BIOTECHNOLOGIES
Established in 2020, this year’s edition recognizes outstanding contributions from Italian researchers in the USA active in the broad field of biotechnologies, recognizing groundbreaking research that advances our understanding of molecules, cells, tissues, organisms, processes and their application to wide-ranging fields including healthcare, agriculture, environment and industry.
Chair
Prof. Napoleone Ferrara, UCSD
Jury
Prof. Giovanni Paternostro, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery
Dr. Sara Tifari, T-ONE Therapeutics
FINALISTS
Dr. Emma Dann, Post-doctoral Fellow, Stanford University
"Connecting genetic variation to immune cell function in disease”
Prof. Sara Molinari, Assistant Professor, University of Maryland College Park
"Programming Living Materials through Synthetic Biology"
Dr. Marco Orecchioni, Assistant Professor, Augusta University
"Myeloid Olfactory Receptors as Druggable Sensors of Disease"
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
Dr. Patrizia Rossi, Jefferson Lab
Jury
Prof. Laura Cadonati, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Dr. Elena Orlando, Stanford University
Dr. Alessandro Ratti, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
FINALISTS
Prof. Igor Lorenzo Andreoni, Ass. Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
"Probing Fundamental Physics with Extreme Cosmic Transients”
Dr. Diana Scognamoiglio, Postdoctoral Researcher, Duke University
"Mapping the Invisible Universe Across Space and Cosmic Time"
Dr. Davide Terzani, Research Scientist, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
"Enabling compact laser-driven particle sources through simulation and experiments"
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
Prof. Elisa Bertino, Purdue University
Jury
Prof. Ferdinando Fioretto, University of Virginia
Prof. Anna Squicciarini, Penn State University
FINALISTS
Prof. Mattia Fazzini, Assistant Professor, University of Minnesota
"Transforming Software Lifecycle Information into Effective Tests"
Prof. Riccardo Paccagnella, Assistant Professor, Carnegie Mellon University
"Software Security in the Era of Leaky Hardware"
Dr. Federico Rossi, Robotics Technologist, JPL – Caltech
"Embodied AI for autonomous robots that work together in space"
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
Dr. Alessandra Ferrajoli, MD Anderson Cancer Center
Jury
Dr. Laura Pasqualucci, Columbia University
Prof. Paolo Strati, MD Anderson Cancer Center
Prof. Agostino Tafuri, Università di Roma La Sapienza
FINALISTS
Dr. Nicoletta Cieri, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
"Systematic identification of minor histocompatibility antigens predicts transplant outcomes"
Prof. Ludovica Marando, Baylor College of Medicine
"Intercepting Leukemia by Identifying High-Risk TP53-Mutant Clonal Hematopoiesis"
Dr. Luca Paruzzo, University of Pennsylvania
"Personalizing Cellular Therapy Platforms for Hematologic Malignancies"
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
Prof. Franco Pierno, University of Toronto
Jury
Prof. Gianni Cicali, Georgetown University
Prof. Maria Gallo Stampino, University of Miami
Prof. Stefano Jossa, Royal Hollaway
FINALISTS
Prof. Fabrizio Aimar, Texas A&M University
"Living Heritage: Memory, Community, and Identity in Italian Landscapes"
Prof. Viola Ardeni, California State University, Sacramento
"Reimagining Women’s Stories in Italian Fairy Tales"
Dr. Stefania Porcelli, City University of New York
"Rethinking emotion, history, and female agency through literary intensity"
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
1) Italian citizenship;
2) Primary current affiliation with a research institution in the United States or Canada
Applicants for the Embassy of Italy Award must be affiliated with a U.S. institution
3) PhD degree received or Medical/Veterinary Residency completed in 2018 or later (exceptions may be considered for career interruptions)
PRIZE AND RECOGNITION
- Winners receive a prize of $3,000.
- Winners and Finalists receive a travel and lodging award to attend the ISSNAF Annual Event at the Embassy of Italy in Washington where they present their research during a poster session
- Winners and Finalists receive public recognition of their accomplishments via the ISSNAF social media.