Human Frontier Science Program: Fellowships awarded to 50 pioneering postdoctoral scientists from 25 nations

STRASBOURG, France, 31 March 2025 — To foster the next generation of life science research, 50 of the world’s top emerging scientists from 25 nations have won 2025 Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) Fellowships.

“We have awarded fellowships to some of the most creative, curiosity-driven early career scientists worldwide in order to open new frontiers in life science research,” said Guntram Bauer, HFSPO Chief Scientific Officer. “Each year, we search for the cream of the crop, and this year we are proud to say we have found genius.”

Postdoctoral scientists from these nations receive 2025 HFSP Fellowships:

Online Booklet Listing Winners, by Nationality, Host Laboratories, and Abstract of Their Work:

The 2025 HFSP Fellowship awards reflect the ingenuity and drive for discovery of the next generation of researchers. Highlights include:

• Research on memory engrams, those groups of neurons that fire together and can distribute a memory across many neurons, will be the focus of a new study. Scientists will use brain machine interfaces to determine whether memories are preserved if some neurons are re-engineered.

• An investigation on the symbiotic relationship of corals and dinoflagellates will show that critical nutrients are conveyed to the corals through protein glycosylation, for which microorganisms are provided safe harbor. This exchange is critical for coral reef health and may yield new insights for restoring and protecting coral reefs.

• How bacteria mutate and acquire genetic material from hosts to resist antibiotics has been well studied; this new study evaluates how individual cells resist antibiotics. Scientists hope to better understand variability in cellular responses, which could also unlock insight regarding cancer and other diseases as well.

HFSP reviewed proposals from 541 applicants; to see who received one of the 50 prestigious awards and read the abstract of their planned work, view the 2025 HFSP Fellowships Awardees. Click to view the Index by Country of the Fellows.

About HFSP Awards:

HFSP Fellowships last for three years and on average provide $200,000 USD in total. Fellows work in the laboratory of a host scientist in a country that is different from where their Ph.D. was conferred.

HFSP Long-Term Fellowships are for applicants with a Ph.D. in a biological topic who want to embark on a novel frontier project in the life sciences. Cross-Disciplinary Fellowships are for applicants who hold a Ph.D. in a non-biological discipline (e.g., physics, chemistry, engineering, or computer science), but want to work on a novel frontier project in biology.

Among all our awardees we seek scientists who form internationally, preferably intercontinentally, collaborative teams, who have not worked together before, and who are engaging in work for which they have no preliminary data. In this regard, HFSP fosters frontier research and science diplomacy.

####

The Human Frontier Science Program was founded in 1989 by G7 nations and the European Commission to advance international research and training at the frontier of the life sciences. Its aims are to promote intercontinental collaboration and training in cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research focused on the life sciences. HFSP receives financial support from the governments or research councils of Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, the UK, the USA, as well as from the European Commission. Since 1990, more than 8,500 researchers from more than 70 countries have been supported. Of these, 31 HFSP awardees have gone on to win the Nobel Prize.