Nominations Are Now Open For The Lab Heroes Awards™ 2025!
★ Submit Your Nomination ★ Terms & Conditions ★ See Who's Been Nominated So Far
In every lab, there are heroes that go unnoticed. They’re the ones staying late to troubleshoot a stubborn experiment, quietly mentoring a new PhD student, or keeping the team morale high when a deadline looms. At Hello Bio, we believe these contributions deserve recognition, because science doesn’t happen alone, and every lab hero matters.
That’s why we’re thrilled to announce the launch of Lab Heroes Awards™ 2025! Now in its ninth year, our annual awards celebrate the incredible people who make life in the lab not just possible, but inspiring. Whether you’re a principal investigator, technician, PhD student, postdoc, or support staff member, these awards were created to shine a light on the contributions that often go unseen. In a busy lab environment it’s those moments of generosity, mentorship, innovation, and perseverance that keep research moving forward.
Why Recognition Matters
Recognition isn’t just about feeling good, it can make a real difference to lab life. Research shows that employees whose efforts are recognised regularly are three times more likely to feel engaged, motivated, and committed to their work. In labs, where pressure, deadlines, and high-stakes experiments are the norm, acknowledging the people who go above and beyond can improve morale, productivity, and all-round happiness.
Last year’s winner, Jacky Liang of the University of Ottawa, was nominated by colleagues for his dedication to mentoring and his ability to empower team members to reach their full potential. He told us: “I deeply appreciate all the encouraging comments and the personal experiences my colleagues shared about our time together. Initiatives such as the Lab Heroes Awards provide a space and voice to acknowledge and celebrate the many individuals in our field while inspiring future generations to join the scientific community.”
Our 2023 winner, Caroline Manicam of the Saarland University Hospital, Germany, was nominated for her warm, generosity, and willingness to advocate for change in lab culture, She said: “Winning the award was one of the defining moments in my career and is particularly special, as my efforts to change the traditional research lab culture throughout the years have been thus acknowledged. Such gestures of gratitude are a powerful motivator, which boost morale and make researchers feel valued for their hard work.”
And making life scientists feel valued and appreciated is exactly why the Lab Heroes Awards™ were created. We want to celebrate the unsung champions of research, and encourage a culture where kindness, creativity, and dedication are recognised and appreciated.
Nominate your Lab Hero from now until 3rd December 2025, and put your lab and the brilliant life scientists who work in it in the spotlight.
Who Can I Nominate?
Nominations are open to researchers working in life science labs all around the world. Last year we received nominations for scientists from an incredible 26 different countries! And remember, a hero doesn’t have to hold a senior title, they could be anyone in your lab who has made a meaningful impact on you or your research. You could nominate:
⭐ A lab leader or PI who has inspired their team and fostered a positive lab culture, encouraged collaboration, creativity, and kindness while supporting every member to reach their full potential.
⭐ A technician or research assistant who has kept your lab running smoothly, from maintaining equipment and supplies to sharing their expertise and helping colleagues when things get tricky.
⭐ An early career researcher who has gone above and beyond in mentorship or collaboration, bringing fresh ideas, enthusiasm, and determination to every project they’ve taken on.
⭐ A member of support staff who has made your day-to-day work possible, ensuring everything behind the scenes runs efficiently so scientists can focus on their research.
Tell us about your Lab Hero
To be considered for an award, we need to know exactly why your nominee deserves to be recognised. Prizes are not awarded for the number of nominations alone. Our judges will consider the impact each nominee has had and the difference they’ve made to their labs over the last year. Here are just a small handful of nominations from previous years:
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“He is somebody we look up to when we are stuck in our experiments. He is a great researcher and scientist, and always has innovative ideas for improvement of our research projects and experimental protocols.”
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“She is one of those rare people that becomes the glue that holds the lab together”
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“She is the best and most motivated scientist I know. Even when she is drowning in work, she still takes the time to help and educate people around her.”
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“His enthusiasm for science is infectious and motivating, particularly when experimental progress is slow.”
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“He strives constantly to improve everything he can for students and staff alike, which takes a lot of perseverance to see through as he’s sometimes met with differences of opinion.”
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“She is a true team player, fun, pragmatic and always in a good mood. Our lab would not be the same without her.”
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“She encourages all lab members to join social events outside the lab, often hosting or organizing events herself. Moreover, she ensures that we all celebrate the small victories.”
How to Nominate
Before nominating your Lab Hero, please view the Terms & Conditions for the Lab Heroes Awards™ 2025 here.
Nominating your Lab Hero is simple:
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Visit our nomination page here: https://hellobio.com/lab-heroes-awards-2025
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Choose a colleague whose contributions deserve recognition.
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Share what makes them exceptional by telling us how they support or inspire you. Specific stories are always powerful, and we’ll also ask you to describe your hero in just THREE WORDS, for example: ‘dedicated, patient, insightful’
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Attach a photo of your hero (with their permission)
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Submit your nomination for consideration by our judging panel
Prizes
One lucky life scientist will be named the Hello Bio ‘Lab Hero’ for 2025 and will receive:
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$3,000 (or £/€ equivalent) voucher for biochemicals, reagents and antibodies from hellobio.com
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$1000 (or £/€ equivalent) career development grant to support professional growth
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A gift hamper and certificate
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Publicity for themselves and their lab
9 additional runners-up will receive Hello Bio goody bags and will be offered the opportunity to be interviewed for the Hello Bio blog.
Entry for the Lab Heroes Awards™ 2025 opens on 5th November and closes at 23:59 on 3rd December 2025.
The awards will be judged by a panel from the Hello Bio Scientific Advisory board, and winners will be announced during the week commencing Monday 15th December. You can view the full T&Cs for the 2025 awards here.
Share the Celebration
Recognition grows when it’s shared. Use #LabHeroes25 on social media to highlight your nominations, celebrate your lab heroes, or tell your own story. We’ll feature some of our favourite posts leading up to the announcement of the winner. And don’t forget to tell all your colleagues and science networks how they can get involved too!
Meet some of our past Lab Heroes Awards™ Winners and Runners-Up over on our blog:
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