Meet The Lab Heroes Awards 2018 Winners
We’re delighted to announce the winners of our Lab Heroes AwardsTM 2018!
The Lab Heroes AwardsTM were launched back in 2017 with the goal of giving back to the unsung champions of the life sciences industry.
This year, we were blown away by the 179 nominations we received for 60 superstar scientists, and picking a winner was incredibly difficult – because every single person nominated is most certainly a Lab Hero!
From dedication to their research, to support of their colleagues, to being the person who looks after the wellbeing of everyone in their lab, the reasons you nominated your colleagues once again humbled and awed us. We are incredibly proud to be part of such a supportive, appreciative community of scientists.
And so, without further ado, our 2018 winners are…
Lab Heroes AwardsTM 2018 Winner: Dr Enitome Bafor, Department of Pharmacology, University of Benin, Nigeria
Receiving a Lab Heroes record-breaking 22 nominations from current and former colleagues, Dr Enitome Bafor was acknowledged for her passion, dedication, resourcefulness, academic accomplishments, organisation, progressiveness and more.
Taiye Oluyole, who works with Dr Bafor at the Reproductive Health / Ethnopharmacology Research Laboratory, University of Benin, Nigeria said:
"Dr Enitome Bafor is a researcher par excellence, dedicated, focused, and goals-oriented. She has done so much research work on reproductive health and also broadened research scope for up coming researchers in reproductive health. Dr Bafor is a ray of hope to young researchers. She is a mentor and a supervisor to many students with interest in her research area. Coming from a developing country like Nigeria with little resources, she is still able to make do with the little resources to achieve great laboratory result in the lab."
When we congratulated Dr Bafor on her win, here’s what she said:
“When I got your mail that I had won, I screamed in disbelief and excitement. I called up my lab team and was so excited while sharing the news and they all joined in the screaming and excitement. I am also super overwhelmed by the comments of my amazing nominators, my sincere and warm thanks to them. Thank you too Hello Bio for this award, it’s a huge motivation for me to keep working hard and investing in people all around me. Thank you! Thank you!! Thank you!!!”
Dr Bafor will receive $2000 Hello Bio vouchers, plus a $1000 travel grant. Congratulations!
Lab Heroes AwardsTM 2018 Runner-Up: Ettore Ambrosini, Department of Neuroscience, University of Padova, Italy
Ettore Ambrosini received 15 nominations from current and former colleagues, who told us what a passionate and dedicated researcher he is. Not only has Ettore had a big impact academically on those he has worked with – who praised his “genius” and “out of the box” ideas – but it’s also clear how supportive, encouraging, and generous he is too.
Maria Montefinese from the Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Italy, sayd:
“He is unfailingly supportive and encouraging of others, and quick to offer assistance when needed: whether this is rapid feedback on a draft/proposal, advice on analysis, or supporting students struggling with their projects. He does everything without expecting anything in return. He says: 'Every act of generosity leads to another act of generosity and the generosity will spread among people.' I think he is the kind of person that with his work he doesn't only provide a great contribution to science but he works every day to make our world a better place.”
When we told Ettore he was one of our runners up, he said:
“I'm really delighted to have inspired so many people to get into science! My colleagues’ and friends’ praises motivate me to work even harder to become a lab superhero.”
Ettore will receive $1000 Hello Bio vouchers, plus a $500 travel grant. Congratulations!
Lab Heroes AwardsTM 2018 Runner-Up: Elisabeth Paul, Center for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Linköping University, Sweden
Elisabeth Paul’s nominations from her colleagues at Linköping University told us how she made her lab a better place with her helpful, kind, attitude. They also told us what a fantastic scientist she is, and the incredible contribution she’s already making to the field of clinical neuroscience, despite only being at the beginning of her PhD.
Leah Mayo, who works with Elisabeth at CSAN, said:
“Her scientific contributions to the lab cannot be understated. However, perhaps more importantly, some of her greatest contributions are those that extend beyond the daily workings of the lab. She is the first to welcome new students and lab members, always making sure they feel acclimated as quickly as possible. 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, such as finishing a study or submitting a manuscript. The daily pressures of science can definitely be tiresome, but Elisabeth's contributions, both scientifically and socially, have made our lab a better place.”
When we told Elisabeth she was one of our runners-up, she said:
“Wow, thank you so much. After reading all of the nominations I did not expect to have a chance since so many great people were suggested. I was already incredibly happy about the nomination, and now I am even more so about being one of the winners. Thank you, Hello Bio for this great initiative and thank you to all of my colleagues for being so supportive and for making CSAN such a fun place to work at and thereby motivating me to give my best.”
Additional Lab Heroes AwardsTM 2018 Commendations
As with last year’s nominations, the standard of entry was so high that our judges – the Hello Bio Scientific Advisory Board – have allocated some additional prizes to:
- Roberta Parolisi, Physiopathology of Neural Stem Cells, Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi, Italy
- Stephanie von Kannen, Rink Lab, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Germany
- Thomas Olivier, Mimetas, Netherlands
- Sebastien Bedu, Zebrafish Neurogenetics (ZEN), Institut Pasteur and CNRS UMR3738, France
- Alex Orazietti, Prosser Lab, University of Toronto, Canada
- Lianna D'Brant, Scimemi Lab, State University at Albany, USA
One of our judges, Professor David Jane, Professor of Chemical Pharmacology at the University of Bristol, UK, said:
“It was very hard to judge this – they are all heroes.”
Dr Sam Roome, our Director of Marketing, said:
“You told us about your Lab Heroes and we found your nominations a real joy to read: inspiring, amazing, exceptional and funny! Our warmest congratulations to everyone who was nominated – you are all heroes, and we hope you feel proud to be so highly valued by your colleagues.
“I would also like to add a massive thank you to everyone who took the time to nominate their special colleagues – just telling someone how much they are appreciated can definitely make the world a better place!”
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Stay tuned for interviews with our winner and runners-up, coming to the blog soon!
