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October 20, 2023 - Solicitation of Nominations for the 2024 National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) Landis Award for Outstanding Mentorship. See Notice NOT-NS-24-026

Issued by

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

Purpose

Excellent mentorship and superior training are critical to the development of exceptional future scientists. To recognize the crucial role great mentors play in the development of future leaders in neuroscience, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) created the Landis Award for Outstanding Mentorship. Each year, this award provides $100,000.00 (direct costs) to up to five (5) faculty members, who have demonstrated a dedication to outstanding mentorship and training. This funding is intended to help foster the research career development of current or additional students and post-doctorates under the guidance of outstanding mentors. NINDS hopes that this tangible award will impress upon the scientific community as a whole, and faculty and institutional leaders in particular, the high value NINDS places on outstanding training and mentorship. Further, NINDS hopes that it encourages institutions to reward individuals not only for outstanding research accomplishments but also for their impact on the lives of others, and the future of neuroscience, through outstanding mentorship and training.

Selection for this award is based on nomination from those who have first-hand knowledge of an individual's outstanding mentorship. Thus, current or former trainees are invited to nominate faculty members who have served as their mentors (note: faculty members should NOT solicit nominations for themselves or others who were not their direct mentors). Eligible individuals for this award must be in a tenure-track or equivalent faculty position and hold an active NINDS R01, R35, U01, U54, P01, DP1, DP2 or equivalent 4-5 year duration NIH award, with at least one year left on their grant as of June 2025. Faculty members nominated by two or more mentees will then be invited to submit additional information needed for the selection process.

The full details of the award, and the selection process can be found at Landis Mentor Award. Because outstanding mentors exist at each career stage, and have different levels of mentorship accomplishments, NINDS rotates eligibility requirements each year (see Landis Mentor Award). 

With this notice, NINDS invites nominations of outstanding mentors who are 13-20 years from the start of their first tenure-track or equivalent faculty position (i.e., the start date of their first tenure-track or equivalent faculty position was between 2004-2011, inclusive).

All prior Landis Awardees can be found at Landis Mentor Awardees (note: prior Landis Mentor Awardees are not eligible for consideration for a second Landis Award)

Nomination

Nominations for the NINDS Landis Mentor Award will be accepted ONLY from current and former trainees of the nominated individual. To nominate a current or former mentor, individuals should visit Landis Mentor Award and complete a nomination form by December 15, 2024. The following information will be requested:

• Nominator's name and current position
• Name of individual being nominated (the nominee)
• Current institution and email address of nominee
• Start date of nominee's first tenure-track or equivalent position
• Relationship of nominator to nominee (dates of mentorship, position of nominator when mentored by nominee [e.g. Former or Current Graduate Student, Postdoctoral Fellow, etc.])
• Statement describing the basis for the nomination. This description should include: what made/makes the nominated individual an exceptional mentor/trainer; what are the specific examples of extraordinary dedication to mentorship personally experienced or witnessed; what does the individual do to ensure that trainees conduct the highest quality research with respect to scientific premise, experimental design and analysis; what were the specific nominee activities that influenced the nominator's growth as a neuroscientist.

For a nomination to be considered, all of the above information must be provided via the nomination form found at Landis Mentor Award.

Selection

NINDS will consider a number of characteristics that define outstanding mentorship to guide the final selection of Landis Awardees. These include:

• actively cultivating in mentees the pursuit of scientific excellence, whether in basic, translational, or clinical research, and careful attention to rigor in experimental design, analysis, and interpretation;
• investing in their mentee’s scientific and professional development and career progress, regardless of their ultimate career interest;
• challenging mentees to achieve their full scientific potential, which includes the completion of significant research projects and meaningful contributions to the biomedical research community;
• contributing to excellence in research training environments and strengthening the research enterprise by inclusion of people from diverse backgrounds both in their own research environment and more broadly (such as at the institutional, scientific society, and/or national level). 

Inquiries

Please direct all inquiries to:

Tish Weigand
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Email: landismentoraward@nih.gov