ASBMB Ruth Kirschstein Award for Maximizing Access in Science

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ASBMB Ruth Kirschstein Award for Maximizing Access in Science

Nominations for the 2026 ASBMB Annual Awards will open in May.

The ASBMB Ruth Kirschstein Award for Maximizing Access in Science was established to honor an outstanding scientist who has shown evidence of a sustained commitment to breaking down local and/or systemic barriers against scientists and students from historically marginalized or excluded groups. The awardee should demonstrate a sustained commitment to the encouragement of scientists from historically marginalized or excluded groups to enter the scientific enterprise and/or to the effective mentorship of those within it.

was a pathologist and the first woman to be appointed director of an institute at the National Institutes of Health. She was committed to championing causes that nobody else would touch, including the emerging AIDS epidemic, for which she secured funding and mobilized a team of NIH researchers to further investigate the disease.

The award consists of a plaque, $3,000 and travel expenses to present a lecture at the ASBMB annual meeting. The awardee should discuss their scientific achievements and contributions to diversity, equity and inclusion during the award lecture. The recipient will be chosen by the ASBMB Maximizing Access Committee.