Éva Mikics is the recipient of the 2026 ALBA-Elsevier Award Lecture on Brain Sciences
Just as it is never boring when "our team" wins at a world championship, we are always happy to celebrate the successes of our colleagues. Éva Mikics' award is special in many ways.
The head of our institute's Translational Behavioral Neuroscience Research Group is one of those whose name is known to everyone at the institute. Even those who have never spoken to Éva Mikics recognize her. However, she still needs to be introduced, and in addition to the attached photo, which faithfully reflects her personality, the description of the award also helps.
Éva is the sixth winner of the award, which was established in 2021. However, the eligibility criteria are not limited to scientific excellence. Those who apply for this award must be active researchers, at least 4-5 years after their PhD, who, in addition to their scientific excellence, continuously contribute to the realization of equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in brain research!
An additional requirement is that they must work in a country "that is underrepresented in the field of neuroscience publications and conferences." At first glance, this seems unbelievable in the case of Hungary, as we have many world-renowned brain researchers today, but the statistics show this to be the case, and this needs to be changed. The fact that there has already been a Canadian winner is no consolation to us.
The award's informative website provides detailed information about Éva's scientific work to date, achievements, and recognitions, as well as the rationale for the award, which can be summarized in one sentence: the award recognizes her "significant work on the resilience mechanisms of stress-related psychiatric disorders."
And what does Éva Mikics, the winner, consider important, besides being delighted with the award and recognition, of course? "This recognition highlights the importance of translational behavioural neuroscience in advancing brain health, particularly through understanding stress- and resilience-related mechanisms, while also supporting greater visibility for my research group. Just as importantly, the recognition strengthens my role as a mentor and advocate for young scientists from Hungary, helping to show them that impactful, internationally recognised brain research can be built and sustained here at home." Thoughts worthy of a winner!
Although it is not customary, in the case of a new type of award, the founders also deserve a few words about themselves.
Elsevier is the world's largest scientific publisher, which is a very brief introduction, but in the case of such a mammoth company, it is probably unnecessary to go into further detail. The other award founder, the Alba Network, is much less well known. Nomen est omen, we might say after reading their website, as the word alba means sunrise in Spanish and Italian, which is precisely the aim of this network.
This name was chosen—and not by accident—by ths Spanish Carmen Sandi, a long-time active member of the scientific community, renowned researcher, former president of FENS, founder of the network, and dedicated advocate for the foundation's goals. They want to ensure a brighter future by promoting diversity and equality in the field of neuroscience. Who would have thought that there was still so much to be done in this particular area of research?
Nowadays, in addition to a certificate or plaque, the award also includes a cash prize, and if the award ceremony takes place at a conference, it is quite common for the award ceremony to be followed by a presentation by the winner. Here, the winner's presentation is already included in the program of the FENS conference to be held in Barcelona in July. In addition, the winners are reimbursed for all conference-related expenses, which is customary for the largest awards, thus saving them a considerable financial burden and certainly helping them to concentrate on their presentation.
This is because it is almost certain that the presentation will be the most effective means of achieving what the award organizers have stated: "The award not only highlights the scientific excellence of the honoree, but also supports regional diversity and increases the visibility of both the scientist and the institution."
The biennial FENS conference is the largest European conference for neuroscientists, attended by thousands of researchers from Europe and beyond. We hope that many of them will decide to attend the award ceremony after reading the program. We are very fortunate that Éva is an experienced and excellent speaker!