Jane Silverthorne Early Career Award
The Early Career Award, which was instituted by the Society in 2005, was renamed in 2023 to honor the contributions of Jane Silverthorne to the science of plant biology – and, in particular, her commitment to programs that nurture early career researchers. The award, which recognizes outstanding research by scientists at the beginnings of their careers is a monetary award made annually for exceptionally creative, independent contributions by an individual, whether or not a member of the Society, who is generally not more than seven years post-Ph.D. on January 1st of the year of the presentation. Breaks in careers will be considered when addressing the time limit of this award.
2026 Winner: Adrien Burlacot
Adrien Burlacot is recognized as the recipient of the 2026 Jane Silverthorne ASPB Early Career Award. Adrien has MSc degrees in both Applied Physics and Plant Sciences. He obtained his PhD studying photosynthesis in the green microalgae Chlamydomonas at Aix-Marseille University in France in 2019. Following postdoctoral research in France and at UC Berkeley, He started his own lab at Carnegie Science in Stanford, California in 2021. Adrien’s lab develops and uses a unique combination of biophysical tools, biophysical modeling, quantitative physiological measurements, and molecular methods to study how photosynthetic cells fix carbon over space and time. His work is crucial for future efforts to engineer plants and algae for improved carbon assimilation.
Paula McSteen, Chair (2020-2026)
Gozde Demirer, Past Winner (2025-2026)
Marisa Otegui (2025-2028)
Ravishankar Palanivelu (2023-2026)
Sylvia Lee, Staff Liaison