Emerging Leader Award




Emerging Leader Award 

ENTERPRISE LEVEL

PURPOSE:

The Emerging Leader Award recognizes scientists and pharmaceutical professionals who are early in their careers—regardless of whether they work in an academic, industrial, government, or another setting —who have made a significant impact in promoting public health through their contributions to pharmaceutical sciences. AAPS sees these young scientists as future global leaders and wishes to encourage their work by bringing attention to it, and to shine a light on them as examples that can inspire other early career scientists. 

Individuals who are still in training positions such as doctoral, post-doctoral, intern or residency positions are ineligible. 

IDEAL RECIPIENT:

An early-stage career pharmaceutical scientist or professional, who is no more than 8 years from having commenced full-time paid employment, who has significantly advanced pharmaceutical science and/or has innovatively applied the principles of pharmaceutical science to promote public and/or global health.
 
Number Presented Annually: 1

Presentation: PharmSci 360 Opening General Session or similar

Award:

  • Award plaque
  • Up to 2 hotel nights at one of AAPS’ approved event hotels
  • Reimbursement for flight costs up to $500 domestic or $1,000 international (Recipient must comply with AAPS’ travel policy for expenses to be eligible for reimbursement)
  • Complimentary registration in year of receipt

Expectations for Recipient: Participation in PharmSci 360 in year of receipt and participation in the Awards Program presentation to accept this honor.

    

Nomination Type: Self, peer, or committee of peers

Nomination Package:

  • Curriculum Vitae/résumé
  • Biography highlighting candidate’s impact on public health through the pharmaceutical sciences
  • Nominator’s statement
  • 1-3 letters of endorsement (optional)

Qualifications for Nomination:

  • Must be an AAPS member at time of nomination
  • Must be no more than 8 years from beginning a full-time, paid, early professional career in academia, industry, and/or regulatory (excludes doctoral, post-doctoral, intern or residency positions)

Enterprise-level AAPS award recipients will not be considered for additional enterprise-level awards in consecutive years.

Selection Committee: The AAPS Awards Committee

Selection Process:

The Awards Committee will consider:

  • A specific breakthrough innovation or discovery by the nominee as explained by the nominator, with emphasis on the long-term potential of that breakthrough for long-term impact on patients.
  • The scope and quality of the nominee’s peer-reviewed publications in the pharmaceutical sciences.
  • The nominee’s other early indicators of success such as awards/recognitions, research funding, contributions to drug products, contributions to regulatory guidance documents.
  • The likelihood that the nominee will become a global leader in pharmaceutical sciences based on the career trajectory.

How quickly the innovation benefited patients The committee will vote to select a recipient.

Past Recipients

2025: Owen Fenton, Ph.D.
2024: Bowen Li, Ph.D.
2023: Raman Bahal, Ph.D.
2022: Guizhi Zhu
2021: Qi Tony Zhou, Ph.D., FAAPS
2019: Juliane Nguyen, Ph.D., Pharm.D.
2018: James Moon, Ph.D.