°®¶¹´«Ã½

2025 ASM Award & Prize Recipients

Sept. 9, 2024

ASM congratulates the 2025 ASM Award & Prize recipients for their achievements in research, education and leadership. The ASM Awards & Prize program is managed by the American Academy of °®¶¹´«Ã½, the honorific leadership group within ASM. The mission of the Academy is to recognize microbiologists for outstanding contributions to the microbial sciences and to provide microbiological expertise in the service of science and the public. The Academy and ASM thank the Corporate Council for supporting the ASM Awards program.


ASM Alice C. Evans Award for Advancement of Women

Suchetana Mukhopadhyay, Ph.D.

Suchetana Mukhopadhyay, Ph.D.

Indiana University

Recognizes outstanding contributions toward the full participation and advancement of women in the microbial sciences. This award is given in memory of Alice C. Evans, the first woman to be elected ASM President (1928).


ASM Award for Applied and Biotechnological Research

Richard T. Marconi, Ph.D.

Richard T. Marconi, Ph.D.

Virginia Commonwealth University

Recognizes an outstanding scientist with distinguished research achievements in the development of products, processes and technologies that have advanced the microbial sciences.


ASM Award for Basic Research

Yuan Chang, M.D.

Yuan Chang, M.D.

University of Pittsburgh Hillman Comprehensive Cancer Institute

Recognizes an outstanding scientist whose discoveries have been fundamental to advancing our understanding of the microbial world.


ASM Award for Early Career Applied and Biotechnological Research

Anne Wyllie, Ph.D.

Anne Wyllie, Ph.D.

University of Maryland

Recognizes an early career investigator with distinguished research achievements in the development of products, processes and technologies that have advanced the microbial sciences.


ASM Award for Early Career Basic Research

César de la Fuente, Ph.D.

César de la Fuente, Ph.D.

University of Pennsylvania

Recognizes an early career investigator with distinguished basic research achievements in the microbial sciences.


ASM Award for Early Career Clinical °®¶¹´«Ã½ Research

Nischay Mishra, Ph.D.

Nischay Mishra, Ph.D.

Columbia University

Recognizes recognizes research excellence and achievements of early career microbiologists in clinical microbiology and infectious diseases.


ASM Award for Early Career Environmental Research

Jasna Kovac, Ph.D.

Jasna Kovac, Ph.D.

The Pennsylvania State University

Recognizes an early career investigator with distinguished research achievements that have improved our understanding of microbes in the environment, including aquatic, terrestrial and atmospheric settings.


ASM Award for Environmental Research

Martin Wiedmann, DVM, Ph.D.

Martin Wiedmann, DVM, Ph.D.

Cornell University

Recognizes an outstanding scientist with distinguished research achievements that have improved our understanding of microbes in the environment, including aquatic, terrestrial and atmospheric settings.


ASM Award for Graduate Education

George O’Toole, Ph.D.

George O’Toole, Ph.D.

Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth

Recognizes general excellence in microbiology education. Education is broadly defined and meant to include any and all activities that inform and motivate students about the discipline of microbiology.


ASM Award for Research or Leadership in Clinical °®¶¹´«Ã½

Benjamin Pinsky, M.D., Ph.D.

Benjamin Pinsky, M.D., Ph.D.

Stanford University School of Medicine

Recognizes an outstanding scientist/clinical microbiologist with distinguished research achievements or a record of innovation and advancement of the clinical microbiology profession. This award represents the merging of the BD Research and Sonnenwirth Awards given annually since 1978 and 1986, respectively.


ASM Award for Service

Melissa Miller, Ph.D., D(ABMM), FAAM

Melissa Miller, Ph.D., D(ABMM), FAAM

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Recognizes outstanding contributions through service to the microbiological community.


ASM Carski Award for Undergraduate Education

Davida S. Smyth, Ph.D.

Davida S. Smyth, Ph.D.

Texas A&M University-San Antonio

Recognizes an educator for outstanding teaching of microbiology to undergraduate students and for encouraging them to subsequent achievement.


ASM D.C. White Award for Interdisciplinary Research

Nicole Dubilier, Ph.D.

Nicole Dubilier, Ph.D.

Max-Planck-Institute for Marine °®¶¹´«Ã½, Germany

Recognizes distinguished accomplishments in interdisciplinary research and mentoring in microbiology. This award honors D.C. White, who was known for his interdisciplinary scientific approach and for being a dedicated and inspiring mentor.


ASM Elizabeth O. King Lecturer Award

Natalie J. Thornburg, Ph.D.

Natalie J. Thornburg, Ph.D.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Recognizes a researcher who has made significant contributions to the field of public health and the discovery of new pathogens. This award is given in honor of Elizabeth O. King, who pioneered methods to identify and classify medically important pathogens during her time at CDC, and is supported by The New York Community Trust-Audrey Rheinstrom and Anne Blevins Fund.


ASM Honorary Diversity Lecturer Award

Ighovwerha Ofotokun, M.D.

Ighovwerha Ofotokun, M.D.

Emory University School of Medicine

Recognizes a microbiologist from a historically underrepresented group who is both an accomplished scientist and has a proven record of delivering engaging and outstanding lectures.


ASM Lifetime Achievement Award

Susan Weiss, Ph.D.

Susan Weiss, Ph.D.

University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine

ASM's premier award for sustained contributions to the microbial sciences.


ASM Microbiome Data Prize

Simon Roux, Ph.D.

Simon Roux, Ph.D.

DOE Joint Genome Institute

Recognizes distinguished research achievements to support open data practices, development of standards and processes for data quality and sharing and data workflows and management best practices that have advanced the microbial sciences.

ASM Moselio Schaechter Award in Recognition of a Developing-Country Microbiologist

Paul Brown, Ph.D.

Paul Brown, Ph.D.

The University of the West Indies, Jamaica

This award, named in honor of Professor Moselio Schaechter, former ASM President, recognizes a scientist who has shown exemplary leadership and commitment toward the substantial furthering of the profession of microbiology in research, education or technology in the developing world.


ASM Scherago-Rubin Award for Clinical °®¶¹´«Ã½

Recognizes an outstanding bench-level clinical microbiologist involved in routine diagnostic work that has distinguished her- or himself by excellent performance. The award was established by the late Sally Jo Rubin, an active member of ASM's Clinical °®¶¹´«Ã½ Division, in honor of her grandfather, Morris Scherago.


ASM William A. Hinton Award for Advancement of a Diverse Community of Microbiologists

Musau WaKabongo, Ph.D.

Musau WaKabongo, Ph.D.

Dr. Musau WaKabongo Science Education, Inc. (DMWSE), Democratic Republic of the Congo

Recognizes outstanding contributions toward fostering the research training of minorities and in increasing diversity in microbiology. It is given in memory of William A. Hinton, a physician-research scientist and one of the first Black people to join ASM.