Last Day to Nominate: SEB Plenary Lecture Award for Florence 2026 Conference

The Society for Experimental Biology (SEB) is calling on the community: the deadline to nominate candidates for the Plenary Lecture Award is today, 31 October 2025. This year’s award will be presented at the 2026 Annual Conference in Florence, Italy (7–9 July 2026), offering a unique platform to honour exceptional scientists. 

 

 

What is the SEB Plenary Lecture Award?

Since 1969, the SEB has invited distinguished researchers to deliver plenary lectures, recognizing their high impact, leadership, and sustained excellence.

Today, three plenary lectures are named in honour of historic figures:

• The Bidder Lecture (Animal section)

• The Woolhouse Lecture (Plant section)

• A dedicated Cell Biology lecture, plus one for Outreach, Education & Diversity (OED) 
   

Nominees may come from any of these scientific or OED remits, provided that their work has demonstrable excellence, scientific impact, leadership, and contributions to outreach or education. 
 

Why It Matters

This award is more than just recognition—it provides winners with tangible support:

• Registration, travel, and hotel costs for the conference

• A medal

• The opportunity to deliver a plenary lecture on a prestigious international stage , you do not need to be an SEB member to nominate someone, and multiple nominations per person are allowed (though self-nominations are not accepted). 

How to Nominate & Criteria

Nominations must be submitted through the SEB awards portal—via login or account creation. sebiology.org Nominees must agree to comply with SEB’s code of conduct and be available to present at the 2026 Florence conference. sebiology.org

Applications will be judged on:

• Scientific excellence and originality

• Impact on the field

• Leadership and mentorship

• Outreach, advocacy for experimental biology

• Contribution to the SEB and broader community

• Professional integrity and standing sebiology.org

A judging panel from the relevant section committees and SEB leadership will review all eligible nominations. sebiology.org

Act Now — Today Only

If you know someone whose work deserves a spotlight, now is your moment. Do not wait — the nomination window closes tonight.

Let’s recognize the leaders shaping experimental biology’s future. Be sure to submit your nomination before midnight.