Lisa D. Mayer Mentoring Award 2026
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
BACKGROUND
Established on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Giovanni Armenise Harvard Foundation (“GAHF”), the Lisa D. Mayer Mentoring Award seeks to recognize scientists from within the GAHF community who have demonstrated sustained commitment to mentoring and to fostering the scientific independence and leadership of their trainees. The award honors past contributions while signaling the Foundation’s intention to promote mentoring as a defining component of scientific leadership within its community.
MENTORING DEFINITION
For the purposes of this award, mentoring is defined as a sustained, developmental relationship in which an experienced scientist supports the intellectual, professional, and ethical growth of a less experienced researcher. It extends beyond supervision of experiments to include guidance in scientific reasoning, experimental design, data interpretation, publishing, and grant writing, as well as career planning, professional networking, and responsible conduct of research. Effective mentoring is about cultivating independent, ethical scientists capable of advancing knowledge and contributing meaningfully to the scientific community.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
In Italy: To apply, candidates must be past recipients of the Foundation’s Career Development Award or any of its Mid-Career Awards who are currently based in Italy and have at least 10 years of experience as Principal Investigators (appointed on or before 2016).
At Harvard Medical School: To apply, candidates must be past recipients of the Foundation’s Junior Faculty Grant who are still based at HMS with at least 10 years of experience as Principal Investigators (appointed on or before 2016).
FUNDING
Two awards of $15,000 USD each are available in 2026. One will be granted to a GAHF-affiliated scientist in Italy, and one to a GAHF-affiliated scientist at HMS.
Funds must be used within 24 months to strengthen mentoring activities within the recipient’s laboratory to support the career development of the lab members and the mentoring skills of the applicant.
Eligible uses include:
- Laboratory retreats focused on career and scientific development.
- Lab activities that enhance growth as a team and as individuals and a supportive research environment.
- Participation in mentoring workshops or structured training programs.
- Support for trainees’ professional development activities.
Salaries, overhead, equipment, and consumables are NOT eligible uses for this award.
REPORTING
At the conclusion of the 24-month period, recipients will submit a brief report describing the use of funds and the perceived impact on mentoring.
CHANGES IN STATUS OF THE AWARDEE
If the recipient’s eligibility status changes before the funds are spent (i.e. they leave Italy or HMS, as applicable), any unspent funds may have to be returned. Any changes in status before funds are spent must be communicated promptly to the Foundation.
APPLICATION DEADLINE
May 1, 2026 (11:59 pm EDT)
RESULTS
By June 20, 2026 (11:59 pm EDT)
AWARD CONFERRAL
Awards will be conferred at the Foundation’s 30th Anniversary event in Rome on June 24, 2026 and at a subsequent ceremony in Boston, tentatively scheduled for July 9, 2026.
WARNING
FAILURE TO DISCLOSE ALL-INCLUSIVE AND ACCURATE INFORMATION IN THE APPLICATION WILL RESULT IN IMMEDIATE DISQUALIFICATION. SHOULD THE MISREPRESENTATION EMERGE AFTER THE AWARD IS RECEIVED, THE GIOVANNI ARMENISE HARVARD FOUNDATION RESERVES THE RIGHT TO REVOKE THE AWARD AND TO ENFORCE THE OBLIGATION OF THE AWARDEE TO REIMBURSE IN FULL THE FUNDS RECEIVED FROM THE GIOVANNI ARMENISE HARVARD FOUNDATION. THIS MAY BE INVOKED AT ANY TIME. BY SUBMITTING THE APPLICATION, YOU GUARANTEE THE INFORMATION YOU PROVIDE IS EXHAUSTIVE AND TRUE AND THAT YOU ACCEPT THE CONDITIONS ABOVE.
INSTRUCTIONS
Application documents must be typed using a 12pt font, with double-spaced pages and one-inch margins on each side. Please put your name in the title of each pdf document (e.g. MillerL CV.pdf, MillerL GIS.pdf, etc.) and the document title, date, and page number in the header or footer of each separate document.
The application consists of several elements, some of which need to be uploaded, while others must be emailed. Please have everything ready before you start.
The application must include:
- Application Form
- Curriculum Vitae, including:
- The average size of your lab over the last 10 years (i.e. average number of lab members, excluding yourself).
- List of current and past trainees who have conducted research in the laboratory for at least six months since its establishment. In the case of past trainees, please indicate their current position. Trainees may include students, PhD candidates, and postdocs.
- Generational Impact Statement (“GIS”): Choose up to five former trainees from the list in your CV (doc. #2, above) for whom to provide a brief description (3-5 sentences) of their scientific careers to date (both in and out of academia). Explain why you consider them among the top scientists you have trained and why they represent success for you as a mentor.
- Mentoring Policies and Initiatives (“MPI”): Concise description of structured mentoring practices, including onboarding, career guidance, authorship policies, and mechanisms supporting trainee development adopted in your lab. You may also use this document to describe any external mentoring activities, initiatives, and relationships in which you have participated as a mentor outside of your own lab. Please be as specific and concrete in your descriptions as possible.
- Two reference letters from former trainees who have achieved independent leadership status in their own labs or are currently working in any research-related field outside of academia. These letters should describe the ways in which the applicant effectively mentored the referee and how the time that the referee spent in the applicant’s lab impacted their career development.
For queries, please contact Daniel Bate, daniel_bate@hms.harvard.edu, at the Giovanni Armenise Harvard Foundation.