Thesis Prize
Every year, the SFBD awards a prize to an outstanding PhD Thesis work (in French or in English) in the field of Developmental Biology.
Thanks to the generosity of our sponsor Zeiss, the laureate receives a prize of 1000€. In addition, s-he is invited to present his/her work at the annual SFBD Meeting. Registration, traveling and housing expenses are covered by the SFBD.
Depending on the quality of the applications, one or two honourable prizes (500 € each) can be awarded by the Jury in addition to the PhD Thesis Prize.
How to apply ?
Any SFBD member who has defended his/her PhD Thesis between the 1st January 2022 and the 31st December 2023 can apply. The deadline to apply is 31st December 2023. The results will be disclosed in Spring 2024. The application, in French or in English, must include the following information in a single PDF file:
- Your CV (max 2 pages)
- A detailed application letter including: a thesis summary putting into perspective the most outstanding results, highlighting the techniques and collaborations implemented, the originality of the study, the contribution to the advancement of the specific research field and more generally to the field of Developmental Biology (4 pages maximum, including illustrations)
- A letter of support from the thesis supervisor or from a member of the thesis committee, specifying the intellectual and experimental contributions of the candidate.
- The complete thesis file and the articles posted on bioRxiv, submitted or published since the defense and related to the thesis subject.
Selection procedure
A pre-selection of 2 to 4 theses is carried out by the SFBD Board based on the contents of the application.
The pre-selection is based on the general scope of published and unpublished results for the Developmental Biology field, the quality of the application letter and the intellectual contribution of the candidate to the results obtained.
A sub-committee of three members of the Board, different each year, then designates the winner and honorable mentions after a thorough reading of their entire thesis. At this step, selection criteria are: the scope and quality of the results, the writing quality of the entire thesis manuscript and the relevance of the discussion.
At least one paper related to the thesis work must be published or submitted to bioRxiv. On the other hand, there is no need for the paper to be published in a so-called ‘major’ journal.
Application form
Thesis Prize 2023
First prize 2023, Dr. Julien Leclerc
Thesis title: “Evoltion of the eye in Astyanax mexicanus: contribution of maternal and early developmental regulations”
Institute of Neurscience, Paris-Saclay, Dir. Sylvie Retaux
Honorable prize 2023, Dr. Alice Malivert
Thesis title: “Plant developmental plasticity and mechanical forces: the role of FERONIA”
Laboratoire Reproduction et Développement des plantes, ENS-Lyon, Dir. Olivier Hamant
Honorable prize 2023, Dr. Alexis Villars
Thesis title: “Orchestration of epithelial cell elimination by effector caspases“
Institut Pasteur, Paris, Dir. Romain Levayer
Thesis Prize 2022
First prize 2022, Dr. Hélène Vignes
Thesis title: “Molecular and cellular processes involved in the morphogenesis of the zebrafish atrio-ventricular canal”
IGBMC, Strasbourg, Dir. Julien Vermot
Honorable prize 2022, Dr. Arthur Boutillon
Thesis title: “Tissue coordination and collective cell migration in axial mesoderm during Zebrafish gastrulation”
Laboratory for Optics and Biosciences, École Polytechnique, Paris, Dir. Nicolas David
Honorable prize 2022, Dr. Charalampos Babis Galouzis
Thesis title: “Trans-homolog interaction of yellow controls its sex-biased expression pattern in the wing of Drosophila biarmipes“
IBDM, Marseille, Dir. Benjamin Prud’homme
Thesis Prize 2021
First prize 2021, Dr. Alexandre Chuyen
Thesis title: “Molecular and cellular basis of pattern establishment in a vertebrate epithelium”
IBDM, Marseille, Dir. Andrea Pasini
Honorable prize 2021, Dr. Aurélien Villedieu
Thesis title: “Epithelium folding and migration”
Institut Curie, Paris, Dir. Yohanns Bellaïche
Thesis Prize 2020
First prize 2020, Dr. Mélanie Gracia
Thesis title: “Epithelio-Mesenchymal Transition and Apoptosis: Cellular Dynamics and the Role of Snail in Drosophila melanogaster”
CBI, Toulouse, Dir. Magali Suzanne
Honorable prize 2020, Dr. Solène Clavreul
Thesis title: “Development of the astroglial network in the murine cerebral cortex”
Institut de la vision, Paris, Dir. Jean Livet
Honorable prize 2020, Dr. Alicia Lardennois
Thesis title: “Contribution of actin cytoskeleton to C. elegans embryonic elongation”
IBPS, Paris, Dir. Michel Labouesse
Thesis Prize 2019
First prize 2019, Dr. Meryem Baghdadi
Thesis title: “Regulation of adult muscle stem cell quiescence by Notch signalling”
Institut Pasteur, Paris, Dir. Shahragim Tajbakhsh and Philippos Mourikis
Honorable prize 2019, Dr. Chooyoung Baek
Thesis title: “Role of the Notch Signaling Pathway during Neural Delamination in the Vertebrate Embryo”
Institut de Biologie de l’École Normale Supérieure, Paris, Dir. Xavier Morin
Thesis prize 2018
First prize 2018, Dr. Mathilde Dumond
Thesis title: “From cellular variability to shape reproducibility: mechanics and morphogenesis of Arabidopsis thaliana sepal”
RDP, ENS Lyon, Dir. Arezki Boudaoud and Olivier Hamant
Honorable prize 2018, Dr. Samuel Collombet
Thesis title: “Deciphering the regulatory network controlling blood cell specification and reprogramming”
ENS, Paris, Dir. Denis Thieffry
Honorable prize 2018, Dr. Gantas Perez-Mocus
Thesis title : ” Regulation of apical basal polarity and mesoderm invagination by the E3 ubiquitin ligase Neuralized in Drosophila ”
I. Pasteur, Paris, Dir. François Schweisguth
Previous awardees
Thesis prize 2017, Dr. Antoine Ducuing
Thesis title : ” Signalling and morphogenesis during Drosophila dorsal closure “
ENS Lyon, Dir. S. Vincent
Thesis prize 2016, Dr. Gilles Storelli
Thesis title : ” Characterization of the mutualistic interaction tying Drosophila melanogaster with its symbiont Lactobacillus plantarum “
IGFL, ENS Lyon, Dir. François Leulier