The call for applications to the 2025 Rudolf Ippen Young Scientist Award is open! Deadline: March 15th 2025. The winner will be announced at the 2025 ZWHC. Read below for information & instructions to submit an application.
We are also looking for volunteer Ippen Award jurors - see here.
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Professor Dr. Rudolf Ippen was a pioneer of the scientific discipline of wildlife pathology and co-founder of the Internationales Symposiums über die Erkrankungen der Zootiere (continued as the Zoo and Wildlife Health Conference), as well as a founding member of EAZWV in 1996. He was internationally recongized for his scientific contributions as well as his effort to disseminate knowledge and train the younger generation of veterinarians.
In memory of Professor Ippen, who passed away in March 2009, and his outstanding commitment to wildlife medicine, EAZWV and Leibniz Institute for Wildlife Research jointly
established “The Rudolf Ippen Young Scientist Award” in 2010. It is awarded annually at the Zoo and Wildlife Health conference.
The Award recipients are veterinarians in the early phases of their career who demonstrate a great potential for advancing knowledge in wildlife veterinary science, conservation medicine, or zoo animal medicine and become significant net contributors to the community and the field.
As the EAZWV Board recognizes the high pace of development in our profession, the guidelines of the Rudolf Ippen Young Scientist Award have been reviewed and updated. This will allow the Award to focus on thriving early career scientists.
The Rudolf Ippen Young Scientist Award is endowed with 2,000 Euro (NEW!).
Candidates can apply by themselves or can be nominated by somebody else.
The successful candidate will be required to present a 15-20 minute talk at the EAZWV end-of-year webinar series.
Eligible candidates will:
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Have graduated with a veterinary degree within the past 7 years (career breaks e.g. maternity leave, sick leave will be taken into consideration);
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Be involved in one or more of the following:
- clinical work involving wildlife (captive or free ranging)
- wildlife research
- wildlife conservation
- academia;
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Have demonstrated excellent and original scientific work with captive and/or free ranging wildlife, or their respective pathogens as the key focus;
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Be first author of at least 1 peer reviewed publication in a relevant field
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Have the endorsement from an EAZWV full member
Application Process:
Each application should include the following:
- Brief letter of endorsement from one EAZWV full member
- Letter of application (motivation) either from the candidate themselves or from someone putting them forward for this award,
- Curriculum vitae incl. a list of publications (peer reviewed publications and publication in “grey literature”) and other scientific output; proof of community outreach and community engagement (e.g. professional memberships, active participation
in educational programs), list of teaching and training (as trainer/teacher and trainee)
- A copy of selected publications and/or presentations
The jury will base their decision on the following criteria:
- Nominee demonstrated significant and original of basic and/or applied research contributions in the area of zoo/wildlife/conservation medicine (peer reviewed journals; first author vs co-author; if very competitive impact factor of these can be included
in evaluation)
- Scientific excellence and innovative approach of the academic work
- As part of our commitment to high-quality science, scoring of papers published in predatory journals will be downgraded 50%. In that regard, as pertains Open Access Journals, the Jury will abide by the DOAJ positive list of Open Access Journals.
- Relevance of the scientific work beyond national borders
- First author communications at relevant professional meetings
- Coherent body of work produced
- Potential of the candidate (for example: integration in international networks, participation in [scientific] projects, publication history, experience in teaching etc.)
- Is the nominee likely to develop in this field of research?
- Has the candidate secured funding for research?
- Does the candidate strive for excellence in his/ her work and, in doing so, show great drive in his/her research endeavours?
- Is there any evidence that the candidate is a team-player and/or provides inspiration to peers?
The award winner will be announced at the Zoo and Wildlife Health Conference.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.
Past Winners:
