Young Investigator Award
Flux 2025 Young Investigator Award Winner
Carolina Makowski
Assistant Professor, University of California, San Diego, USA
Dr. Carolina Makowski is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California San Diego (UCSD). She earned her BSc in Psychology and PhD in Neuroscience from McGill University, and completed her postdoctoral training in UCSD’s Department of Radiology. Her research bridges multiple scales of neuroscience to better understand the development of adolescent psychiatric disorders. She has a vested interest in identifying neurobiologically-informed predictive markers of eating disorders (e.g., through integration of multimodal MRI, genetics, and temperament) to meaningfully improve treatments for patients. Dr. Makowski's research has been supported by the National Institutes of Mental Health, Brain Behavior Foundation, Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind, and by Canadian federal (Canadian Institutes of Health Research) and provincial (Fonds de Recherche du Quebec- Santé) funding mechanisms. Dr. Makowski is also an investigator within the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study Consortium, where she co-chairs the Professional Development Workgroup and is a member of the Image Analysis Workgroup. She has served in leadership and mentorship roles across multiple organizations, including the Organization for Human Brain Mapping, Flux Society, and UCSD’s Postdoctoral Teaching Group.
The Young Investigator Award in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, supported by Kennedy Krieger Institute, recognizes outstanding contributions by scientists early in their careers. Kennedy Krieger is the world’s premier institution dedicated to improving the lives of children and young adults with care and research focused on pediatric developmental disabilities and disorders of the brain, spinal cord, and musculoskeletal system.
Nominations will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
-
- Originality of the work
- Excellence of the work
- Significance of the work
- Rigorousness of the work
- Commitment and promise to the field
- Engagement in science communication and outreach
- Efforts to foster open science
- Advocacy for diversity and inclusion
The award winner receives complimentary registration and a 30-minute presentation slot at the next Flux Congress.
Eligibility Criteria
Scientists eligible for this award should be a member of the Flux Society and have been working in the area of developmental cognitive neuroscience for 7 years or less since their terminal degree (e.g. PhD, DPhil, MD). Caregiving leave or time spent in clinical training do not count toward the 7 year limit.
Nominations can be submitted via the button below. Self-nominations are also welcome.
Application materials
- Nomination letter: The nomination letter should address how the nominee meets all the criteria.
- Three papers: Include three papers that should be emphasized in the evaluation
- Nominee’s CV
Thank you to our sponsor Kennedy Kreiger Institute, this award is possible because of your generous support.
Previous Young Investigator Award Winners
2024 Winner
2024 Winner: Rachel Romeo, University of Maryland College Park, USA
Rachel Romeo, PhD, CCC-SLP is an Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland College Park, in the departments of Human Development & Quantitative Methodology, Hearing & Speech Sciences, and the program in Neuroscience & Cognitive Science. She is also a licensed Speech Language Pathologist specializing in pediatric language, literacy, and learning differences. Dr. Romeo is interested in how children's early experiences (both favorable and adverse) interact to influence their brain and cognitive development, as well as their future learning. At UMD, she directs the Language, Experience, and Development (LEAD), which integrates methods from psychology, neuroscience, education, and clinical sciences to investigate how developing brains adapt to their varying environments and lead to unique developmental paths, using rigorous, inclusive, and community-engaged methods. A primary focus is to translate this work into the "real world" to inform educational, clinical, and social policy, and to ultimately reduce inequities in child development.
One-on-One Interview with Rachel Romeo (August 2024)
with Dr. Tzipi Horowitz-Kraus on behalf of the Flux’s Communication Committee
Please join us in congratulating our winner of the 2024 Young Investigator Award, Dr. Rachel Romeo! This award, supported by the Kennedy Krieger Institute, recognizes Dr. Romeo’s outstanding contributions to developmental cognitive neuroscience as an early career researcher.
2023 Winner
2023 Winner: Lara Wierenga, Leiden University, Netherlands
2022 Winner
2022 Winner: Jennifer Silvers, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
Dr. Jennifer Silvers holds the Bernice Wenzel and Wendell Jeffrey Term Chair in Developmental Neuroscience and is an Associate Professor in the Psychology Department at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Dr. Silvers earned dual bachelors degrees in Psychology and Cognitive Science at the University of Virginia and completed her doctoral and postdoctoral work at Columbia University before joining the faculty at UCLA in 2016. At UCLA, Dr. Silvers directs the Social Affective Neuroscience and Development (SAND) Lab, which uses behavior and brain science to understand social, cognitive, and emotional development in children, adolescents and young adults. The SAND Lab is particularly focused on understanding how early experiences and social relationships (with both caregivers and peers) shape emotion regulation, learning, and decision making across development. Dr. Silvers has authored over 50 publications and has been funded by the American Psychological Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Science Foundation. Dr. Silvers' work has been recognized with early career awards from the American Psychological Association, Association for Psychological Science, National Science Foundation, Society for Research in Child Development and International Society for Developmental Psychobiology.
One-on-One Interview with Jennifer Silvers (July 2022)
Please join us in congratulating our winner of the 2022 Young Investigator Award, Dr. Jennifer Silvers! This award, supported by the Kennedy Krieger Institute, recognizes Dr. Silvers’ outstanding contributions to developmental cognitive neuroscience as an early career researcher. As an Associate Professor in the Psychology Department at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Dr. Silvers’ work has advanced our understanding of how early experiences and social relationships shape cognitive and emotional development.
2021 Winner
2021 Winner: Kate Mills, University of Oregon, USA
2020 Winner
2020 Winner: Dylan Gee, Yale University, USA
2019 Winner
2019 Winner: Eva Telzer, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA
2018 Winner
2018 Winner: Leah Somerville, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, USA
2017 Winner
2017 Winner: Damien Fair, Oregon Health & Science University, USA