Congratulations to Maurine Neiman (University of Iowa), winner of the 2025 IDEA award!
2025 IDEA Award Winner
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Professor Maurine Neiman has spent her career expanding access and inclusion in the evolutionary biology community worldwide. Her impact through science advocacy and communication has been broad and sustained. She has paired her scientific expertise with public-facing vaccine education, helping bring clear, evidence-based messages to wide audiences. She has also used major editorial platforms to open doors for more people to participate fully in our field. As an editor at the Royal Society’s Proceedings B, Dr. Neiman helped build practices that widen participation in publishing and professional networks, with particular attention to creating meaningful opportunities for early-career scientists internationally. Across all of her efforts, she has been a visible, effective champion for a more welcoming and accessible evolution community—one where more scientists can contribute, be heard, and thrive.
Dr. Neiman will present her work during the IDEA Award Plenary at the virtual portion of the Evolution 2026 meeting in May 2026.
The ASN/SSE/SSB IDEA Award was created in 2019 by the American Society of Naturalists (ASN), the Society for the Study of Evolution (SSE), and the Society of Systematic Biologists (SSB). The IDEA Award is given to a person at any career stage who has strengthened the ecology and evolutionary biology community by promoting access and inclusiveness in our fields. The award can also be presented to a group. The recipient receives a plaque at the annual meeting of ASN/SSB/SSE and a $1000 honorarium.