Cheng Lyu, PhD., Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford University, California, USA, wins the Eppendorf & Science Prize for Neurobiology for his work on rewiring the olfactory neural circuit in fruit flies.

“Cheng Lyu’s winning essay describes the molecular mechanisms how olfactory receptor neurons choose one synaptic partner out of all potential candidates” said Peter Stern, Senior Editor at SCIENCE and Prize Jury Chair. “These results provide a profound understanding of the principles of neural circuit assembly.”

“We found that the fly olfactory neural circuit builds its three-dimensional structure by breaking the developmental task into a series of one-dimensional steps”, says Lyu. “By manipulating this process, we rewired the neural circuit and altered the animal’s courtship behavior.”

These findings link genetic variation, through circuit assembly, to animal behavior, paving the way to explore how developmental changes influence brain function.

Two finalists are also recognized. Constanze Depp, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, for examining the role of myelin and oligodendrocytes in Alzheimer’s disease, and Sara Mederos, Ph.D., Wellcome Early Career Fellow at the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre, London, United Kingdom, for revealing how the brain learns to adapt fear responses and be able to suppress them.

The prize will be presented on November 16, 2025 in San Diego, USA, during the week of the Society for Neuroscience.

Eppendorf and the journal Science are awarding this prestigious prize since 2002. Since it’s initiation, the Prize has acknowledged over 70 winners and finalists, brilliant young talents at an early stage of their careers.

About the Eppendorf & Science Prize for Neurobiology:

The Eppendorf & Science Prize for Neurobiology addresses early-career scientists. Every year, it honors young scientists who are 35 years of age or younger for outstanding contributions to neurobiological research based on actively performed or directed laboratory work of molecular, cellular, systems, or organismic biology.

The winner receives US$ 25,000, full support to attend the prize ceremony held in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, and publication of an essay about their research in Science. The finalists’ essays are also published in Science, and they receive full support to attend the prize ceremony.

The next deadline for applications is June 15, 2026. For more information about all awardees and the Eppendorf & Science Prize for Neurobiology, visit www.eppendorf.com/prize.